Ajaylae Banks 4th Period 13 Dec. 2016 How successful was organized labor in improving the position of workers? Industrial Workers and farmers experienced many technological advancements after the second industrial revolution. The building of railroads helped farmers and industrial workers, making agribusinesses and the shipping of goods possible.Technological advances, such as the telegraph, typewriter, telephone, electric motors, and barbed wire, spurred significant growth in industrial activity making it possible for women to take on jobs that were usually occupied by males. Mark Twain uses the term "The Gilded Age" to describe the late nineteenth century in America, a time period marked by greed and absolute corruption of the U.S. …show more content…
The source of the farmers' problems was a decrease in crop prices caused by overproduction, and the growing international competition of world markets. Farmers believed that there was something wrong with the economic system, and mainly protested against the railroad companies and food processors. Farmers resented high railroad freight rates, but couldn’t use an alternative form of transportation. High tariffs put farmers at a disadvantage because they had to sell their cotton and other staples on world markets. Farmers responded to this economic depression by forming The National Grange. The National Grange's goal was to provide and help farmers with an organization that could assist them with any issues or problems that arose in their society. Grange started as a social and educational response to the farmers' isolation, but as it grew it began to promote farmer owned cooperatives for the buying and selling of crops. As the Grange lost energy, the Farmers' Alliances, which emphasized the involvement of the government, into their economy, grew in size and significance. In 1890, Nebraska farmers formed a new political party named, the People's Independent party. The Populist Party or the People’s Party claimed to represent small farmers and wage laborers, blacks and poor whites, in their fight against railroads, corporate monopolies, and …show more content…
This resulted into the development of new political parties such as the Populist Party. The Transcontinental Railroad was a train route that connected the Atlantic and Pacific coasts of the United States for the first time in history. The railroad was built during the late nineteenth century as a result of technological advances and new machinery. The transcontinental railroad is very similar to the construction of the Panama Canal. The Panama Canal and the transcontinental railroad benefitted the U.S. by increasing the shipping of goods, making it cheaper and faster for crops grown by farmers to get to their
High prices forced farmers to concentrate on one crop. The large-scale farmers bought expensive machines, increasing their crop yield. This caused the smaller farmers to be left behind. The small farmers could no longer compete and were forced give up their farms and look for jobs in the cities. The smaller farmers who stayed blamed their troubles on banks and railroads. In the 1890’s western and southern farmers came together to make up the political party called the Populist Party. Their plan was to take control of the White House; then they could solve all their problems.
The populist movement occurred in the late 19th century, formed from the Grangers movement where its goal was a movement for people, to change the economic system where it would benefit farmers. The grange movement rapidly declined in the 1870s and was replaced by the farmer alliances. The farmer alliances were more political than social. The farmer’s alliance later formed the populist movement. The populist movement is considered to be an agrarian revolt by farmers and those concerned with agriculture, because in the gilded age many people were moving to rural areas where banks and industrial systems were superior over agriculture.
The transcontinental railroad was a 1,800 mile railroad linking Omaha, Missouri with Sacramento, California. This railroad was built through varying environmental conditions including grassy plains, desserts, and mountains such as the Sierra. The railroad revolutionized transportation in the nineteenth century (Galloway 4). The First Transcontinental Railroad was built in the 1860s in order to connect the Eastern and Western coasts of the United States. In the book The Railroads, statistical data describes that “In 1830, 23 miles of railroad track were being operated in the United States; by 1890 that figure had grown to 166,703 miles, as cities and villages were linked across the lan...
The Gilded Age was a time in American history that came to be known as a major turning point for the country, as it marked the decline of an economy based on agriculture, and brought forth the rise of an economy based on business and industry. Following the Civil War and Reconstruction, it was a great time for change, especially for the economy. The economy improved, and at the same time, it granted more opportunities for inventors and businessmen to come out and share their talent with the the world. As America began to industrialize and make new advancements in technology, it also began to encourage the growth of the middle class and promoted the importance of social mobility and competition between businesses. The Gilded Age was a time when
The nineteenth century America was a period of history following a number of long lasting wars and also a whole new start to new changes in society. With the collapse of multiple nations that were in contact towards the United States, it paved the way for the growing influence and development for the United States, spurring military imperialism and conflicts, and advances in scientific exploration and technologies. Because of the ideas and resources that were began to spread, develop and flourish in areas of the western hemisphere, the nineteenth century also saw opportunities in construction, communication, and in particular the transportation systems. But as different aspects of society began to improve and that more and more freedom were in the hands of the citizens and government, the competitive market not only expanded in profit and wealth, but simultaneously faced minor conflicts due to the abuse of their rights and property. Because of the rise of new technological advancements and resources, railroads in the 19th century American society quickly boomed cities and came across as the most dominant source of transportation, as it predominantly played a role in the expansion of industry across the United States. Also, it was a movement most efficient in creating their own monopoly and was quickly adopted by many other countries that sought influence.
The Gilded Age was known as the Second Industrial Revolution because there was change in the economy, politics, and society. Most of the change was occurring because of the growth of large companies. The in the 1900s up to the 1920s, the companies started to decrease in power but not all since Henry Ford was being successful because of his automobile company that allowed the people to move more, and think differently depending on their sexuality. Even though Ford was successful, the businesses still didn’t run the people anymore, the people started to control the government more.
One of the most important achievements of the Gilded Age was the creation of a network of railroads including the transcontinental railroad, which connected the United States from New York to California, facilitating transportation across the continent. During the Gilded Age the length of all the railroads combined increased threefold ("Second Industrial Revolution"). This was significant not only because it decreased travel time from the eastern to western parts of the U.S and vice versa down from months to weeks and allowed people to settle the central United States, but also opened new areas for commercial farming and gave an economic boost to steel...
As the need of human transportation and various forms of cargo began to rise in the United States of America, a group of railroads with terminal connections along the way began to form across the land mass of this country, ending with the result of one of the most influential innovations in American history, allowing trade to flow easily from location to location, and a fast form of transportation, named the Transcontinental Railroad.
After settlements were established, farmers opposed the government. The farmers united to form their opposing union that would lead their opposing movement and solve their common problems that they had with economic distress and railroads. The grange and farmers´ alliances surged with the quest to get the government to support them. The rise of the populist party caused a scare and panic to other government groups, but it didn´t last, the populist party collapsed.
The Gilded Age was a period of economic growth as the United States jumped to the lead in industrialization ahead of Britain. Though there were many new inventions during the era of the Gilded Age, the most important one the the creation of the transcontinental railway. In 1869, the First Transcontinental Railroad opened up the western mining and farming regions. It was helpful to the immigrants because it allowed more immigrants to come into the country. I think thar there was many inventors of this time, but I think that Thomas Edison was one of the most influential inventors because he developed many devices that greatly influenced life around the world, including the phonograph, the
Railroads opened new areas as settlement and stimulated the mining and manufacture. At the same time, the telegraph appeared. It brought uniform price of the country. Because of these improvements, many people migrated to west. The market revolution and westward expansion heightened the nation’s sectional divisions. The most dynamic feature of the American economy in the beginning of the nineteenth century was the rise of the Cotton Kingdom. But the increasing demand of cotton lead to larger number of slaves. For white people, westward expansion was a chance to get more freedom, but for black people, it means that they would have less freedom and their families will be broken. In the north, Market Revolution turned it to commercial system. Farmers focus on producing crops and livestocks. In some industries, the factory superseded traditional craft production. Both men and women could earn money by taking jobs from factories. Market Revolution changed the time concept of Americans. In cities, time of work and relax is divided clearly. Early New England textile mills largely relied on female and child labor.
The Transcontinental railroad could be defined as the most monumental change in America in the 19th century. The railroad played a significant role in westward expansion and on the growth and development of the American economy (Gillon p.653). However, the construction of the transcontinental railroad may not have occurred if not for the generous support of the federal government. The federal government provided land grants and financial subsidies to railroad companies to ensure the construction. The transcontinental railroad contributed to the formation of industry and the market economy in America and forever altered the American lifestyle.
Mark Twain wrote in his biography, “I like the exact word, and clarity of statement”. Upon examining the parameters of this self-reflection, it bounces back onto his famous characterization of the 1870s to 1890s period, ‘the Gilded Age’. This particular wordplay implied (and referred) to the “glittering, deceptive” appearance of America’s current political and economic expansion (Foner 528). Although naturally certain societal views are held more strongly than others, with how much certainty could this term be used to accurately describe all of this period’s major events? Despite the inevitable negatives produced from the Second Industrial Revolution, the achieved growth and benefits balanced
The late Nineteenth Century saw increased industrial growth in the United States. One of the major developments that led to the increased industrial growth was the expansion of the railroad. The railroad provided infrastructure that made it cheap to transport goods from one place to another. Investors could now build industries in different parts of the country and transport products fast and to a wide network of consumers. Another resource that fostered industrial growth was the influx of immigrants into the United States. During this time, many foreigners were able to come into the country and provide cheap labor for building industries thus reducing the cost of industrialization. In addition, the country was in need of vigorous development to cater for the needs of the growing population at that time.