Immigration During The Gilded Age

They provided jobs, housing, and other services to those who supported them. In return, the machines received votes and loyalty from their supporters. This allowed

In the 19th century, individuals became incredibly wealthy due to the rapid expansion of railroads throughout the United States. These railroad tycoons amassed fortunes by investing in and controlling the transportation industry. The development of railroads allowed for faster and more efficient transportation of goods and people, ultimately leading to the growth of cities and industries across the country. There is no denying the significant impact these individuals had on American history and the economy. Cornelius Vanderbilt, also known as the "Commodore," was a prominent figure in American business during the 19th century.

The Growth of America America’s industrialization did not just happen on its own. Many workers and business people contributed to the growth of America ,but three men made significant impacts. These three men were Cornelius Vanderbilt, John D. Rockefeller and Andrew Carnegie. Vanderbilt led to the expansion of the railroad industry. Rockefeller led the advancement of oil refining and Carnegie progressed the way steel was manufactured.

Rockefeller was the founder of Standard Oil, and helped revolutionize the gas and oil industry while Henry Ford revolutionized the factory setting and the assembly line. While JP Morgan was primarily a businessman, he revolutionized the basic business, and became a huge supporting cast for the railroad industry. Finally, Andrew Carnegie innovated the steel production industry, and made steel production and transportation thrive throughout the country. The individuals mentioned above are only a fraction of the many different people that thrived and helped develop America during the Gilded Age”. These famous, or infamous industrialization tycoons thrived during the late 19th century, and created many of the businesses and operations that we know

Amid this period in New York City, nearby legislative issues were a harsh calling. Capable government officials known as "supervisors" ran political machines and controlled the greater part of nearby decisions, winning votes from New Yorkers through compulsion, blackmail, and the danger of roughness. A standout amongst the most famous of these machines was Tammany Hall. The preservationist, youthful Roosevelt started frequenting the base camp of the neighborhood Republican machine, Morton Hall. He made companions rapidly and soon ended up running for a seat speaking to the twenty-first region in the New York State Assembly.

During the Gilded Age, America went through positive and negative events which shaped America greatly. Primarily, the growth and conflict in America was, in the end, positive. The Gilded Age was a time of great growth, but with growth comes conflict just as the good comes with the bad. The bar graph showing the manufacturing workers in the United States from 1850 to 1900 represented that from 1850 to 1900 there was an increase of workers and these workers were mainly immigrants who had immigrated from their home country to America.

The Spoils System, which had been in place since Andrew Jackson's presidency, allowed the President to remove government employees and replace them with political supporters. This led to widespread corruption and inefficiency in the government. Civil service reformers, led by President Rutherford B. Hayes and later President James A. Garfield, sought to put an end to the Spoils System by implementing a merit-based system for government jobs. A third major political issue during the Gilded Age was the question of money and finance.

The Gilded Age was an age of rapid economic growth. Railroads, factories, and mines were slowly popping up across the country, creating a variety of new opportunities for entrepreneurs and laborers alike. These new inventions and opportunities created “...an unprecedented accumulation of wealth” (GML, 601). But the transition of America from a small farming based nation to a powerful industrial one created a huge rift between social classes. Most people were either filthy rich or dirt poor, with workers being the latter.

Labor strikes and riots were common during the time. Policies were put into place to prevent individuals from gaining this much power ever again. In todays’ modern Gilded Age loopholes have been exploited and the rich are becoming just as powerful as they have ever been. Individuals such as the Koch Brothers have taken up the plutocratic mantle, they “buy politicians” in order to further their agenda and business

Those who ran the machine, known as Political Bosses, were picked by others to help them win, and they would in turn help in handing out city jobs and contracts. William Magear Tweed, also known as “Boss Tweed,” was an American politician and one of the most popular bosses. He was known for being the “boss” of Tammany Hill, the Democratic Party political machine that played a major role in the politics of 19th century New York City. Immigrants were often used by political machines. They would be picked up and fed in exchange for voting the way the machine wanted.

Carnegie was the first to apply those principles to steel and iron works, an application that proved to be extremely profitable. At 28, Carnegie has invested in Adams Express Company and several other companies. He showed a talent for knowing where to place money to make even more money. Livesay details the rise of big business in 19th century America.

The political machines were organized groups of dishonest politicians whose goals were to take control of the city government in order to make the leaders of the organization rich. The top man in political machines was called the “Boss.” Political machines developed in major in the east coast cities in the 19th century. The power of the political machine tremendously increased and dominated in most cities, but its importance started to decline after 1900s.

Between 1870 and 1900, an estimated 25 million immigrants had made their way to the United States. This era, titled the Gilded Age, played an extremely important role in the shaping of American society. The United States saw great economic growth and social changes; however, as the name suggested, the Gilded Ages hid a profound number of problems. During this period of urbanization, the publicizing of wealth and prosperity hid the high rates of poverty, crime, and corruption. European immigrants who had come to the United States in search of jobs and new opportunities had fallen into poverty as well as poor working and living conditions.

In the 1860’s America started building the first continental railroad. It provided a cheap and efficient way to transport products from one side of the country to the other. One man in particular had a great impact on the industrialization of America, Cornelius Vanderbilt. Vanderbilt had a poor upbringing, but at the age of 16 he bought a ferry, over the next 40 years he built the largest shipping empire in the world. Vanderbilt sold all of his ships and invested everything in railroads.

The transcontinental railroads opened the doors to both political and financial corruption (White, 23). Those in the railroad business both had and looked for friends in high places. They effectively looked for ways to influence the interest and nominations of legislature and congress decisions. Of course to keep the best of their interests safe, friends of the railroad industries quietly influencing the decision within committees of Congress. Those within railroad politics concerned themselves with regulations and subsidies.