The Gilded Age served an enormously critical role in shaping the American economy throughout the 18th and 19th centuries. Manufacturing needs from the Civil War, advances in science and technology shifted the American economy into industrialization. Cities quickly became flooded with immigrants and workers from every corner of the country, creating a pool of cheap labor. Railways expanded massively, connecting the nation’s major cities and generating a nationwide marketplace for business to compete. A combination of industrialization, technology, and urbanization transformed the standard of living. During this time, much of the rapid growth that occurred was led by significant inventions that were created.
In the midst of the industrial economy exploding, people saw a wave of opportunity in the marketplace, and a chance to innovate further. There was value in delivering a products, and services that could be beneficial to people, businesses, and society. The timing of innovation often varied from one industry to another, having a ripple effect. Although, this resulted in an unprecedented level of productivity across every field. Profits for businesses were rising from the continuously increasing levels of production, while former workshops were replaced with assembly lines and factories. Larger scale production made economic sense to businessmen as it decreased the overhead costs.
While some people pursued career opportunities in the American frontier, others looked for new ways of doing things incorporating technology. Thomas Edison was one such person. In 1876, he and his colleagues opened an invention workshop in Menlo Park, New Jersey, where they intended to turn out “a minor invention every ten days and a big thing every s...
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...ation.Sir Henry says, converted wrought-iron bars into Bessemer cast steel in thirty minutes, wholly without skilled manipulation.
Reducing costs, labor, and time required to make steel using this valuable process allowed the creation of some of the most remarkable construction projects in history. The Bessemer process had an impact not only on on the manufacturing system, but largely in the US economy. The mass production allowed for, the possibility to use steel in the construction of buildings, bridges, and railroad lines. These infrastructures were crucial to the success of the US economy as it migrated to a free enterprise economy.
Each of these innovations and developments increased productivity, and was the backbone behind the the growth that occured during the Gilded age. Newly created jobs were meeting the demand from the population
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
In the late nineteenth century known as the Gilded Age (or the Reconstruction period) and the early twentieth century known as the Progressive era, the nation went through great economic growth and social change. Beginning in the 1870s, there was rapid growth in innovations and big businesses. This could be because there was population growth and when there is population growth, there is a high demand for products and other necessities in order to strive in society. Many immigrants from Europe, mostly from the eastern and southern Europe, and Asia moved to American cities. Additionally, farmers from rural America desired to increase economic growth and since corporations ruled and political problems occurred, they decided to move into the cities.
The exact period of time in which the Gilded Age occurred is ever-debatable, but most historians can at least agree that it started within the 20 years after the Civil War ended and lasted until the early 1920s. (West) The Gilded Age itself was characterized by the beginnings of corporations and corrupt political machines. Policies such as the General Incorporation Laws allowed business to grow larger more easily, and with less red tape involved. New technology allowed faster and more efficient production, but this explosive growth of industry called for not only more resources, but new business practices and leaders as well. (Moritz 10-12)
During the 1800’s, America was going through a time of invention and discovery known as the Industrial Revolution. America was in its first century of being an independent nation and was beginning to make the transition from a “home producing” nation to a technological one. The biggest contribution to this major technological advancement was the establishment of the Transcontinental Railroad because it provided a faster way to transport goods, which ultimately boosted the economy and catapulted America to the Super Power it is today.
“Learn About the Gilded Age.” Digital History. N.p., 3 Jan. 2010. Web. 27 Feb. 2010. .
The Gilded Age was the last three decades of the nineteenth century, when America’s industrial economy exploded generating opportunities for individuals but also left many workers struggling for survival. With the many immigrants, skilled and unskilled, coming to America the labor system is becoming flooded with new employees. During this period, the immigrants, including the Italians, were unskilled and the skilled workers were usually American-born. There was also a divide in the workers and the robber barons. Robber barons were American capitalist who acquired great fortunes in the last nineteenth century, usually ruthlessly. There was much turmoil throughout the business and labor community. Two major organizations, the Knights of Labor and the American Federation of Labor, helped represent the workers in this time of chaos. The Knights of Labor, founded in 1869, were representing both skilled and unskilled workers. They were quite popular with a large boost in membership becoming the biggest union in 1885. They sought for equal pay and equal work. All were welcomed to the Knights of Labor; there was no discrimination on race, gender, or sex. They called for an eight-hour day in order to reduce fatigue and for safety issues. The Knights of Labor Declaration of Principles states their purpose is to “make industrial and moral worth, not wealth” (Reading 9, p. 1). This means the moral worth is to what they could contribute to society rather than monetary gains. They were working towards this improvement of the common mans life to advance in civilization and create new ideas for society. They also called upon the employer to treat the employee with respect and fairness so they can contribute to not only their company but to Amer...
The Gilded Age gets its name from a book by Mark Twain called The Gilded Age: a Tale of Today. It was written in 1873, and unfortunately was not that successful. While the Gilded Age conjures up visions of ostentatious displays of wealth and decorative parties, the over all topic was politics. The book gives an extremely negative assessment of the state of American democracy at that time. Which does not come as a huge surprise coming from Twain, who famously said "It could probably be shown by facts and figures that there is no distinctly native American criminal class except Congress.” So when faced with sweeping changes in the American economy after the Civil War, the American political system both nationally and locally dealt with these problems in the best way possible, by inevitably and incredibly becoming corrupt.
Some of these inventions such as the refrigerated railroad cars and the cigarette-rolling machine, formed a basis for new industries and fortunes. As the country expanded and industrialized, increasing emphasis was placed upon mass production and mass distribution. By speeding up production and increased the output of goods, and an industry could lower costs and maximize profits. As a result of mass production, factory owners often found themselves able to produce more goods than the market would absorb, therefore they needed to increase consumer
The life of an immigrant in the United States during the Gilded Age was a rough life. During this time period the U.S. went through a dramatic change in dealing with changing infrastructure and masses of people coming over from different countries for a chance at a better life. This time period was characterized by small wage jobs, poor working conditions and the struggle to survive. The Jungle embodies the themes of the Gilded Age with first hand experiences of an immigrant's hardships of life.
Expansive growth was the moniker that expressly defined the Gilded Age. Industry in all sectors, witnessed massive growth leading to the creation of an American economy. Due to the rapidly changing nature of industrialization, important men of both the public and private sectors attempted to institute their own controls over it. However, this transforming landscape integrated both economic and political changes, but also cultural and social interactions. In turn, those who controlled the flow of business would also steadily impact the American social scene by extension.
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
From the period between the 1870’s through the 1890’s, it became an era known as the Gilded Age. The term was characterized by a famous American Literature author named Mark Twain. The writer tried to point out that the term means that while on the outside society may seem perfect and in order, underneath there is poverty, crime, corruption, and many other issues between American society’s rich and poor. This era’s gild is thicker than the cheaper material it’s covering. This can be shown through the countless numbers of achievements and advances America has made during the period of reconstruction and expansion, industrialization, and foreign affairs.
The gilded age of the United States is an extremely interesting era that generally gets diluted in the teaching of American history. However, this age was very critical in the development of many modern ideas and institutions we utilize today. Change and continuity are both prevalent in this time, but change is the primary element from 1877 to 1900.
The Gilded Age was a time of transition for the citizens of the United States. They experienced great changes not only in economic status but also social change. This age witnessed the growth of many industries, unions, technology and the rise of many big businesses. However, there were some factors caused a great divide amongst Americans. Some of these factors include: the upper class reaping all the benefits that would not be possible without lower class workers, lower class workers demanding better conditions as they were usually underpaid and worked long hours, another factor was also the image of what the Gilded Age was to immigrants versus what the reality of it was. This is shown by John Mitchell in “The Workingman’s Conception of Industrial
Look around at our society today, would it be the same if not for the Gilded Age?? The Gilded Age resulted in many things that people still benefit from to this very day. The Gilded Age was an age of economic growth, especially in the North and West. Millions of European immigrants were attracted to the United States. The European wages, especially for skilled workers, were much lower than in America. Wages in the US grew at a very fast rate and continued to rise. The increase of industrialization means, an increasing labor force. However, even with an increase in jobs the Gilded Age was also an era of poverty as very poor European immigrants moved to the United States. The major industry was railroads, but labor unions, mining, and the factory system also increased in importance. One major nationwide depressions known as the Panic of 1893 stunted growth. The South remained devastated economically; its economy became tied to tobacco and cotton production, which suffered low prices. African Americans in the South lost their right to vote. The political outcome was notable despite some corruption, elections between the evenly matched parties were close and turnout was very high. The biggest issues were economic: tariffs and money supply, and cultural: especially including prohibition, ethnic and racial groups, and education.