Chapter+17+PPT+2024-25 (1)

Page 1: Introduction to the Gilded Age

• America experiences a significant industrial transformation

• Establishment of new social and economic structures

Page 2: The Gilded Age Overview

• Surface Appearance: America appears prosperous and thriving.

  • Increases in wealth and technology.

  • Growth of cities and development of the middle class.

• Hidden Realities: Beneath the surface lies substantial inequality.

  • Many impoverished citizens live in poor conditions.

  • Various injustices faced by marginalized groups.

Page 3: Chain Reaction of Change (1860-1890)

• Over 440,000 patents approved during this period.

• Technological advancements lead to:

  • Economic change

  • Social change

  • Political change

• All changes are interrelated and impact daily life.

Page 4: Disruptions from Change

• Change causes destruction of old structures:

  • New jobs replace obsolete ones.

  • New elites emerge to replace old elites.

• Unchecked corporate power raises concerns among the populace.

Page 5: The Technology Revolution

• Key inventions and innovations shaping the period.

Page 6: Communication Advancements

• Alexander Graham Bell patents the telephone in March 1876.

• Growth of telephone service:

  • 1880: 30,000 service users.

  • 1900: 1.3 million users.

  • 1920: 13 million users.

Page 7: Continued Technology Revolution

• Ongoing innovations and their importance.

Page 8: Thomas Edison’s Contributions

• Edison's achievements include:

  • Nearly 1,000 patents.

  • Innovations in telegraphy and the light bulb.

  • Development of the Menlo Park Research Lab as a model for future research laboratories.

Page 9: Henry Ford and the Assembly Line

• Henry Ford invents the assembly line in 1913.

• Impact on the automotive industry:

  • Based on the concept of interchangeable parts.

  • Production jumps significantly:

    • 1890: 2,500 cars produced.

    • 1916: 1 million cars.

    • 1920: 1.9 million cars.

• Assembly line reduces car production time from 12 hours to 1.5 hours.

  • Major changes in labor dynamics and efficiency.

Page 10: Economic Changes with Corporations and Finance

• Shift to industrial capitalism:

  • Factories replace traditional family businesses.

  • Need for large sums of capital leads to increased reliance on large banks.

• Public skepticism about giant banks post Panic of 1873:

  • Economic hardship ensues; unemployment rises.

Page 11: Extreme Wealth Disparities

• Departure from America’s egalitarian principles leads to inequality:

  • Rockefeller: Dominates the oil refining market.

  • Carnegie: Establishes vertical monopoly in steel production.

  • JP Morgan: Play a significant role in financing and mergers (e.g., United States Steel).

Page 12: Emergence of Corporate Titans

• Vanderbilt’s innovations create a modern corporate structure:

  • Decentralization empowers middle-level management.

• Growth of other monopolies in various industries (e.g., meat, grain, lumber).

• These elite use wealth to influence government policies, with few anti-monopoly laws.

Page 13: Transitioning Social Classes

• As factories grew, a middle class developed among urban managerial positions:

  • Key aspects of urban life and consumption evolve (e.g., candy stores, travel).

  • Technological advancements contribute to enhanced lifestyles.

Page 14: Women's Lives in the Gilded Age

• Varied experiences for women based on class:

  • Working-class women increasingly enter labor force (except middle-class).

  • Middle-class women's domestic roles reinforced by social norms.

  • Shifts in consumption patterns, moving from handmade to store-bought.

Page 15: Rise of Mass Consumption

• Transformation into a mass consumption society:

  • Need to consume aligns with mass production.

  • Advertising becomes crucial in creating consumer demand.

oo: Building a sense of middle-class respectability embedded in new consumer goods.

Page 16: Immigration Dynamics

• Immigrants fulfill the demand for cheap labor in factories:

  • Complex social dynamics between native-born citizens and immigrants.

• Massive influx of immigrants:

  • 1815-1890: 15 million from Northern Europe.

  • 1890-1914: 15 million predominantly from Southern Europe.

Page 17: Immigration Causes – Push and Pull

• Push factors include:

  • Economic hardship (e.g., Potato Famine in Ireland).

  • Political persecution and violence (e.g., pogroms against Jews).

• Pull factors highlight opportunities in America:

  • Industrial jobs with better pay than in homelands.

Page 18: Competing Visions of America

Melting Pot vs. Cultural Pluralism

• Melting Pot: Promotion of assimilation, where immigrants lose their ethnic identities to become 'Americanized.'

  • Emphasis on adopting English language and Protestant values.

• Cultural Pluralism: Immigrants maintain their unique identities while also forming an American identity:

  • Analogous to a tossed salad, where diversity adds to cultural richness.

Page 19: Immigrant Culture and Acceptance

• Ellis Island becomes the entry point for millions of immigrants:

  • Majority accepted, but many face changes in identity (e.g., name changes).

  • Statue of Liberty symbolizes hope and acceptance:

    • “Give me your tired, your poor...”

Page 20: Immigrant Lifestyle at Ellis Island

• Depictions of immigrant life and processing at Ellis Island.

Page 21: Life at Angel Island

• Angel Island: Represents the West Coast processing center for immigrants:

  • Long delays faced by many immigrants, discrimination notable, particularly toward Chinese immigrants due to the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882.

Page 22: Living Conditions for Immigrants

• Extreme overcrowding in tenements:

  • 50% of families live cramped conditions (3-4 in a room).

  • Shared bathrooms lead to unsanitary living environments.