The reform movements of the 19th century greatly benefited the people they were designed to help. The late nineteenth century America is called the Gilded Age. The Gilded Age refers to the shallow display and worship of wealth characteristic of that period. The term was based off of the novel by Mark Twain called the Gilded Age. Though being called this, many reform movements arose during the late 19th century that greatly helped the individuals they were intended to help. The five major reform movements were the Agricultural reform, Civil Service reform, Currency reform, Prison and Asylum reform and Women's suffrage. The Agricultural reform was established as an effect of the agricultural distress that became widespread after 1870. During …show more content…
The Colored Farmer's Alliance had fewer land owners, more tenants and more share croppers than the Southern Farmer's Alliance. They advocated for higher wages for cotton pickers. In 1891, this alliance attempted a region wide strike over higher farm wages. They wanted to keep vegetable prices low, improve business ventures and abolish the Louisiana lottery out of fear that it would lead farmers into …show more content…
Many favored the Currency reform to improve their conditions of raising crop prices and lowering debt. There were confusions on whether to utilize paper currency or silver coinage. Either would have to ensure economic opportunity and equal rights for all classes. The Populist Platform of 1892 demanded free and unlimited coinage of silver and gold. The Platform stated “Silver, which has been accepted as coin since the dawn of history, has been demonetized to add to the purchasing power of gold by decreasing the value of all forms of property as well as human labor, and the supply of currency is purposely abridged to fatten usurers, bankrupt enterprise, and enslave industry. A vast conspiracy against mankind has been organized on two continents, and it is rapidly taking possession of the world. If not met and overthrown at once it forebodes terrible social convulsions, the destruction of civilization, or the establishment of an absolute despotism.We demand a national currency, safe, sound, and flexible issued by the general government only, a full legal tender for all debts, public and private. . . . We demand free and unlimited coinage of silver and gold at the present legal ratio of 16 to 1.” (The American
From the expanding of railroads country wide, to limiting laws on the goods farmers sold and transportation of the goods,to starvation of the economy, agriculture began to take its own shape from 1865 through to 1900 in the United States.
The increase in crop yield caused a change in the economy, which the party set out to straighten out in 1892. On their party platform they demanded that the government take control of the railroad. The railroad was charging extremely high prices to transport grain. They asked the government to use the railroads for the benefit of the people. They also wished to set the economy straight and asked for an unlimited coinage of gold and silver at a ratio of sixteen to one and a graduat...
After the Civil War, business and corporations have expanded significantly throughout the United States. During this time period, known as the Gilded Age, many aspects of the United States were influenced by these large corporations. The Gilded Age was given that name after Mark Twain referenced it in one of his works. In the post Civil War period, big businesses governed by corrupt acts and held power of both the political system and the economy.
... This then led to another party being formed, the populist party. This party had the belief that cities depended on farms, yet farms did not depend on cities. William Jennings Brian supported this idea in his speech, quoted in document J. In which elaborates on the opposition to gold standards and supports the silver standards that would better benefit farmers. The changes in American agriculture were shaped by three key factors, economic change, government policy and technology, in the period of 1865-1900.
The farmers of the late 1800s had many reasons for being dissatisfied with their situation. Unfair railroad practices, such as rebates and drawbacks, hurt them severely. Even common issues of shortage of money, drought, and mortgages were all issues that hurt farmers economically. The farmers of the period, though, used these issues to change the shape of American politics.
...It would not impact farming by making it more successful or by causing it to fail. (Doc. B) This opinion was not valid because McKinley was a Republican and the Republican Party was supportive of big businesses and therefore the currency of gold. They did not want silver as the currency because then the big businesses in the country would be hurt. (The Republican Party)
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 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)
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.
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.
Society is constantly being changed as individuals want equality throughout their groups to others. Even though this has always been occurring in our country, Americans think back to the Progressive Era due to the periods enduring struggle to change the ways we viewed different groups of citizens. Furthermore, the Progressive Era reshaped America and still sets an impact today by fighting for individual freedom and equality and correcting the mistakes made during the Gilded Age.
The Gilded Age contained rapid social and political transformations in the U.S. With large companies helping foster the growing economy which was at its prime, there was a veneer of crippling poverty along with the implosive number of immigrants. Reform back in the Progressive Era was hard but gradual. The Progressive Era is the age in America's history in which there were social and political reforms to bandage the wounds of the Gilded Age. The prominent division between the middle/upper class and the lower class were shaped through Victorian morality and wealth gap. To fix this issue, many took
This happened as the political base moved from rural to more urban areas and with them moved the politician's focus. Many of the farmer's problems were caused by this lack of representation, as without anyone in power to protect them, they made for easy targets. For the farmers in the Great Plains, the railroads used this lack of governmental oversight to grossly overcharge the farmers for not only transporting their grain, but also storing it (4). The government also imposed high tariffs on farm equipment from overseas, the foreign equipment was not only better quality than the equipment sold in the US, but also less expensive. Finally, because taxes were based on property rather than income, farmers had to pay more than their fair share. All of these problems had roots in the fact that the farmers did not have much clout. Railways and large companies tended to work hand in hand with many politicians. Railways would be angry if they were forced to charge less, companies were against lowering the Tariff as it would mean they would either have to lower their prices or make a better product, and anyone who was wealthy would be against changing how taxes were done. Each of these groups individually had a bigger voice than the farmers and would continue to get their way for some time, even after the farmers became organized and began to be
During the late nineteenth century, the United States’ large farmer population was growing increasingly discontent with the state and political affairs. Deflation, debts, mortgage foreclosure of farms, high tariffs, and unfair railroad rates contributed to the farmers’ desire for political reform. As a result of all of the agricultural depression, many farm groups, mostly the Populist Party, arose to fight what farmers saw as the reason for the decline of agriculture. While some of the farmers’ problems did result from overproduction, it was decreased production of silver, discriminatory railroad rates, monopolies, the big boys of business, and the limited political power of farmers which caused most of their problems. Therefore the farmers