Gilded Age Research Paper

The Gilded Age was an era of rapid growth in the Americas, between 1870 and 1900. Early industrialists, like John D. Rockefeller, set out to create monopolies. In 1859, hundreds of people rushed to Pennsylvania to industrialize oil. Although they were ruthless competitors and hard-nosed employers, early industrialists like John D. Rockefeller and Andrew Carnegie should be remembered most as "captains of industry" because their grit and resourcefulness left an invaluable positive impact on American society. It is true that some industrialists exhibit a few qualities of a robber baron.

To some the Gilded Age was a time of great success and job opportunities. To others it was a time of constantly wondering whether or not they were going to have a job that or day, or if they were going to be fired and then replaced by a machine or a another worker who could do the labor for a cheaper price. Jay Gould, a wealthy business owner, tells us about his success and how other people are not as successful because they did not work hard enough or there own misfortunes. Thomas O’Donnell, a textile mill worker, tells about the hardships he and his family goes through besides him constantly working. It can be argued that the economic achievements of the Gilded Age looked different from the eyes of a shop floor worker, compared to the eyes of a corner office business owner.

Vanderbilt, Carnegie, Rockefeller and so many more greatly impacted America today for what they achieved during the Gilded Age. Defining what our businesses today would be run like. Putting a foundation on America for the Industrialism. Railroads, steel, and oil are just some of the great inventions or improved elements of America today. Though we forget it took people to master the certain things so we could still have it today.

The Gilded Age was a “term coined in the 1873 to critique an era of political corruption and economic inequality that stretched to 1900” as the book says, but what was the Gilded Age really? The Gilded Age was a time of era where we will always remember of the accomplishments of thousands of Americans, but it was also a gap between the rich and the poor. The Gilded Age had many important growth for the economy, which is industrialization, railroads, inventions, monopolies, Laissez-faire policies, labor unions, urbanization, settlement of the West, and the rise of the Populist. The Gilded Age was a time of social change and economic growth. “During the Gilded Age, 1876-1900, Congress was known for being rowdy and inefficient” said from sageamericanhistory.net.

The Gilded Age, named by Mark Twain, lasted from the 1870’s to about 1900. It was a time of rapid economic growth and is also known as the “Progressive Era”. Many industries skyrocketed at this time such as the railroad, coal, steel, oil, meat, sugar, farm machinery, electricity, and petroleum industries. Products were now being mass produced, therefore, the price of living decreased. People developed an appreciation for art, theatre, and many other forms of expression and entertainment.

The Gilded Age was the period between the late 19th century and early 20th century. During this time, the United States underwent a period of immense economic, political, and social growth. During this time, politics were highly corrupt and were dominated by political machines, people or organizations that influenced the common people to get more votes in favor of certain politicians. Scandals broke out that put the government in a negative light and tarnished its reputation. There were many forms of corruption like political machines which were organizations that were designed to keep certain political parties.

Industrialization had a significant impact on the United States culture in the period from 1865-1898. This period saw the emergence of a modern industrial economy, with new technologies, industries, and business practices that changed the way Americans lived, worked, and interacted with one another. The most obvious and immediate effect of industrialization was the growth of cities. As new industries and businesses developed, more people moved to cities in search of jobs and opportunities.

Industrialization played a big part in the shaping of American society. This time period was considered the "Gilded era " from 1869-1901. There were both cultural and economic changes during this time, such as the transcontinental railroad, businessmen, the depression , and the living conditions of the lower class. The transcontinental railroad produced an increased demand in manufacturing since the businesses would now grow and trade in larger amounts.

The American Industrialization was in the late 1800’s making many things to improve the economy. The American Industrialization was caused by multiple factors, some of the factors included a growing population, a willing work force, high tariffs, among many more. These effects made people willing to work at lower wages so they can get jobs and buy American made goods. There were many outcomes of the Industrial Revolution, both positive, like improving people's lives, and negative effects, like exploitation of workers. The positive effects of American Industrialization is how it make work cheaper, employed thousands of workers, and improving people’s lives.

Industrialization started during the Gilded Age, the Gilded Age was a time of massive amounts of wealth for the politicians, they mostly were corrupt and ineffective, and many of these people were John D. Rockefeller, Andrew Carnegie, Henry Ford and many others. These people were called robber barons; they had lots of money by having too much control in the US. Rockefeller owned the Standard Oil Company; he had 90% control of the world. Andrew Carnegie in document 18-4 states, “The problem of our age is the proper administration of wealth…poor and restricted are our opportunities in this life.” Carnegie demonstrates that most of the people living in this age were having bad conditions of life.

After the Reconstruction of America, we entered into a time referred to as “The Gilded Age”. In this time period, there were a few monumental companies that tried to be the one and only of their type, a few examples would be the US Steel Co., and the Standard Oil Co. These companies were rising up and trying to completely eliminate all other companies that would compete against them, and ultimately, have a monopoly on the product or service. At the time, this wasn’t illegal, but people who were trying to rival these grandiose companies were enraged. Therefore, they started calling them “Robber Barons” referring to the old ranks of nobility, where a baron was an owner of a large segment of land.

Since life began on Earth, the world has substantially improved and grown to its current state—the remarkable age of industrialization. Day in and day out, the nation continues to develop as discoveries are being made. This culture not only influences America’s social values, but those of developing countries. Specifically, America is recognized for its quality of life, in disregard of what it took to achieve the freedom that the people deserve. After the Civil War and Reconstruction Era, early civilization in both the North and the South ultimately struggled with accepting change in order to prosper.

Have you ever wondered about the historical events that have led up to the way our society is today? About 150 years ago our country dealt with problems that created the Gilded Age. This era consisted of uneven wealth, unfair racial rights and other money issues. The Gilded Age was first called “gilded” by Mark Twain. He implied that this era seemed to be a time of construction and a new way of life for immigrants and native borns.

Without a doubt, industrialization was one of the biggest factors in how the United States developed. It gave us the means of mass production, better transportation, and eventually the consumerist society that the United States is today. Industrialization did drastically change American society, but did it change America for the better? Did it do more good than bad? While industrialization did lead to multiple social and economic problems, the advantages significantly outweigh the disadvantages.

The Gilded Age alludes to a period in American History where there was gigantic financial development, innovative advances, and improvements in popular culture. Indeed, even such a significant number of Americans felt that these advancements were misrepresented and that underneath this change and riches laid the brutal substances of urban areas, political defilement, and the abuse of workers. Be that as it may, there were endeavors to better those that blocked the glittery part of America. There was a gigantic development inside the urban populace. This was because of the ascent of movement and in addition Americans expecting a superior life in urban regions due to every one of the employments accessible.