The three most important time frames since 1877 is the Gilded Age (1877-1896) where industrialization and urbanization bloom, leading up to the Great Depression and the Great Depression (1927-1941), and the Cold War Era (1945-1991).
The Gilded Age saw the growth of big business through monopolies and corporations, the use of new technologies to increase mass production through the use of steel and utilize new sources of power such as steam, and the rapid growth of urban areas due to internal and external migration. Industrialization and urbanization are a consistent part of modern
America. Many of the immigrants will be working in industrial type jobs in urban areas; this started in this historic time period. The immigrants might have also
After World War I (1918), America wanted to forget the tragic battles fought in Europe, so they went into a state of euphoria, known as the Roaring Twenties. Nothing could go wrong. The 1920’s are famous for the people’s party attitudes. The U.S. tried to become isolationists again but was unsuccessful because of their financial ties to Europe. In Domestic Policy, the government raised tariffs, taxes put on importing goods, because raising taxes on those you are trying to get money from makes sense. For the farming community, the 1920s were hardly roaring. Many farmers were producing as much as they had during World War I. The profit margin of raising crops dropped because of drought while the cost was rising because of equipment, loans, and overproduction without enough rain. This resulted farmers to default on their loans. By 1932, the banking system had collapsed, the economy imploded, and the unemployment rate was and Russia disagreed at the Yalta Conference in 1945. While they had been allies during the war, they had differing political views. Subsequently Germany and Berlin were divided into Soviet Union, American, British and French zones of occupation. After the Soviets tried to block off all supplies to West Berlin, the allies airlifted food and other supplies for 463 days, supplying more than 2 million tons of supplies. The main idea was that communists must not spread from Russia. The United States was involved in conflicts like Korea and Vietnam to stop the Domino effect they thought would happen if a single country fell to communism. The Cold War also led to scientific achievements. The USSR was the first in space; out of fear of a space missile the US created NASA and landed on the moon first. While NASA is out setting people on the moon, Senator Joseph McCarthy was out crusading anti-communism. The end of the Cold War was signified by the tearing down of the Berlin wall in 1991. The historic significance of the Cold War in America rests on the scientific findings and the foreign policy that emerged during this time.
History matters because it is the backbone of all society. The U.S. has modern policies from the beginning of the start of the country. They also have a social society that was formed in the 1920s with the mass production of cars and expanded throughout the centruries. If people did not study history they would not
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.
In the years from 1860 through 1890, the prospect of a better life attracted nearly ten million immigrants who settled in cities around the United States. The growing number of industries produced demands for thousands of new workers and immigrants were seeking more economic opportunities. Most immigrants settled near each other’s own nationality and/or original village when in America.
The period from 1877 to 1901 in American history was known as the Gilded Age, it was titled so because during this time things on the surface seemed peaceful and good but underneath lay corruption in the society. This era was marked by the end of Reconstruction of the South, as well as the presidencies of Hayes, Garfield, Arthur, Cleveland, Harrison, and McKinley. Significant events of this time were the 1878 Bland Allison Act in which the federal government bought silver and turned it into cheap money. The 1881 Chinese Exclusion Act which banned all Chinese immigrants coming into America because they were hurting employment opportunities for American laborers. The 1883 Pendleton Act that ended Jackson’s spoils system in the government and made the Merit System based on intelligence and ability. The 1887 Interstate Commerce Act which regulated the railroads. The Sherman Antitrust Act which outlawed any combination in restraint of trade. And last, the Gold Standard Act of 1900 that made the American monetary unit based on gold.
The Gilded age and the Progressive Era are time periods that played an important role in the development of the American society. The Gilded Age is a period of American history between 1870 and 1900. This term was coined by Mark Twain in the late 1800s. By this, he meant that this period was glittering on the surface but corrupt underneath ("Learn About the Gilded Age"). The Gilded Age is well known for its political scandals and extravagant displays of wealth. At the same time, this was an era of major achievements in the industry and economy, which significantly changed life of American people. The Gilded Age was followed by the Progressive Era which lasted from the 1890s to the 1920s. Progressive Era is well known for its economical, political, social reforms and technological inventions. In my opinion, The Gilded Age had a more significant impact upon the United States than the Progressive Era because it gave rise to new industries, created transportation and communication networks which provided the infrastructure for further development of technology in the Progressive Era.
Between 1865 and 1900 technology, economic conditions, and government policy influenced American Agriculture greater than it ever had before. Technologically, Railroads, factories, and farm equipment changed American agriculture by allowing the production of farmed goods to be increased substantially, while economic conditions caused the prices of these goods to go down and then fluctuate. Farmers hurting from the economic disarray began influencing the laws being passed to help them in their economic troubles. Because of the influence of technology, government policy, and economic conditions between the 1865 and 1900 American agriculture was affected.
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.
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.
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 latter half of the 19th century marked a time of major changes that sweep the American landscape. Changes included: the second industrial revolution, the third great awakening, abolitionism, immigration, and new religious movements (NRMs). This time period is referred to as the “Gilded Age”; there was rapid economic growth which spurred wage increases, immigration, and technological advances.
As a nation coming out of a devastating war, America faced many changes in the 1920s. It was a decade of growth and improvements. It was also a decade of great economic and political confidence. However, with all the changes comes opposition. Social and cultural fears still caused dichotomous rifts in American society.
The 1920s were known as carefree and relaxed. The decade after the war was one of improvement for many Americans. Industries were still standing in America. They were actually richer and more powerful than before World War I. So what was so different in the 1930’s?
By 1929, the U.S. economy was in serious trouble despite the soaring profits in the stock market. Since the end of WWI in 1918, farm prices had dropped about 40% below their pre-war level. Farm profits fell so low that many farmers could not pay their debts to the banks; in turn this caused about 550 banks to go out of business. The nations illusion of unending prosperity was shattered on Oct. 24 1929. Worried investors who had bought stock on credit began to sell it. A panic developed, and on October 29, stockholders sold a record 16,410,030 share. By mid-November, stock prices had plunged about 40%. The stock market crash led to the Great Depression, the worst depression in the nation’s history (until…2014 ☺). It was a terrible price to pay for the false sense of prosperity and national well being of the Roaring Twenties.
The 1920s were a period of economic growth and change. Real wages for most workers increased while stock prices increased as much as they had in the previous three decades; for the first time, 2,500, the majority of Americans lived in cities and towns. The appearance of current medicine permitted child mortality rates to decline significantly among the rich, but fewer other Americans appreciated regular admission to physicians.