The Gilded Age
The Age of Prosperity
(unless, of course, you're poor, black, a foreigner, or a woman)
The Gilded Age was a time of great economic growth and prosperity, but only for a lucky few. Many people remained poor and somber, working strenuous jobs under terrible working conditions. Not only that, but because of the more twisted evolutions in the economy (like trusts and monopolies), fewer people were allowed to be able to go from the alleged "rags to riches," as most industries were controlled by a select group of individuals. Because of this false sense of prosperity, the age was forever donned "The Gilded Age," seemingly solid gold on the outside, but really only a thin layer of gold is there to cover some other haggard metal.
For more information see below and visit: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/carnegie/gildedage.html
http://www.shmoop.com/gilded-age/
For more information see below and visit: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/carnegie/gildedage.html
http://www.shmoop.com/gilded-age/
Miners and Cowboys and Farmers, oh my!
EXPANDING WEST: In general, Westward Expansion allowed for a lot of economic growth. Gold and Silver was found, a cattle industry arose, and more land for farming allowed for a bettering of the economy. Westward Expansion is what helped to jump-start the Gilded Age
More Info: http://www.apstudynotes.org/us-history/topics/cattle-frontiers-and-farming/
http://www.fee.org/the_freeman/detail/miners-vigilantes-and-cattlemen-property-rights-on-the-western-frontier/#axzz2EQBkBC3e
GOLD/SILVER MINING: Gold discovered in California brings prosperity to the nation as men and women go out in search riches and the newly found gold and silver goes in to the economy.
More info: http://museumca.org/goldrush/fever11.html
CATTLE RANCHING: Cattle Ranching, originally from Mexico, came to America and became a major part of our society and economy as Americans came to depend on the beef that could easily be shipped anywhere with new railroads.
More Info: http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/azr02
FARMING: Farming became more important as farmers developed new tools and grew crops that would then be fed to all of America
More Info: http://plainshumanities.unl.edu/encyclopedia/doc/egp.ag.001
More Info: http://www.apstudynotes.org/us-history/topics/cattle-frontiers-and-farming/
http://www.fee.org/the_freeman/detail/miners-vigilantes-and-cattlemen-property-rights-on-the-western-frontier/#axzz2EQBkBC3e
GOLD/SILVER MINING: Gold discovered in California brings prosperity to the nation as men and women go out in search riches and the newly found gold and silver goes in to the economy.
More info: http://museumca.org/goldrush/fever11.html
CATTLE RANCHING: Cattle Ranching, originally from Mexico, came to America and became a major part of our society and economy as Americans came to depend on the beef that could easily be shipped anywhere with new railroads.
More Info: http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/azr02
FARMING: Farming became more important as farmers developed new tools and grew crops that would then be fed to all of America
More Info: http://plainshumanities.unl.edu/encyclopedia/doc/egp.ag.001
An Age of Industrialization and Invention
TURNING IRON TO STEEL: Bessemer's discovery of turning iron to steel was a major improvement in technology because it was stronger and could be used for longer lasting railroads and skyscrapers. The resulting steel industry changed the way Americans saw business and economy (see below, Carnegie's Views)
More Info: http://www.invent.org/hall_of_fame/183.html
THE DISCOVERY OF OIL: Oil was not seen as a significant discovery at first, only a smelly goop that arose from the earth. Eventually, however, it became very important, as we are now completely reliant on it, and it's industry shaped our economy today, much like the steel industry.
More Info: http://www.history.com/topics/oil-industry
ADVANCEMENTS IN COMMUNICATION: Communication was a very slow and difficult proccess up until the late 19th century, when the telegraph, and, eventually, the telephone were created.
More Info: (telegraph) http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/sfbmhtml/sfbmtelessay.html
(telephone) http://inventors.about.com/od/bstartinventors/a/telephone.htm
IMPORTANCE OF INVENTIONS OVER TIME: America was the top country of inventions during this time. More than 220,000 patents were issued in the late 19th century and the inventions ranged from the typewriter to the adding machine to the sleeper car, which are still used today (if not more highly advanced since then).
More Info: http://www.gilderlehrman.org/history-by-era/jackson-lincoln/essays/technology-1800s
More Info: http://www.invent.org/hall_of_fame/183.html
THE DISCOVERY OF OIL: Oil was not seen as a significant discovery at first, only a smelly goop that arose from the earth. Eventually, however, it became very important, as we are now completely reliant on it, and it's industry shaped our economy today, much like the steel industry.
More Info: http://www.history.com/topics/oil-industry
ADVANCEMENTS IN COMMUNICATION: Communication was a very slow and difficult proccess up until the late 19th century, when the telegraph, and, eventually, the telephone were created.
More Info: (telegraph) http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/sfbmhtml/sfbmtelessay.html
(telephone) http://inventors.about.com/od/bstartinventors/a/telephone.htm
IMPORTANCE OF INVENTIONS OVER TIME: America was the top country of inventions during this time. More than 220,000 patents were issued in the late 19th century and the inventions ranged from the typewriter to the adding machine to the sleeper car, which are still used today (if not more highly advanced since then).
More Info: http://www.gilderlehrman.org/history-by-era/jackson-lincoln/essays/technology-1800s
A Changing Economy (...for the better?)
BASIC IDEOLOGY: The basic ideals of the Gilded age were that any man could go from rags to riches, and he should do anything possible for wealth, even taking over an entire industry and subjecting worker to bare minimum wages. This ideology led to the formation of monopolies, trusts, and vertical integration.
More Info: http://www.shmoop.com/gilded-age/ideology.html
CARNEGIE'S VIEWS: Carnegie's steel corporation became the first billion dollar company in America. He was one of the first people to use vertical integration and became extremely wealthy because of it.
More Info: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/carnegie/sfeature/mf_flames.html
ROCKEFELLER'S TRUSTS: Rockefeller is a name most associated with the oil industry and his Standard Oil. His views on trusts influenced the actions of business men who followed in his footsteps.
More Info: http://projects.vassar.edu/1896/trusts.html
DEVELOPMENT OF BRAND NAMES: Brand names like Quaker first started appearing during the Gilded Age. Advertising shot up as more and more companies used newspapers to sell their goods.
More Info: http://www.trailend.org/you-consumers.htm
More Info: http://www.shmoop.com/gilded-age/ideology.html
CARNEGIE'S VIEWS: Carnegie's steel corporation became the first billion dollar company in America. He was one of the first people to use vertical integration and became extremely wealthy because of it.
More Info: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/carnegie/sfeature/mf_flames.html
ROCKEFELLER'S TRUSTS: Rockefeller is a name most associated with the oil industry and his Standard Oil. His views on trusts influenced the actions of business men who followed in his footsteps.
More Info: http://projects.vassar.edu/1896/trusts.html
DEVELOPMENT OF BRAND NAMES: Brand names like Quaker first started appearing during the Gilded Age. Advertising shot up as more and more companies used newspapers to sell their goods.
More Info: http://www.trailend.org/you-consumers.htm
Intensive Labor: The Birth of Unions
WORKING CONDITIONS: Working conditions were very poor with 10 hour work days and hazardous situations. People were constantly injured on the job and worked down to the bone.
More Info: http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/awlhtml/awlwork.html
WAGE INEQUALITY: Employers were never willing to pay more for workers than they had to. Most people never made more than $500 a year, if that. And those who were, unskilled, young, foreign, of color, or female received considerably less income.
More Info: http://www.nyu.edu/classes/jackson/future.of.gender/Readings/DownSoLong--Economy.pdf
KNIGHTS OF LABOR: The Knights of Labor formed as a way to help improve working conditions and allow people to move up in the world, as opposed to having the same menial factory jobs their entire lives.
More Info: http://www.knightsoflabor.org/
ORIGIN OF THE LABOR UNIONS: Although the Knights of Labor were not as successful as hoped, they helped to begin a phase of new unions of people with similar ideals. The most influential being the American Federation of Labor.
More Info: http://www.shmoop.com/history-labor-unions/labor.html
http://www.ushistory.org/us/37d.asp
More Info: http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/awlhtml/awlwork.html
WAGE INEQUALITY: Employers were never willing to pay more for workers than they had to. Most people never made more than $500 a year, if that. And those who were, unskilled, young, foreign, of color, or female received considerably less income.
More Info: http://www.nyu.edu/classes/jackson/future.of.gender/Readings/DownSoLong--Economy.pdf
KNIGHTS OF LABOR: The Knights of Labor formed as a way to help improve working conditions and allow people to move up in the world, as opposed to having the same menial factory jobs their entire lives.
More Info: http://www.knightsoflabor.org/
ORIGIN OF THE LABOR UNIONS: Although the Knights of Labor were not as successful as hoped, they helped to begin a phase of new unions of people with similar ideals. The most influential being the American Federation of Labor.
More Info: http://www.shmoop.com/history-labor-unions/labor.html
http://www.ushistory.org/us/37d.asp