Rita Rebaza Gilded Age - Rita Rebaza E-Portfolioritaeportfolio.weebly.com/uploads/5/3/0/1/5301856/rita_rebaza_gilded_age.pdfThe Gilded Age In American history, the Gilded Age referred

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Rita Rebaza

American Civilization

Professor Beurthered

October 20, 2011

The Gilded Age

In American history, the Gilded Age referred to the era of rapid economy, territorial,

industrial, and growth of population in American history during the post-Civil War and post-

Reconstruction eras of the late 19th century (1870-1900). The term "The Gilded Age" comes

from a novel of the same name published in 1873 by Mark Twain and Charles Dudley Warner.

They name this era the Gilded Age because it connotes a society covered superficially by gold

but, in the inside it remained the harsh reality of a stratified society. In fact, the "Gilded Age" was

a period of innovation and economical growth; however, this appearance of promise and

prosperity was riddled by political corruption, economical depression, stratified society and

discrimination. During this era, Americans who achieved wealth celebrated it as never before. In

New York, the opera, the theatre, and lavish parties consumed the ruling class' leisure hours. For

instance Sherry's Restaurant hosted formal horseback dinners for the New York Riding Club.

Mrs. Stuyvesant Fish once threw a dinner party to honor her dog who arrived sporting a $15,000

diamond collar. But as a Mark Twain said, "What is the chief end of man?--to get rich. In what

way?--dishonestly if we can; honestly if we must."(The Gilded Age: Andrew Carnegie). Certainly

this period marked one of the most controversial periods of American History. However, what

were those main factors that during the "Gilded Age" only some Americans enjoyed the

prosperity while others struggled to survive? According to many critics, those factors were the

rapid expansion on the west, the fast industrialization, the urban explosion and the spoil political

system.

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The Rapid West Expansion

While railroads operated across the country, Americans traveled from overcrowded

eastern cities to settle out West. To support this American West Expansion, in 1862, Congress

offered 400 acre (1.6 km²) land grants to families moving to the west under the Homestead Act

with the condition to improve the land by farming and living on it. However, this process of

settling wasn't easy. The settlers had to invest time and money in order to make the wild into

farms; furthermore, they needed to adapt to roughness of the area (deserted lands). As a

consequence, they had slaughtered millions of bison, nearly causing the animal’s extinction and

depriving the Indians of their main source of food. For instance, between 1872 and 1875, in only

three years, hunters killed 9 million buffalo, most often taking the skin and leaving the carcass to

rot in waste ("Westward Expansion"). It is true that while the expansion west ruined the Indians'

way of life, American opened their way to settle on the Plains.

Certainly, it was a period of tension, survival and challenges. But these circumstances

didn't last for a long time, the new settlers discovered many ways to survive and adapt to their

environment. In order to succeed and to boost their economy, they practiced a variety of activities

such as farming, mining and ranching. Now, the South and the West became sources of

agricultural goods (crops, cotton, beef) and raw materials (steel, gold, silver, oil) that fed urban

and industrial growth. However, to keep a competitive market, they looked for better ways to

improve their business. Therefore they implemented machines (tractors) into their activities in

order to cut the labor time and cost.

However, during this transition of settling, Pioneers took over much of the land that

Indians had occupied for thousand of years. It provoked that the Native Americans (Sioux, Fox,

Nez Perce, etc) offered resistance. In response to it, the American government declared "war" on

the buffalo (area of the Great plains where the Indians and the bison lived). After twenty years of

numerous bloody battles and massacres, the U.S. Army subdued the Indians' population, herding

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them into reservations. In an effort to “Americanize” Indians, Congress passed the Dawes

Severalty Act in 1887, which assigned to each Native Americans Family from owning a 160-acre

farm. It means that this law took large amounts of land away from Indians and required them to

hold property as individuals, not as tribes. After 25 years these Indians were to receive title to this

land and also became United States citizens. It was obvious that this

act aimed to break up the tribes and pressured the Indians behave like

Americans. Its very purpose was to destroy the Indians' Culture in

order to continue with their territorial expansion (Boorstin, Kelley

391). As Frederick Jackson Turner said, "The strong development of democracy in the United

States was the result of an open frontier. However, what critics argued was the fact that the

American West was thought to be the independent exploration of adjacent territory by

frontiersmen, but in reality, it was a government-backed plan of expansion ("A Gilded Age: a

Tale of Today").

There is not doubt that the expansion of the West served to USA to stretch their economy

but also its territories leaving behind the "Frontier Line" for the formation of States such as

Nebraska, Colorado, North Dakota, South Dakota, Montana, Washington, Wyoming and Utah.

Now the raw materials provided by the farmers, ranchers and miners supplied to the industries to

create goods to satisfy the consumer's needs. However, the monopoly system used by the large

industrial corporations bred a serious economical depression in the mid-1890s.

The Fast Industrialization

While the West emerged in ranching, farming and mining, America North East rooted in

heavy industrialization. During the 1870s and 1880s, the U.S. economy grew at the fastest rate in

its history, generating unprecedented levels of wealth and capital formation. This growth resulted

from combining the country's natural resources with new technology (transcontinental railroad,

electricity, machines, telephone). However, only few people took advantages of this prosperity.

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When they became part of the construction of big corporations and the Transcontinental Railroad,

these private enterprises created great fortunes, industrial towns and cities where they hired

ethnically diverse industrial working class. Powerful businessmen like Andrew Carnegie (steel)

and John D. Rockefeller (oil) made enormous profits from this new economy and formed giant

trusts to monopolize the production of goods that were in high demand

and put competitors out of business. By critics, these “captains of

industry” cared little for consumers and did nothing to increase profits,

as a result their nickname was “robber barons.” For instance, large

corporations such as Carnegie Steel or Standard Oil pressured rail companies not only to give

them favorable rates and rebates, but they also forced shippers to pay drawbacks, payments for

goods shipped by the giant companies competitors ("Gilded Age Summary and Analysis"). This

actions hurt to all small business because they had to pay high tariff in order to transport their

products. While many farmers, craftsman and poor workers, far struggled just to survive, an

emerging industrial and financial aristocracy lived in mansions and wasted money in superfluous

things.

Clearly, during the "Gilded Age", something had to be done to make the ground level for

everyone. Big corporations needed to be regulated, otherwise these corporations would control

more and more people's lives, but also it would make worse the business-labor relations. It was

evident that the American society was stratified. Although the inhumane condition that many

lived, people such Andrew Herbert Spencer emerged to defend the capitalist system Leissez

faire). He proposed the idea of social Darwinist. This new concept justified the stratification of

the wealthy and poor, and it maintained that in society, as in biology, only the "fittest" survived.

The competitive social jungle doomed the unfit to poverty and rewarded the most fit with

property and privilege (Davidson, DeLay 522). He also argued that the turbulence and casualties

of economic development were unfortunate but necessary. Development depended on

competition; economic and social progress brought failure as well as success. Economic

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inequalities were not only inevitable, they were essential to material progress. And any

government interference with the natural course of social and economic development would

impede, not advance, progress ("The Gilded Age Summary and Analysis). However, to argue

Spencer's point of view, Henry George, a journalist and economist made a critic, "How could

poverty exist when industrial progress had created such wealth?" He proposed in his book

Progress and Poverty that taxes might be leveled on the rich and poor alike and with the excess

money collected used to equalize wealth and level out society (Davidson, DeLay 523). Certainly,

these social thoughts emerged as a consequence of divided social class looking for their best

benefit. However, in a period which was ruled by the most powerful people, the working class

had to accept the poor and abusive conditions they were living in.

The fact of the matter was, the more the capitalist expanded their wealth and lived their

life of pleasure, they became more distant of the workers' reality. They saw them as a "mere

machine." They just "care" for workers who would do their jobs without

complaining; it also included the labor of women and children. And in

order to survive these people had not other choice but to depended of the

unfair hourly wages and the good will of their employers. They didn't

have the chance to be promoted or moved to another place of work because they had not skills.

But even worse, they weren't protected by any federal regulation of safety, insurance or pension if

they died or injured within the factories. For instance, around 1900 about 25-35,000 deaths and 1

million injuries per year occurred on industrial jobs. Many of the deaths occurred on railroad

jobs, fires, machinery accidents and train wrecks ("The War Between the Capital and the labor").

In fact, the age of industrialization wasn't only represented by the exploitation of natural

resources, but also the exploitation of people.

As the industrial system worsened the social condition of the workers, a labor union of

unskilled and skilled workers (Knight of Labor) emerged in order to pressure the government and

the industrial giants to make radical reforms. However, in their intent to organize, they ended up

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involved in violent strikes, shaking the economic landscape and showing the capitalists their class

warfare. One notable strike was the Pullman Strike in which Eugene V. Debs (American Railway

Union leader) attempted to shut down the national railroad system that used Pullman Cars

(Pullman was the owner of the Palace Car factory) in order to constrain trade. At the end, this

strike fail with the intervention of the government. Debs was put in jail for six months and 12

people died. At the end, this strike led to the dictation of the Sherman Anti-Trust Act which

stipulated that companies were prohibited from using monopolistic practices or acting in restraint

of trade and taking unfair advantage of competitors. With the decline of the Knight of Labor and

failure of the previous labor strikes, emerged the new American Federation of Labor (AFL-1880),

headed by Samuel Gompers. However, conversely to the Knight of Labor, this movement

represented only skilled workers. Its goals were higher wages, shorter hours, safe working

conditions, and the right of collective bargaining. This organization neither wanted revolution or

labor making commitments to political parties. They only wanted better deals for the workers

("The War between the Capital and the Labor"). However, workers were not only exposed to the

industrial exploitation, they also had to survive in the slums that were filled with crime, disease

and prejudice.

The Urban Explosion

During the Gilded Age, America's cities exploded. By 1900, America's 30 million city

dwellers represented 40% of the American population, up from 20% in 1860. About half of these

new urban residents were immigrants, the vast majority of them from Europe. During the 1880s,

five million people came to America from overseas. During the 1890s,

immigration slowed, but there was still a net arrival of 3.7 million

people from abroad ("Economy during the Gilded Age"). As a result,

the cities became sheltered by many immigrants that came from the

west farm and other countries (Italy, Greece, Poland, etc) in order to achieve the American

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Dream. They, attracted for the new wonders (skyscrapers, electricity, stores, goods) that the cities

offered, settled in the suburbs (tenements). Even though America’s cities where crowded and

contaminated, they saw America a place filled with opportunities for work, education (college)

and cultural stimulation (museums, theaters, parks). However, these opportunities of prosperity

were blocked by the oppressive labor conditions or unemployment which caused the crime to

flourished. Gangs such as Rock Gang and Sewer Rats stalked the streets in search of thrill and

easy money. Moreover, the immigrants were exposed to the horribly malodorous air from poor

plumbing and inadequate waste removal which allowed them to be vulnerable to diseases

(cholera, typhoid, tuberculosis) (Davidson, Delay 545). Certainly, this period of urbanization

wasn't easy; however, America couldn't stop the influx of immigration because the necessity of

cheap labor predominated more in America causing an explosion in size of American cities, but

also serious social issues.

Besides the new immigration, Chinese people faced problems that were far more

pronounced than those that affected Europeans. The fact that Chinese Immigrants separated from

the American Culture living in the "Chinatowns" but also their willing to succeed in America,

created an apathetic reaction by Americans. However, what Americans forgot, was Chinese's

notable contribution to America, the Transcontinental railroad (Union Pacific & Central Pacific

Railroad). According to Iris Chang, Chinese suffered the vicissitudes of the railroad's hard work,

while they were tunneling through the Sierras. During the winter months, Chinese workers dug

tunnels through the snow from their cabins to the tunnel worksites and they might have gone for

weeks without seeing sunshine. Yet they labored diligently and contributed significantly to the

progress of the great iron railway across the country ("The Chinese in

America: A Narrative History by Iris Chang" 1-2). Despite these

contributions, Americans saw Chinese as competition to keep their

primary jobs, but also saw them as a threat to the American culture. As a

result, Congress cut off almost all immigration from China by passing the Chinese Exclusion of

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1882. Certainly, during the "Gilded Age", settling in USA was very difficult for immigrants.

However, they weren't alone. A movement emerged to help them to adapt to the cities life style.

As the new immigration settled in the big cities of United States, the social problem grew

deeper in the country. For that reason, in order to reduce poverty and improve the life style of the

society, emerged a reformed movement conformed by the growing middle class, who understand

and appeal for the social condition of the poor people. One of the most remarkable of the

reformers was Jane Addams who founded the Hull House in 1889 in Chicago to help poor

immigrant families adjust their lives in America. The success of Hull House prompted other

reformers to build similar settlement houses in the immigrant-clogged cities. These settlement

houses offered practical education, English language training, factory labor, domestic

employment and missionary work. In the political aspect, they worked for reforms in areas such

as public health, child labor, women’s suffrage, reduce prostitution and drunkenness ("Settlement

House Movement"). Nevertheless, the main reason why these settlement houses movement

emerged was as a response to woman's' limitations and frustrations. They wanted to demonstrate

to the society that they were capable of solving problems and improving the family life. There is

not doubt that these organizations served to the woman as podium to express their point of view.

However what the constituents really needed was a real reform. For the contrary, America's

political system didn't feel prepared to take any risk, yet.

The Spoil Political System (1877-1896)

During the Gilded Age, United States face many social, economical and political

problems. However, when it was time to make decisions in favor of the country, neither political

parties, Democrats and Republicans, were willing to take strong stands on issues that matter to

the voters. The sectionalism that had been prevalent prior to the Civil War was still alive.

According to the British historian James Bryce, who first visited the United States in 1870 wrote:

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"Neither party has, as a party, anything definite to say on these issues; neither party has

any clean-cut principles, any distinctive tenets. Both have traditions. Both claim to have

tendencies. Both have certain war cries, organizations, interest and listed in their support. But

those interests are in the main interest of getting or keeping the patronage of the government.

Distinctive tenets and policies, points of political doctrine and points of political practice, have

all but vanished. They have not been thrown away, but have been stripped away by time and the

progress of events, fulfilling some policies, blotting out others. All has been lost except office or

the hope of it." (Bryce 699).

Certainly, as Bryce said neither the Democrats nor Republicans wanted to take risks for

fear of upsetting the balance of power. Their weakness to lead the country left the farmers,

laborers and small businessmen to live in deplorable conditions. However, when the political

campaigns took place, they made them on a carnival style wasting so much money on bands and

girls. All candidates made promises to the people, but as soon as they took the power, they

forgotten their promises.

However, to take advantages of the social condition of the constituents were the political

machines (alderman or city councilors). They, in order to be reelected as a governments,

promised to the poor people and middle class government jobs or money. The best known

example of a political machine from this time period is Tammany Hall

in New York City, led by Boss Tweed. During this time often a

question emerged, Who took the money? HE DID! said everybody.

Boss Tweed made the city pay $1.8 millions for plastering one

building, but guess who gets the surplus come back to? The Leader of the political machine

(Hakim 97). Certainly, this way of gaining adept or votes, brought to the governmental office,

people who had no instructional level and values. For sure with unprepared and corrupt leaders, it

was more difficult to eradicate the stratified social class, but also to make significant reforms.

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Nonetheless, not only immigrants screamed for political reform, also African Americans.

They that had contributed with the unification of the country had been forgotten by the

politicians. For the contrary, they were subjugated in new and more subtle ways. For instance,

African Americans in the South were subject to Jim Crow laws, which was a legal segregation

that separated the races in prison, park hotels, hospitals and all public gathering places except

streets and stores. These laws were often enforced with violent methods involving torture and

lynching. But things stayed much the same in the north, too. African Americans were relegated to

subservient and subordinate roles. According to James H. Dormon, a critic has found that the

“coon song craze” of the late nineteenth century (popular songs which depicted stereotypical

caricatures of African Americans), reflected the nationwide feeling that African Americans are

second class citizens and should be held in subordinate and segregated positions in society.

Moreover, Dormon considers that these songs rationalized white America's perception of African

American's not only as silly buffoons, but also as dangers to the existing social structure ("Gilded

Age Criticism"). However, Black Americans were not the only ones to endure difficulties during

this period; many farmers lost their sustenance as railroads and new machinery lowered their crop

prices. Immigrants who came to cities in order to excel, they found out with the only

"opportunity" of cheap labor. Certainly, this age marked a real time of conflicts, social division,

political corruption and scandals.

However, this political deadlock finally came to and end in the turbulent of 1890 when

thousands of small farmers were tired of the injustices, steep railroad fares, high taxes under the

McKinley Tariff, and soaring debt, banded together to form the Populist Party in the late 1890s.

The Populists wanted a higher income tax for the wealthy, and cheaper money (what Populists

called “free silver”). They demanded the free coinage of silver and an increase in the money

supply to $50 per person. They also called for shorter workdays, single-term limits for presidents,

immigration restrictions, and government control of railroads. Finally, after the revolt of the

farmers some non drastic reforms was passed by congress. For instance, during Chester Arthur

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presidency(1880), machine politicians were cut off, tariffs were reduced, and a new law was

endorsed known as the Pendleton Civil Service Act of 1883. This act ended the spoils system by

classifying certain jobs and constructing a system in which people would be hired on merit rather

than their political connections. President Grover Cleveland (1884), the first democrat who took

office during the "Gilded Age", expanded the civil service and supported the growth of federal

power by creating the Interstate Commerce Act of 1887, in which brought transportation facilities

under government control. President Benjamin Harrison, helped to shape the Sherman Silver

Purchase Act of 1890 in which required the treasury to purchase 4.5 million ounces of silver per

month to be converted into coins and silver certificates, kept up with the McKinley Tariff of

1890, and accepted the Sherman Antitrust Act of 1890 to limit the power and size of big business.

Again, President Grover Cleveland (1892) took the presidency, but this time his government was

considered as "disastrous". He faced one of the worst depression (1893), labor discontent, new

tariff and income tax for the devaluation of gold over silver (Boorstin, Kelley 462-475).

Certainly, Cleveland's government permitted to Republicans to take control of the country one

more time in the turn of the nineteenth century. Before the political life

was characterized by a vibrant campaign and low profile candidates. But

now the election of 1896 signaled a new era of strong leaders, capable of

conducting a better government for the people.

When president McKinley was elected, United States aimed to convert into an Empire.

Definitely, during his presidency the free silver and the Populist movement disappeared. In fact,

McKinley government become easier because his government wasn't under the pressure of the

economic crisis. As a result, he passed many important legislations in order to regulate the trust,

strikes and also the high tariff (Erdman Act, Pullman Conflict and the Dingley Tariff

respectively). However, the most important highlight of his mandate was the territorial and

commercial expansion. Now United States possessed colonial territories in the Caribbean (Cuba,

Puerto Rico) and the Pacific (Hawaii, Philippines) and at the same time, they shipped their

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products to the most important world's marketplace in order to convert United States in an Empire

(Davidson 579-591).

In conclusion, the "Gilded Age" gets its name from the great fortunes that capitalist

created during this period and the way of life supported by the wealth. America's technology

began to supplant human muscle with machine power, which was an important key to increased

the productivity. Production expanded in immensurable proportions, living standards arose

dramatically but for a few; while millions of immigrant's hopes where shattered. What happened

with the main source of these industrialization, the workers? Certainly, they didn't have a fare

share in this new prosperity. They were working long hours in dangerous conditions for low or no

pay. While the rich got richer and lived pleasantly in their mansions, millions lived in crowded

urban areas teeming with crime and filth. Politics became servants for a few powerful "robber

barons". The corruption grew deeper and became part of the American culture, which was hard

to eradicate. For that reason, the society grew tired of being treated as a second class Americans.

Their voices weren't heard, their leaders were full of empty promises. For that reason, a reform

was a paramount to make the ground level for every American. As a result, people banded

together and fought for a real democracy in America. Now they became the real leaders that made

America what it is today, a land of freedom. We shall never forget that this land was build thanks

to the variety of cultures who endure harsh times and die in order to pursuit happiness. In fact,

this era in the American history is the most powerful memory that should be analyzed, so we

could understand our roots and avoid to make the same mistakes.

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Pictures Cites

http://www.utep.edu/hist3101/Chapter18AmericanWest.html (Indian's Picture-1)

http://wikiality.wikia.com/Robber_Barons (pictures of Robber Barons-2)

http://kivujiwi.comyr.com/industrial-age-and-public-education.php (picture of child labor-3)

http://blsciblogs.baruch.cuny.edu/his1005fall2010/author/momotaro-kinoshita/ (picture of the

immigrants living in slums-4)

http://teacherweb.com/FL/NDHS/Timmerman/apt36.aspx (Chinese picture-5)

http://siegmundushistory.blogspot.com/2007_10_01_archive.html (picture of the political

machines-6)

http://ozarkshistory.blogspot.com/2009/10/rhyme-of-history.html (picture of President Mckenley-

7)

http://www.visualphotos.com/image/2x2646431/american_flag_juxtaposed_with_the_statue_of

(USA flag and Statue of the Liberty-8)