Gilded Age
Unit 9.2 Urbanization During the Gilded Age
Theme 1: Emergence of Urban Centers
In the late 19th century, American society was increasingly dominated by large urban centers.
Urban growth led to significant societal changes known as the "New Immigration," crowded slums, new religious outlooks, and conflicts.
I. Urbanization
A. Population Growth
Population doubled: From 40 million in 1870 to 80 million by 1900, and 105 million by 1920.
City Dwellers: By 1900, 40% of the population lived in cities.
New York City: Population reached 3.5 million making it the second largest city in the world.
B. Introduction of Skyscrapers
The advent of steel led to the construction of skyscrapers.
Home Insurance Building, Chicago (1885): Often considered America's first skyscraper.
Louis Sullivan's Philosophy: Advocated "form follows function."
Wainwright Building (1891): Regarded as a "true" skyscraper.
Notable Buildings:
Flat Iron Building, New York (1902)
Chrysler Building (1930)
Empire State Building (1930)
Brooklyn Bridge: Linked Manhattan and Brooklyn; was the first suspension bridge in the U.S., designed by John A. Roebling.
C. Mass Transportation
Development of significant transportation methods:
Electric streetcars
Growth of streetcar suburbs
Subway systems enhanced urban mobility.
D. Urban Megalopolises & Opportunities
Cities transformed into megalopolises with distinct districts.
Emergence of commercial districts with department stores like Macy’s.
Urban attractions included entertainment, electricity, and indoor plumbing.
Career opportunities expanded for women:
Roles included social workers, secretaries, seamstresses, telephone operators, bookkeepers.
Over 5 million women were employed by 1900.
E. Class Distinctions & Social Issues
Increasing class distinctions:
Nouveau riche
Wealthy and well-to-do
Middle class
Working class
Deplorable Conditions:
Rampant crime
Unsanitary living conditions
Inhumane housing known as "dumbbell tenements."
F. Political Machines
Political machines thrived during this era:
Utilized the spoils system and patronage.
Tammany Hall, New York: Led by the notorious "Boss" Tweed, criticized by Thomas Nast.
II. New Immigration
A. Overview of “Old Immigration”
Predominantly Anglo-Saxon until 1840 (including German and Scandinavian).
Between 1850-1880, 6 million immigrants arrived, mainly from Germany and Ireland.
Irish made up the second largest group by 1900.
B. The Emergence of “New Immigration”
From 1880-1920, 27 million immigrants arrived, with many returning, primarily from southern and eastern Europe.
By 1910, 1/3 of Americans were foreign-born or had one foreign-born parent.
Most immigrants arrived through Ellis Island after 1880.
Cultural Enclaves emerged in cities like New York and Chicago.
Predominantly Orthodox Christians and Jews (from Eastern Europe).
Challenges included low literacy rates and maintaining cultural identities.
C. Challenges for New Immigrants
Established parochial schools and cultural institutions to preserve their heritage.
First-generation Americans often rejected by mainstream society.
Contributing factors for immigration included:
Overpopulation in their home countries.
Perception of the U.S. as a land of opportunity.
Industrial demand for low-wage labor.
Persecution faced in Europe.
D. Chinese Immigration
Impact of the Burlingame Treaty (1868) and the role in transcontinental railroad construction.
Rise of anti-Chinese sentiment leading to Chinese Exclusion Act (1882).
E. Political Machine Support for New Immigrants
Political machines, such as Tammany Hall, exploited these new votes by providing jobs, housing, and other services.
III. Social Crusades & Movements
A. The Social Gospel Movement
Aimed to address poverty and temperance, serving as a foundation for the Progressive Movement.
B. Settlement House Movement
Driven mostly by women:
Hull House, led by Jane Addams.
Focused on community activism and social reform.
C. Emerging Nativism
Growing anti-immigrant sentiments focused on Irish and Eastern European immigrants.
Formation of groups like the American Protective Association (APA).
D. Immigrant Labor's Economic Role
Business communities welcomed immigrants for their ability to provide cheap labor.
Glided Age - Industrialism
The period from 1865 to 1900 marked significant transformations in American industrialism during the Gilded Age, resulting in the U.S. emerging as a world economic power.
Key Events
1869: Transcontinental Railroad completed.
Carnegie publishes "Gospel of Wealth" (1901): Advocated for the rich to use their wealth for the greater good.
Edison develops the Light Bulb (1879): Revolutionized electricity usage.
Formation of trusts: Led to the consolidation of large businesses.
Theme #1: America’s Second Industrial Revolution
Characterized by the establishment of a transcontinental rail network.
Resulted in the consolidation of businesses into corporate trusts, altering economic dynamics.
Relative Shares of World Manufacturing Output (1750-1900)
USA's share grew while traditional European powers like the U.K. and Germany also maintained significant portions of manufacturing output.
Factors Influencing Industrial Growth
Major Industries Impacted:
Steel: Essential for construction and infrastructure.
Labor: The workforce suffered under poor working conditions.
Railroads: Essential for transportation and economic expansion.
Electricity: Transformed urban life.
Industrialism: Broadened the scope of economic activity.
Banking and Oil: Financed and fueled industrial activities.
Mechanization of Agriculture: Reduced the need for labor in farming.
Politics: Influenced by corporate interests.
Urbanization: Cities expanded rapidly, altering demographic patterns.
Class and Economic Disparities
By 1900, the U.S. had become the most powerful economy.
Vast disparities in wealth resulted in pronounced class divisions.
Significant portions of farmers did not own land; many were sharecropping. -Numerous economic depressions (1873, 1893) led to social unrest.
Impact of the Civil War on Economic Expansion
Civil War legislation laid the groundwork for economic growth.
Pacific Railway Act (1862): Encouraged railroad expansion.
National Banking Act (1863): Established a national banking system.
Morrill Tariff (1862): Increased tariffs to protect American industry.
Homestead Act (1862): Promoted westward expansion by providing land.
Railroad Development
By 1900, the U.S. had more railroad mileage than Europe combined.
Key legislation (Pacific Railway Act) provided land grants and federal loans to railroads, fueling construction.
Railroad development linked the continent and facilitated trade.
Trusts and Corporate Practices
Emergence of "robber barons" who controlled key industries:
Cornelius Vanderbilt: Dominated the railroads, employing monopolistic practices.
Moving toward corporate monopolies led to economic inequalities and public outcry.
Government Response to Corporate Power
Interstate Commerce Act (1887): First significant attempt to regulate businesses in the public interest.
Supreme Court cases (e.g., Munn v. Illinois, Wabash case) shaped the legal landscape concerning state vs. federal regulations on commerce.
Labor Movements
Rising Labor Unions
Labor conditions were dire:
Low wages and poor conditions pushed workers to organize.
Significant strikes highlighted labor issues (Great Railroad Strike, Homestead Strike, Pullman Strike).
Major labor unions included National Labor Union, Knights of Labor, and American Federation of Labor (AFL).
The AFL focused on "bread and butter" issues (wages and working conditions).
Changes in Society
The rise of a wealthy leisure class emerged along with industrialization, leading to social tensions.
The adaptation of Social Darwinism provided justifications for wealth disparities.
Carnegie’s "Gospel of Wealth" advised the rich to redistribute their wealth for public benefit.
Summary of Industrialization's Impact
Standard of living overall increased; however, labor issues remained.
Urbanization led to social stratification and changing lifestyles.
Future struggles would revolve around labor rights and economic reforms.
Glided Age - Politics
The “Bloody Shirt” Elects Grant
Ulysses S. Grant
Nominated by the Republicans.
Notable soldier but lacked political experience.
Accepted gifts from grateful citizens for his role in saving the Union.
Democrat Opposition
Democrats denounced military Reconstruction.
Struggled to agree on alternative strategies.
The “Bloody Shirt” Strategy
Republicans used Grant's popularity to edge out a win against Horatio Seymour, the Democratic candidate.
Strategy involved reliving Grant's war victories and highlighting Southern Democrats' treason.
Grant barely won the popular vote but struggled to secure future victories.
The Era of Good Stealings
Despite the Civil War, the U.S. population increased due to immigration.
Political Corruption
Railroads promoted deceit against customers.
Stock-market scandals damaged public trust.
Corruption extended to judges and legislators selling their influence.
Notorious Figures
Jim Fisk and Jay Gould
Attempted to corner the gold market in 1869.
Their plan relied on the Treasury halting gold sales.
Failed when the Treasury moved forward with gold sales.
The Tweed Ring
Tammany Hall led by Boss Tweed.
Engaged in bribery, graft, and staged elections, stealing up to $200 million.
Tweed was apprehended thanks to reporting by The New York Times, and ultimately convicted.
Grant’s Oversight of Corruption
Grant, described as easy-going, overlooked widespread corruption within his administration.
Friends sought office appointments, leading to a corrupt cabinet, except for Secretary of State Hamilton Fish.
Credit Mobilier Scandal
Credit Mobilier involved in railroad construction and illicit financial gains.
A newspaper expose led to congressional censure and implicated high-ranking officials, including the Vice President.
Whiskey Ring Scandal
In 1875, the Whiskey Ring embezzled Treasury funds.
Grant retracted a statement about punishing wrongdoers after a personal secretary was implicated.
In 1876, Secretary of War William Belknap was discovered pocketing funds from the sale of junk to Native Americans.
Liberal Republican Revolt of 1872
A wave of disgust toward Grant's administration led to the formation of the Liberal Republican Party.
Nominated Horace Greeley, who aimed to mend North-South relations.
Democrats, despite Greeley's past comments about them, supported his candidacy.
Mudslinging Campaign
The campaign was tainted by intense mudslinging, with Greeley labeled as an atheist and Grant called a drunkard.
Grant won decisively in both the electoral and popular votes.
The Republican Congress passed a general amnesty act removing political disabilities for most Confederate leaders.
Economic Panic of 1873
Triggered by over-expansion of railroads and factories, causing a banking collapse.
The panic stemmed from mismanagement and failure of banks like Jay Cooke & Company.
Greenback inflation supporters pushed for the revival of currency printing.
Resumption Act of 1875
Opponents of inflation persuaded Grant to veto a paper money printing bill.
Established plans for redeeming paper currency for gold, starting 1879.
Grant resisted calls for increased silver coining despite public demand.
Bland-Allison Act of 1878
Required the Treasury to purchase large amounts of silver bullion for coining.
The hard-money policy backlash contributed to the Democratic gains in 1874 and the emergence of the Greenback Labor Party.
Gilded Age Politics
Era characterized by corruption and close electoral races.
Democrats were backed heavily in the South while Republicans held the North and West.
Sharp cultural and ethnic differences fueled high voter turnout (80%).
Republican Infighting
Internal conflicts between rivals Roscoe Conkling and James G. Blaine hindered party unity.
Hayes-Tilden Standoff of 1876
Republicans, lacking a strong candidate, nominated Rutherford B. Hayes; Democrats nominated Samuel Tilden.
Compromise of 1877
Settled election disputes with promises of troop withdrawals from Louisiana and South Carolina.
Resulted in Hayes's presidency but left African Americans vulnerable to discrimination.
End of Reconstruction
The withdrawal of troops abandoned Black rights protections, leading to renewed discrimination.
Literacy tests and poll taxes began to disenfranchise Black voters.
The Supreme Court's 1896 ruling in Plessy vs. Ferguson legalized racial segregation with "separate but equal" doctrine.
Labor Strikes and Ethnic Tensions
Economic downturns led to labor strikes, notably in 1877, prompting violent government intervention.
Racial friction, especially between Irish and Chinese workers, marked labor movements.
Chinese Exclusion Act
In 1879, efforts to restrict Chinese immigration were vetoed by Hayes.
Following Hayes's term, the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 prohibited Chinese laborers from entering the U.S.
The Garfield Administration
Republicans nominated James A. Garfield in 1880, with support from Stalwart Chester A. Arthur.
Democrats nominated Winfield S. Hancock, appealing to Southern and Union veterans.
Garfield’s Approach to Governance
Garfield favored less government intervention, aligning with business interests.
The post-Civil War era saw the rise of industrial tycoons like Carnegie and Rockefeller.
Garfield's Assassination
Shot on September 19, 1881, by Charles J. Guiteau, a disgruntled office seeker.
Chester Arthur's Presidency
Introduced the Pendleton Act of 1883 aimed at civil service reform, establishing merit-based appointments.
Nearly 10% of federal offices were classified under the merit system by 1884.
The 1884 Election
James G. Blaine emerged as Republican candidate; Grover Cleveland as Democrat.
The campaign was rife with scandals, including Cleveland's alleged illegitimate child.
New York's vote tipped the election in favor of Cleveland amidst political missteps by Republicans.
Cleveland Takes Office
First Democrat elected since Buchanan; upheld laissez-faire principles.
Notably tried to reduce fraudulent military pension distributions.
Tariff Debates under Cleveland
By 1881, a Treasury surplus sparked calls for tariff reductions.
Cleveland cautiously approached the subject, later advocating for lower tariffs.
Harrison Defeats Cleveland in 1888
Cleveland renominated; faced off against Benjamin Harrison with more political scandals emerging.
Harrison's campaign benefited from anti-Cleveland sentiments, leading to his victory.
Corruption and Political Integrity
Political corruption during Harrison's term discouraged qualified individuals from entering politics.
Cleveland continued to carry out significant reforms, including the Dawes Act and Interstate Commerce Act.