gilded age

The Gilded Age: Overview

  • Period: 1865-1898

  • Theme: "Gilded is not golden"

  • Significance: The era marked significant social, political, and economic changes in the United States following the Civil War.

Key Ideas in Period 6

Westward Expansion

  • Finishing westward expansion with the Plains Wars and conservation efforts.

  • Questions raised: What happens when the continent is fully settled? Is Manifest Destiny over?

Industrialization and Big Business

  • Emergence of major industrialists: Rockefeller, Carnegie, Vanderbilt.

  • Debate: Are they "captains of industry" or "robber barons"?

  • Impact of modernization on American life and the widening gap between the rich and poor.

Political Landscape

  • The concept of "forgotten presidents" and shifting political parties accommodating big business.

  • The rise of political machines controlling local politics.

North vs. South

  • Post-Civil War effects on the North and South: Ongoing societal differences.

  • Transition of the West and its significance in national development.

Immigration Waves

  • Origins of new immigrants and their settlement patterns.

  • Impact of immigrants on American life and societal reactions.

Social Changes

  • Aftermath of Reconstruction and the status of freed slaves in the South.

  • Changes in women's roles and the conditions of Native Americans.

Unit 6 Breakdown

  • Gilded Age Politics: Characterized by corruption.

  • Industrialization: Rise of commercialism and super-rich individuals.

  • Immigration: Motivations for immigration and experiences in America.

  • Westward Expansion: Treatment of Native Americans during this period.

Economic Definitions

  • Trust: A mechanism for one company to control another via stock ownership; exemplified by Standard Oil.

  • Monopoly: Complete control of a market by one business, requiring over 50% market share for legal recognition.

  • Vertical Integration: Control over all phases of production.

  • Horizontal Integration: Merging with competitors.

Opposing Viewpoints on Industrialists

Captains of Industry

  • Created numerous jobs.

  • Increased productivity.

  • Provided affordable products.

  • Contributed to their communities through philanthropy.

Robber Barons

  • Exploited workers, leading to poor working conditions.

  • Engaged in corrupt practices.

  • Kept profits while giving little back to the community.

Migration West Post-Civil War

  • Railroad Expansion: Increased due to government incentives.

  • Economic Opportunities: Farmers migrated for land, discovering mineral wealth led to new economic centers.

Developments in the West

  • Increasing migrants moving to both rural areas and boomtowns.

  • Decimation of bison populations.

  • Violent conflicts over land and resources; treaties with American Indians often broken.

Major Conflicts

Battle of Little Bighorn (1876)

  • Key Figures: Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse led resistance against government-imposed Reservations.

  • Causes: Discovery of gold in South Dakota and treaties disregarded by the US government.

The Industrial Economy and the New South

  • Focuses on the transformation and reaction in the South after the Civil War.

Presentation Preparation for Industrialists

  • Cover wealth accumulation and integration practices of historic figures.

  • Discuss any relevant union activities, riots, and public perception ("Captain of Industry" vs. "Robber Baron").

Political Landscape

Republicans

  • Party origins linked to Lincoln; focused on reform and high tariffs.

  • Internal divisions: "Mugwumps" against patronage.

Democrats

  • Stronghold in the South; aligned with northern immigrant groups opposed to reforms.

Political Machines and Tammany Hall

  • Political machines exercised control over urban politics, most notably Tammany Hall led by William Tweed.

  • Tammany Hall's corruption exposed by reformers like Samuel Tilden and cartoonist Thomas Nast.

Other Key Aspects

  • Disenfranchisement: Tactics such as literacy tests and poll taxes; rise of lynch mobs and court rulings like Plessy v. Ferguson.

  • African American Leaders: Booker T. Washington and his advocacy for economic self-help and vocational education.

  • Agricultural Changes: Industrialization in farming, hardships for smaller farms, and the rise of farmer movements like the Grange.

  • Conservation Efforts: Initiatives like the Sierra Club by John Muir to protect natural landscapes.

  • Native American Policies: Several acts leading to the creation of Reservations; events like the Plains Wars and assimilation efforts through education.