This created a system of social and economic inequity which created a reaction to the Gilded Age well before the Age itself closed.
Impact of and Reaction to the Gilded Age of Big Business
The Progressive era is the period people generally associate with pro-labor reforms, slum clearing and equal rights. However, all of these movements generally started in earnest before the close of the Gilded Age in 1900. This paper has already set forth the changes in Society and the challenges presented by these changes. The rest of this paper will seek to identify the impact of the changes on those that felt the impact most, the working class, women and minorities.
History has not looked back upon Gilded Age Politics favorably. In fact, it has been said that the Gilded Age politicians accomplished nothing of significance and stood for nothing sincere (De Santis 78). Its lasting legacy on the national scale was aiding and abetting big business to establish monopolies and trusts and the spoils system. Entire national campaigns were conducted on the strength of the other party's level corruption. At the local level, political machines and bosses tended to control entire cities and often operated a very high level of corruption (Brown, Gilded Age 4).
This period in American politics has a greater significance attached to it than just being the era of corruption and ineffectiveness. As early as the election of 1880, the eradication of the spoils system was the focus of national campaigns. Beginning with the campaign of William Jennings Bryan on 1896, many American historians believe that an air of legitimacy returned to American politics (De Santis 97). Certainly, a review of the accomplishments of Bryans' opponents, William McKinley and his running mate Theodore Roosevelt, show that as of the end of the Gilded Age, politicians had once again addressed difficult and sensitive national issues in a manner befitting a public servant.
The next most significant issue to be addressed in the Gilded Age was the position of big business vis-a-vie labor. This was a two step process, the first of which was for labor to organize and to assert itself and protect its rights. The second half of the Gilded Age saw the formation of the American labor union, specifically the American Federation of labor, led by Samuel Gompers was founded in 1886. Early attempts by labor unions to make a difference were often met with violently by management's private militia or the Government (Brown, Gilded Age 3). As the Gilded Age closed, laborers were yet to receive the benefits of an eight hour work day or worker's compensation.
Public sentiment was strong enough, however, to make Congress take action twice- first with the creation of the Interstate Commerce Commission in 1887 and again with the passage of the Sherman Anti-Trust Act of 1890 (Brown, Gilded Age 4). This was the second step in the process, governmental regulation of business. Regulation and government intrusion was seen by the leaders of industry to defy the nature of capitalism, free enterprise and Social Darwinism, all philosophies embraced and championed by the business during the Gilded Age. However, these philosophies were often times used in a self-serving way by business leaders, as evidenced by their lack of dedication to the principles. Examples of this include big business accepting loans, protective tariffs and political support during any conflict with the labor class (Brown, Gilded Age 3). Into the Progressive era, the government would break up John D. Rockefeller's Standard Oil and make extended use of the Commerce clause and the ICC to continue to regulate business interests for the protection of consumers and workers.
There is substantial intersection between the workers' struggle for better conditions and the social causes advance by women at the end of the Gilded Age. As more and more young single women sought employment in the factories and garment shops of the cities, the too came to work under oppressive conditions (Brown, Gilded Age 9). Working class women rallied together to demand, like working men, better working conditions and wages.
Upper class women also took up for several causes which needed championing in light of the Gilded Age. Using better education, many went to
Children could work in dangerous jobs, people could be forced to work long days, and many did not have the option to deny dangerous work. In response to these conditions, various labor unions organized, especially in the city of Chicago, where they were encouraged by government officials. The goal of organized labor was to achieve fair working conditions for immigrants and working class people. The Workingmen's Party of the United
As is indicative in the U.S. and, especially Japan, this has led to an increase in stress, psychological problems, substance abuse and even suicides when students fail to pass their entrance exam for a respected school. The Chinese are quickly learning that everything is a tradeoff. They may be getting better jobs, bigger houses and their first cars. However, such "gifts" normally come hand-in-hand with such downsides as depression, stress
Railroads Any person looking for a better life needs to get on the next boat to the United States of America. There are great opportunities to build a nation from the ground up. The Civil War is long over now, and Reconstruction is in full swing. This means railroads, factories and cities. The factories and cities are tremendous sources of urban employment, and workers are finding no end of great opportunities
Essay Topic Examples 1. The Economic Disparities of the Gilded Age: Explore how the Gilded Age was marked by extreme economic inequality, contrasting the opulence of the wealthy with the poverty of the working class. 2. Technological Innovations and Industrial Growth: Discuss the significant technological advancements and their impact on American industry during the Gilded Age. 3. Political Corruption and Reform Movements: Analyze the political landscape of the Gilded Age, focusing on corruption, political machines, and
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Gilded Age A Brief Look at the Progressive Movement and the Gilded Age The Gilded Age was a period of seemingly unbounded economic expansion in the United States that lasted roughly from the election of Ulysses S. Grant to the elevation of reformer Theodore Roosevelt to the presidency at the turn of the twentieth century. This period coincided with the expansion and emergence of the nation as the conquest of the west
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