The Gilded Age and Progressive Era Hannah Rashdan, Darby Lawrence, Ramsey Hashem, Drake Scott.

The Gilded Age and Progressive EraHannah Rashdan, Darby Lawrence, Ramsey

Hashem, Drake Scott

“It is a time when one's spirit is subdued and sad, one knows not why; when the past seems a storm-swept desolation, life a vanity and a burden, and the future but a way to death.”

-Mark Twain, 1873

The Forgettable Presidents

• Ulysses S. Grant

• 1869-1877

• 18th President

• Republican

• Former Civil War commander for the Union

• War Heroics made him popular

The Railroad takes hold• Transcontinental railroad commences building in 1865

o The Union Pacific Railroad began building in 1865 westward from Omaha, Nebraska when Indians protested, they were killed or pushed out of land many people lost lives from working on the rails

o The Central Pacific Railroad eastward from Sacramento to Sierra, Nevada Many Chinese laborers worked relentlessly and lost their lives on

the rails with minimalistic payo The Northern Pacific Railroad

New Orleans to San Francisco

The Railroad takes hold• Cornelius Vanderbilt

o Welded together and expanded the older eastern networkso offered superior railway service at lower rates

amassed a fortune of $100 milliono Popularized the steel rail

replaced the old iron tracks of the New York Central with tougher metal

safer and more economical

The Railroad takes hold Benefits

• Stimulated growth of other industries (steel, iron, coal, lumber, glass)

• Helped cities grow

• Helped increase westward expansion of America

• Standard time zones were created to get everyone on correct time

• Welded the West Coast more firmly to the union

• Facilitated a flourishing trade with AsiaCorruption

• Exercised more direct control over the lifes of more people than did the president

• Absolute disregard for the public interest

• Bribed judges and legislatures for their own benefits

• Charged much higher rates to western farmers

• Credit Mobilier Scandal 1868o Union Pacifico Bribed members of Congress

• Represented corruption of period

The Railroad takes holdEffects on the American lifestyle• For the first time, a sprawling nation became united in a physical sense• Created and enormous domestic market for American raw materials and

manufactured goodso beckoned to foreign and domestic investors

• Spurred the amazing industrialization of the post- Civil War yearso opened up fresh markets for manufactured goods and sped raw

materials to factories• Stimulated mining and agriculture, especially in the West• Played a leading role in the great cityward movement of the last decades

of the 1800s• The maker of millionaires

o a raw new aristocracy replaced the old southern “lords of the lash”

Corruption leads to depression• Credit mobilier scandal (1872)

o the Union Pacific Railroad formed the Credit mobilier construction company and hired themselves at inflated prices

o distributed shares to key congressmeno hurt President Grant because of his association with it

• Panic of 1873:o Overreaching promoters created too many businesses that the

existing markets could bearo Bankers made too many imprudent loans to finance

Monopolists Emerge• John D Rockefeller:

o Founded the Standard Oil Co. 1870o gained a monopoly in the oil industry by buying

rival refineries and developing companies for distributing and marketing its products around the globe

o had little mercy for competitors used whatever means necessary to beat competition

o Used trusts

Monopolists Emerge• Andrew Carnegie:

o Founded the Carnegie Steel Company as steel became crucial in the developing technologies

(Railroads, factories, etc)o Monopolized the steel industryo Carnegie built plants around the country,using

technology and methods that made manufacturing steel easier,faster and more

productiveo later became a philanthropist and donated

much of his money to museums and libraries

Monopolists Emerge• JP Morgan:

o an American financier, banker, philanthropist and art collector who dominated corporate finance and

industrial consolidationo 1892 Morgan arranged the merger of Edison General Electric and

Thomson-Houston Electric Company to form General Electric. After financing the creation of the Federal Steel Company, he merged in 1901 with the Carnegie Steel Company

Monopolists Emerge

• Vertical Integration

o A process in which a company combines all phases of manufacturing into one organization. (Ex. coal and iron mines, ore freighters, rr lines)

o Pioneered by Andrew Carnegie

• Horizontal Consolidation

o A process in which a company buys out or merges with all competing companies (JP Morgan bought out Carnegie steel and other companies)

Monopolists Emerge• Trusts

o A group of separate companies placed under the control of a single managing board

• Critics called these practices unfair and the business leaders “Robber Barons”

The Era of Good Stealings• Black Friday (September 24, 1869)

o Two corrupt industrialists, Fisk and Gould, bid the price of gold skyward until businesspeople became bankrupt

o Grant worked with the two• "Boss" Tweed

o Used bribery, graft, and fraudulent elections to earn money and power

The Forgettable Presidents

• Rutherford B. Hayes

• 1877-1881

• 19th President

• Republican

• Ended reconstruction in the first year of office by withdrawing federal troops from the South

• Marked the beginning of the Gilded Age

Labor Unions• The purpose of a labor union was “strength in numbers.” Attempted to gain

better working conditions and pay• individual workers were powerless to battle single-handedly against giant

industries• mostly by laborers and NOT the middle class

o the middle class grew deaf to the outcry of the worker as they got annoyed

Labor Unions• The National Labor Union (1866)

o included skilled, unskilled, and farmerso excluded Chinese and nominal effort to include women and blackso won 8 hour workday for government workers

• Colored National Labor Uniono organized by black workers

Racism prevented unions from working together

• The Knights of Labor (1869)o Was the first union to accept workers of all races and gender, skilled and unskilled

workerso Campaigned for economic and social reform

Pushed for 8 hour workday, equal pay for womeno Haymarket Square (1886)

Chicago police kill/injur several dozen strikers The Knights of Labor began to be associated with anarchists

Labor Unions• The American Federation of Labor (1886)

o lead by Samuel Gomperso composed of skilled craftsmen

• By 1900 attitudes toward labor began to changeo the public began to concede the right of workers to organize, to

bargain collectively, and to strike

Labor StrikesThe Great Strike (1877)

• in 1873, companies had reduced the pay of railroad workers by ten percent.

• In 1877 they announced another ten percent reduction in the workers' pay, and also that railroad employees would be required to use company hotels when away from home, which meant a further reduction in real wages. On top of this, they decided to reduce the work-force - which meant unemployment for some and intensified labor for those remaining.

The Haymarket Riot (1886)

• Knights of Labor strike in support of the eight-hour day at McCormick Reaper Manufacturing Company

• it was assumed that an anarchist threw the bomb and raids were conducted on all known radical groups, including trade union leaders- sentenced to execution

Labor StrikesHomestead Strike (1892)

• 5,000 steelworkers struck Andrew Carnegie's steel plant near Pittsburg PA.

• A pitched battle erupted between the strikers and Pinkertons hired by plant manager Henry Clay Frick who had been hired to protect the strikebreakers.

• 7,000 state troopers were sent in by Governor Pattison; the steel mill was reopened by strikebreakers

Pullman Strike (1894)

• Eugene Debs , leader of the American Railway Union , led the strike by refusing to handle railroads using Pullman cars, encouraging other unions to join.

• The strike was ended by a court injunction, based on the Sherman Anti-Trust Act, after which President Cleveland sent in 10,000 federal troops (because of "interference" with the US mail), who along with 2,000 state troops smashed the ARU

Labor Strikes & the Supreme Court

Major supreme court decision: • In re Debs (1895)

o Debs’ writ of habeas corpus to the Supreme Court was denied on the basis of a broad interpretation of the commerce clause and the federal government’s obligation to deliver the mail

The Forgettable Presidents

• James Garfield

• March 1881-September 1881

• 20th President

• Republican

• Assassinated after less than 4 months

American lifestyles• America move to the city

o cities grew up and out-skyscraperso Americans were becoming commuters- needed transportation to and

fro worko Americans created a huge mass of wasteo Criminals flourisho cities represented “the best and the worst combined”o Sums:

filthy, especially after the perfection of the “dumbbell” tenement

• architectural plan that minimized the amount of air and lighto those in cities generally live together by ethnicity

American lifestyleWomen

• group most profoundly affected by new industrial age• worked “women jobs”; began working into industry by recent

inventionso typewriter, telephone switchboardo earned less than men

• working for middle-class women meant delayed marriages and smaller familieso most women worked because of economic necessity

• Accentuated class divisions

Lifestyles in the Factories• The concept of time was revolutionized as now people follow the works

hours, not the clock of nature• long, hard, arduous hours• many died from the terrible conditions of the factories

The Forgettable Presidents

• Chester A. Arthur

• 1881-1885

• 21st President

• Republican

• Took office after Garfield’s assassination

• Pushed for intervention in Latin America

Civil Service Reform Hurts• Pendleton Act of 1883:

o "the Magna Carta of civil service reform"o made compulsory campaign contributions from federal employees

illegalo Established the Civil Service Commission

Make appointments to federal jobs on basis of competitive exams This hurt because:

• A new breed of "boss" emerged, although less skilled

• Drove politicians into "marriages" with big businesses, instead of temporary contracts

Old Immigrants• Immigrants before 1880• Mainly from the British Isles and Western Europe (Germany, scandinavia,

etc)o Fair skinned, anglo saxono protestant o high literacyo fit easily into representative government because of their previous

governments

New Immigrants• Immigrants after 1880

o Mainly from southern and eastern Europe Italians, Croats, Slovaks, Greeks, Poles

o orthodox/Jewish; faced religious persecutiono previous country of origin had little history of a democracy

people had lived in despotismo illiterateo moved mainly to citieso high birth rate; brought culture with them

• “America fever” captures Europe o the population of the old world increased exponentially with the introduction of the potato.o America was seen as the land of opprotunity and freedom for religion

savage persecution of Jews in Europe• Once in the United States, many immigrants lived and worked in the most strenuous jobs

o especially in “sweatshops”

New Immigrants

Chinese• Major influx of chinese immigrants, esp from 1870-1880• Viewed as cheap, efficient and expendable labor• Lived in very inclusive communities, faced a lot of racism

• Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882:o prohibit further chinese immigrantso represents the racism the Americans viewed Chinese with and the

growing fear of immigrants

New Immigrants Italians • Huge influx from 1880-1920• Came from the more poorer areas of Italy and intended to bring money

back to Italy from America (half of them did)• clustered in tight knit communities• mainly Industrial laborers

o remained in blue collar jobs

Immigrant-phobiaNativism: (“Know-Nothings” revived)• Became exceptionally profound in the 1880s• Viewed the new immigrants as religiously exotic hordes and gave them

rude receptionso seen as “inferior”- racism a major player

• Blamed immigrants for the degradation of urban government• Created the American Protective Association 1887 (APA)- urged voting

against roman catholic candidates• Congress passes first restrictions against inpouring immigrants

o 1882, prevented paupers, criminals, and convicts from entering o expanded later to include the “undesirables” (prostitutes, polygamists,

alcoholics, etc)

The Forgettable Presidents

• Grover Cleveland

• 1885-1889

• 22nd President

• Democrat

• Stood for hard work and civil service

• Opposed high tariffs and free silver

Railroads influence• President Cleaveland in 1887 allowed for land grants to the railroads

o Huge criticism as it was seen as “giveaway” of a birthright to greed corporations

o government received big benefits long term preferntial rates for postal service and military traffic granting land was a “cheap” way to subsidize a transportation

system (avoided new taxes for direct cash grants)• Americans were initially slow to combat the economic injustice

o dedicated to free enterprise and the principle that competition is the soul of trade, they cherished the tradition

o “American Dream”- anyone can become a millionaire • Depression of 1870s force farmers to protest against railroads

Railroads influenceStopping the railroad corruption:Major supreme court decision: • Wabash Case (1886)

o The decision of the Illinois Court was reversed and the decreed that individual states had no power to regulate interstate commerce act- only the federal government can regulate lead to the passage of the Interstate Commerce Act

• prohibited rebates and pools and required the railroads to publish their rates openly

• forbade unfair discrimination against shippers

• set up the Interstate Commerce Commissiono made to administer and enforce this new legislation

• ***First large-scale attempt by Washington to regulate business in the interest of society at large***

Prevailing ideologies• Many during this time believed in the “survival-of-the-fittest” theories of

Charles Darwino this concluded that “millionaires are a product of natural selection”

invoked contempt for the poor, hence those who stayed poor must be lazy and lacking in enterprise

• The Gospel of Wealtho written by Andrew Carnegie in 1889o he stated that the wealthy, entrusted with society’s riches, had to

prove themselves morally responsible

The Forgettable Presidents

• Benjamin Harrison

• 1889-1893

• 23rd President

• Grandson of William Henry Harrison

• Republican

• President during first billion dollar congress

Graft Continues• The Billion Dollar Congress:

o Lead by Thomas Reed, HOR speakero Passed the McKinley Tariff Act of 1890

raised the average duty on imports to almost fifty percent, an act designed to protect domestic industries from foreign competition

helped big industrialists, not the people

Attempts to stop monopoly • Sherman Anti-Trust Act of 1890

o Law outlawing a combination of companies that restrained interstate trade or commerce; important to prevent monopolies; forbade trusts

o Did not make any distinction between “good” trusts and “bad” trusts bigness not badness, was the sin

o Not initially enforced properly.o Proved highly ineffective

too many legal loopholes and no “teeth”Major supreme court decision

• US v. EC Knight Co. (1895) o The E.C. Knight Company was a combination controlling over 98 percent of the sugar-refining

business o The court found the Sherman Anti trust act constitutional but said it did not apply to

manufacturing. o The effect of this decision was to seriously impair enforcement of the anti-trust laws and put most

monopolies beyond the reach of federal control.

The Forgettable Presidents

• Grover Cleveland (again!)

• 1893-1897

• 24th President

• Democrat

• Only president to serve two non-consecutive terms

• Very Noble and Honest

• Intervened with Pullman Strike to keep railroads moving

Hawaii Issues• Many farmers from the United States moved to Hawaii to plant sugar

• January 17, 1893- US sugar planters revolt, overthrow Queen Liliuokalani in coup d’etat, led by Sanford Dole

• At the time, US had Pearl Harbor Naval Base, also had high sugar imports from Hawaii

• Grover Cleveland sent a US minister to Hawaii to restore the Queen under Hawaii’s 1887 constitution but Dole refused to give up seat

• William McKinley negotiated a treaty with Republic of Hawaii in 1897

• Pearl Harbor played a big part in the Spanish American War

• Hawaii was annexed in 1898, Hawaiians got US citizenship

The Gilded Age Presidents

• William McKinley

• 1897-1901

• 25th President

• Republican

• Ensured Gold Standard

• President during Spanish-American War

• Assassinated, Teddy Roosevelt took over

• Death marked end of the Gilded Age

The Spanish- American War

● Started in Cuban struggle for independence in Spain, 1895

● Yellow Journalism played a big role in generating US sympathy for Cuban rebels

● Maine Explosion on Feb 15, 1898- US suspected Spain of doing it, caused tension

● US demanded Cuba’s independence, withdrawal of Spain and US wasn’t interested in annexation

● Spain declared war on April 24, US declared war on 25th

● George Dewey led US navy into Manila Bay in Philippines, destroyed Spanish fleet

● US “rough riders” including Teddy Roosevelt fought

● Santiago, Cuba surrendered on July 17th

● Treaty of Paris signed on December 10, 1898: Spain had no claim to Cuba, US got Guam, Puerto Rico, and Philippines all for $20 million

● Ended expansionism of Spain

● US became a world power, led to arguments over what to do with Philippines and debate over expansionism

Postwar Conflicts• In 1899, Aguinaldo led a Filipino rebellion against the United

States

• 600,000 Filipinos died

• US broke up rebellion in 1901

• US appeared to be no less oppressive than Spanish

• Spanish-American War: 10 weeks, 400 deaths. Philippine-American War: 3 years, 4,000 Americans died

• A lot of anti-imperialist views, US was meant to be freeing Cuba, not controlling it

• General public supported McKinley’s expansionism though

• Platt Amendment in 1901- US troops out of Cuba by 1902

Boxer Rebellion

• China was occupied by several different nations, “spheres of influence”

● Sec. of State John Hay suggested Open Door Policy● Chinese nationalists attacked Western Occupants in

China in 1900, known as the “Boxers” ● Rebels were subdued, China was forced to pay $330

million to the US● Marked the first time US invaded without goals of

getting territory

The Progressive Presidents• Theodore Roosevelt

• 1901-1909

• 26th President

• Republican

• Part of Rough Riders during Spanish-American War

• Hay-Bunau-Varilla Treaty in 1903- US got control of Panama Canal from Panama

• Roosevelt Corollary- Extended Monroe Doctrine, US would be police of Western Hemisphere, would intervene in Latin America in the event of wrongdoing

• Won Nobel Prize in 1906 for negotiating end to Russo-Japanese War

• Sent Great White Fleet around world in 1907 to show power

President Roosevelt

Roosevelt Corollary -Germany and Britain sent ships to blockade Venezuela - roosevelt felt that they were offensive and we needed to help defend Venezuela

- made the us the police of Latin America the great white fleet

-believed that a strong navy was crucial for a strong defence-convinced congress to add battleships and in 1907 he proposed sending them out and in 1909 they traveled around the world to show their power.

Russo- Japanese War● War broke out in 1904, Russia and Japan fought over Manchuria and

Korea

● Teddy Roosevelt offered to mediate peace process

● Two sides met with TR at Portsmouth, NH, Treaty of Portsmouth was arranged, Manchuria returned to China

● Roosevelt got Nobel Peace Prize for efforts- first president to win it

● Russia unhappy, felt like the US robbed them of victory

● Japan felt it hadn’t been awarded enough, led to anti-US sentiment in Japan

● Caused tense relations with Japan, Japan was a new world power

○ Japanese immigrants faced with discrimination

○ Gentleman’s agreement of 1907- US would end separate schooling if Japan stopped immigration

○ Roosevelt sent Great White Fleet to show power

○ 1908- Root-Takahira agreement- respect between US and Japan

● US lost all isolationist appearances

Darwinism• Charles Darwin On the Origin of Species, generated high controversy on

its publicationo set forth the “survival of the fittest”o cast doubt on the Bible

conservatives condemned the Darwinians modernists refuse to accept the Bible in its entirety

Halting Industrialists’ PowersMajor Supreme Court decision:• Northern Securities Company v. United States (1904)

o The Supreme Court ruled that a holding company formed solely to eliminate competition between the 2 railroads was in violation of the anti-trust laws because it unreasonably restrained commerce.

o The federal government now had the authority to regulate any conspiracy which sought to eliminate competition between otherwise competitive railroads.

o The government’s policy of trust busting helped restore competition in the American economy

• Muller v. Oregon (1908)o Protective legislation limiting the hours women could worko Later became a NEGATIVE when it was used to discriminate against women in the

workplace

The Progressive Presidents

• William Howard Taft

• 1909-1913

• 27th President

• Republican

• Prominent Trust Buster

• Used Dollar Diplomacy- invest money in Latin America and East Asia to boost US political interests abroad

• Became Chief Justice after Presidency

The Progressive Presidents

• Woodrow Wilson

• 1913-1921

• 28th President

• Democrat

• Passed Federal Reserve Act

• Passed Clayton Antitrust Act

• President during WWI

Minorities• African-Americans faced unemployment, eviction, and physical harm when

they tried to assert their rights, esp. in Democratic South• Jim Crow Laws (1890's)

o Systematic state-level legal codes of segregationo Enacted literacy requirements, voter registration and poll taxes

MinoritiesMajor supreme court decisions: • Plessy v Ferguson (1896)

o "separate but equal" was constitutional under the 14th amendment of 'equal protection'

• U.S. v Wong Kim Ark (1898)o Guarantee citizenship to all persons born in the U.S.o "Birthright Citizenship", specifically helped Chinese

Platt AmendmentThe Platt Amendment made the conditions for the withdrawal of United States

troops remaining in Cuba at the end of the Spanish-American war and defined the terms of Cuban-U.S relations.

Terms of Amendment• Cuba could not make a treaty with other countries• Cuba had to allow the U.S the ability to lease naval stations and ports• Cuba’s depts had to stay low• U.S had the right to intervene and protect Cuba

16th AmendmentThe 16th amendment is an important amendment that allows the federal

United States government to collect an income tax from all Americans.These taxes then went to being spent on the military, building roads and bridges, and enforcing our laws.

17th AmendmentThe 17th amendment declared that 2 U.S senators will be provided by each

state by popular vote and that each senator would serve a term of 6 years.

The JungleThe Jungle was written by Upton Sinclair and was published February 26,

1906. The novel portrayed the lives of immigrants in the U.S in Chicago and similar industrialized cities. The book was most known for its exposure of health violations and unsanitary practices in the American meatpacking industry.

The Influence of Sea Power Upon History

The Influence of Sea Power was written by Alfred Thayer Mahan and published sometime in the year of 1890. The book concentrated highly on the history of naval warfare and its role during the 17th and 18th centuries. It also discusses the factors needed to support and achieve sea power dominance with emphasis on having the largest and most powerful fleet.

Yellow Journalism• Yellow journalism or the yellow press is a type of journalism that presents little or no legitimate

well-researched news and instead uses eye-catching headlines to sell more newspapers. The techniques used may include exaggerations of news events or sensationalism.

• The term originated during the American Gilded Age of the late nineteenth century with the circulation battles between Joseph Pulitzer's New York World and William Randolph Hearst's New York Journal. The battle peaked from 1895 to about 1898. Both papers were accused by critics of sensationalizing the news in order to drive up circulation, although the newspapers did serious reporting as well.

Thomas EdisonThomas Edison was the inventor of many things during this period including the photograph and the light bulb. He invented the photograph December 6th in 1877 when he was 30 years old. The light bulb was invented October 21st in 1879. He later then worked towards making electricity available to the general public and even started his own electricity company.

Telephone29 year old Alexander Graham Bell patents the telephone February 14th in

1876. The telephone presented a way of communicating to others over thousands of miles away and the opportunity of connecting with others worldwide and a cheaper way to send messages.