Unit Eight The Gilded Age
Feb 09, 2016
Unit Eight
The Gilded Age
What does “Gilded” mean?
--covered in gold or something of a golden color
--Having a pleasing or showy appearance that conceals something of little worth
Differences between 1860s & 1900:
Wall Street in 1867 and in 1900
Differences between 1860s & 1900:
•Population roughly doubles•Immigration makes the U.S. more ethnically diverse•Push for education increased literacy rate to 90%•Newspapers, sports and other leisure activities became mainstream•Railroad mileage increased from 35,000 to 193,000•440,000 patents were granted in the U.S.•By 1900 2/3 of all workers worked for wages, rather than as farmers or other small businesses.
Differences between 1860s & 1900:
What enabled these changes?
•Massive amounts of available natural resources•Growing labor supply •Capital (money) plentiful due to prosperity in Europe•Technology created labor-saving devices, increasing productivity•Business-friendly government policies (tariffs, subsidies, court decisions, lack of regulation or heavy taxes)
Big Business
Three main industries were the engines of growth:
RailroadsSteelOil
RailroadsHuge loans and grants of land given by
government to encourage railroad construction
1869 saw the completion of the first transcontinental route
Four more would be added (three in 1883, one in 1893)
RailroadsBig names in railroad:
Charles CrockerLeland Stanford
Cornelius Vanderbilt
Later—Speculator Jay Gould
Steel Industry
Steel Industry
Iron was used previouslyBessemer process developed in 1850s—
blasting hot air through molten iron created a high-quality steel
Steel much more durable than ironGreat Lakes region became central location
for steel production—abundant coal for factories and access to iron ore in Minnesota
Biggest name in steel: Andrew Carnegie
Steel Industry
Andrew CarnegieScottish immigrant
Began in a low railroad position; became superintendent of a Pennsylvania RailroadQuit to start a steel plant—Carnegie Steel
Used latest technologies and “vertical integration”
By 1900 was U.S.’s largest steel companySold out to J.P. Morgan in 1900 – created U.S.
SteelBecame philanthropist of libraries, music, &
more
Oil IndustryFirst U.S. oil well drilled in 1859
John D. Rockefeller founded Standard Oil in 1863
First product was keroseneUsed a horizontal integration strategy
Forced out competitionCreated a trust that controlled the market
and inspired other industries to form “trusts”
Laissez-Faire Capitalism•Regulation, tariffs, taxes interfered with growth•“Invisible hand” regulates the market—Adam Smith•Social Darwinism—promoted by Herbert Spencer and William Graham Sumner
Laissez-Faire Capitalism•Regulation, tariffs, taxes interfered with growth•“Invisible hand” regulates the market—Adam Smith•Social Darwinism—promoted by Herbert Spencer and William Graham Sumner•Gospel of Wealth—God approved of wealth, which came from the application of the Protestant work ethic•Andrew Carnegie further believed the wealthy had an God-given obligation to help society•Horatio Alger myth—author who sold more than a million books featuring rags-to-riches stories
Down Side of Big BusinessUsual factory job required ten hours a day, six
days a weekLow wages did not support a family; women
and children also workedMonopolies limited workers’ options
Factory work was less satisfying than artisan work had been and required a much stricter
structureLabor unions were nearly outlawed; protest
was by quitting instead
Dark Side of Big Business
Dark Side of Big BusinessProfits would be reduced by government
regulationBribery kept elected officials out of
businesses’ businessChildren common in factory work
Dark Side of Big BusinessProfits would be reduced by government
regulationBribery kept elected officials out of
businesses’ businessChildren common in factory work
No safety regulations at allNo compensation for accidents
Workers treated harshlyUnions were equated with socialism; union
leaders arrested
“Job Creators” or “Robber Barons”?
“Job Creators” or “Robber Barons”?
“What do I care about the law? H’aint I got the
power?”—Cornelius Vanderbilt
“The public be damned!”—
William Vanderbilt
“Job Creators” or “Robber Barons”?
Lord Acton, British philospher, said in 1887,
“Power tends to corrupt. Absolute power corrupts
absolutely. Great men are almost always bad men.”
“Job Creators” or “Robber Barons”?
“The Bosses of the Senate”
Labor and Labor Unions•The late 19th century had lots of cheap labor, so management had the upper hand.
Labor and Labor Unions•The late 19th century had lots of cheap labor, so management had the upper hand.•When treated poorly, individual workers had no power•Any complaint by a worker could lead to reassignment to a worse job or firing altogether•Individual workers could not make their concerns heard to management, so they tried to band together (unionize)
Labor and Labor Unions
Labor and Labor Unions
Labor and Labor UnionsWhat is a Labor Union?
A Labor Union is an organization a worker pays a fee to join.
The union negotiates:•Working hours•Working conditions•Wages• much more When the union finishes the negotiation, its members vote yes or no on the new contract.
Labor and Labor UnionsImportant people of the 19th century Labor
Movement:
Terence PowderlySamuel GompersEugene V. Debs
Important strikes and events:Great Railroad Strike of 1877Haymarket Bombing (1886)
Homestead Strike (1892)Pullman Strike (1894)
Management vs. Labor“Tools” of
Management“Tools” of
Labor
“scabs” P. R. campaign Pinkertons lockout blacklisting yellow-dog
contracts court injunctions open shop
boycotts sympathy
demonstrations informational
picketing closed shops organized
strikes “wildcat” strikes
Labor and Labor UnionsGreat Railroad Strike of 1877
Spread to eleven states and multiple railways
Labor and Labor Unions
The National Labor Union
•Founded in 1866•The first attempt to organize all workers in one group•Main success—an 8 hour work day for government employees•Influence declined with the economy in 1873 •Strikes were unsuccessful in 1877
Labor and Labor UnionsGreat Railroad Strike of 1877
•Strike shut down 2/3 of U.S. track•President Hayes sent troops in•Over 100 people were killed
•Some railroads improved conditions•Some railroads vowed to keep workers
from organizing again
Labor and Labor UnionsKnights of Labor
Formed by Terence Powderly (“an injury to one is a concern to all”) in 1869 as a secret
organizationWent public in 1881
Labor and Labor UnionsGoals of the Knights of Labor:•Eight-hour workday.•Workers’ cooperatives.•Worker-owned factories.•Abolition of child and prison labor.•Increased circulation of greenbacks.•Equal pay for men and women.•Safety codes in the workplace.•Prohibition of contract foreign labor.•Abolition of the National Bank.
Labor and Labor UnionsChicago Haymarket Bombing—1886
McCormick Harvester Factory
Labor and Labor UnionsChicago Haymarket Bombing—1886
Knights of Labor organized a meeting for workers to promote its goals.
It was also attended by anarchists, whose goal is to overthrow all governments
An unknown person threw a bomb into the crowd, killing seven police officersEight anarchists were executed.
Knights of Labor lost influence as the public associated unions with anarchy.
Labor and Labor UnionsAmerican Federation
of Labor
Founded in 1886
Founder: Samuel Gompers
Became largest union, but not much
success in 19th century
Labor and Labor UnionsAmerican Federation of Labor
Catered to the skilled worker.Represented workers in matters of national
legislation.Maintained a national strike fund.Evangelized the cause of unionism.
Prevented disputes among the many craft unions.Mediated disputes between management and
labor.Pushed for closed shops.
Labor and Labor UnionsHomestead Strike 1892
•Took place at Homestead Steel Plant near Pittsburgh•(owned by Carnegie, managed by Henry Clay Frick)•Wages cut by 20%•Workers walked out•Frick used Pinkerton guards, lockout, and strikebreakers to defeat the union•Workers returned after five months•Union movement in steel industry doesn’t recover until 1930s.
Labor and Labor UnionsPullman Strike
Pullman Company made sleeping cars for railroads
Labor and Labor UnionsPullman Strike
Pullman Company made sleeping cars for railroads
All workers lived in the company town near Chicago
Labor and Labor UnionsPullman Strike
Pullman Company made sleeping cars for railroads
All workers lived in the company town near Chicago
George Pullman cut wagesHe also fired all the workers who came to
bargain with himWorkers at Pullman struck and asked Eugene V. Debs, head of the American Railroad Union
for help
Labor and Labor UnionsPullman Strike
Pullman Company made sleeping cars for railroads
All workers lived in the company town near Chicago
George Pullman cut wagesHe also fired all the workers who came to
bargain with himWorkers at Pullman struck and asked Eugene V. Debs, head of the American Railroad Union
for helpARU refused to run any trains with Pullman
cars
Labor and Labor UnionsRailroad owners strategy:
Labor and Labor UnionsRailroad owners strategy:
Get the U.S. mail cars to link up to trains that have Pullman cars in them
Labor and Labor UnionsRailroad owners strategy:
Get the U.S. mail cars to link up to trains that have Pullman cars in them
This got the federal government involved
“If it takes an entire army and navy to deliver a
postal card in Chicago, that card will be delivered!”
President Grover Cleveland
Labor and Labor UnionsRailroad owners strategy:
Get the U.S. mail cars to link up to trains that have Pullman cars in them
This got the federal government involvedCourts issued an injunction to stop the strike
When Debs didn’t comply, he and union leaders were arrested, ending the strike.
He fought this legally, but the case, In re Debs (1895), found in favor of the use of court
injunctions to break strikes.Deciding that labor could never win in the
American system, Debs founded the Socialist Party in 1900
“Job Creators” or “Robber Barons”?
“Job Creators” or “Robber Barons”?
Percentage of Billionaires in 1900 by Industry
Inventions of the Late 19th Century
Patents granted by the U.S.
Patent Office
Inventions of the Late 19th Century
Thomas Alva EdisonThe Wizard of Menlo Park
“I have not failed. I have just found 1000 ways that will not
work.”--Thomas Edison
Inventions of the Late 19th Century
Edison’s early inventions earned
him money to set up the world’s first modern research
lab, in Menlo Park, New Jersey.
The Lightbulb(1879)
Inventions of the Late 19th Century
The Motion- Picture Camera
Inventions of the Late 19th Century
Other Edison Inventions:Vote Counting machine (1869)
Stock ticker (1870)Phonograph (1879)
Storage battery (1895)
Inventions of the Late 19th Century
Alexander Graham Bell
The Telephone
1876
Inventions of the Late 19th CenturyAlternating Current
George Westinghouse
Inventions of the Late 19th Century
Other inventions of the period:Typewriter (1867)
Cash register (1879)Adding machine (1888)
Kodak camera (1888) – G. EastmanFountain pen (1884)
Safety razor and blade (1895) K. Gillette
Cultural Changes1865-1900
•Immigration•Urbanization•Education•Religion•Arts•Popular Culture-Daily Life
ImmigrationReasons for European Immigration
•Poverty of displaced farmworkers due to technological improvements•Overcrowding due to population boom•Religious persecution of Jews in Russia
Immigration“Old Immigrants” vs. “New Immigrants”
Immigration“Old Immigrants” vs. “New Immigrants”
•Before 1880s most immigrants are from Northern & Western Europe•Most had been Protestants, though a sizeable minority were Irish & German Catholics•Skills and language helped them blend in better
ImmigrationBeginning in the 1890s, a change occurred
in the national origin of U.S. immigrants
“New” immigrants came from Italy, Greece, Croatia, Slovakia, Poland and
Russia(Southern European and Eastern
European)
ImmigrationStatue of Liberty—1886Ellis Island—1892
ImmigrationImmigration Restrictions:
Chinese Exclusion Act (1882)Restrictions against criminals and
mentally incompetentRestrictions against contract labor (1885)
Stricter medical exams; entrance tax (c1892)
ImmigrationSupport for immigration restriction:
Labor unionsNativists (American Protective
Association)Social Darwinists
Immigrants became scapegoats during 1890s Depression
UrbanizationBy 1890, 40% of Americans lived in cities
By 1920, it was over half
This was due to:Technological improvements in
AgricultureImmigration
UrbanizationWhat were cities like?
Rapid transit beganStreetcarsAbove ground trainsAllowed people to
live much farther from work
Made ethnic and racial neighborhoods possible
UrbanizationWhat were cities like?
SkyscrapersWilliam Jenny—1885Ten storiesMade possible by:Inner steel framesOtis elevatorsCentral heat
(radiators)
1911
UrbanizationWhat were cities like?
Sometimes 4000 people lived on one block
UrbanizationWhat were cities like?
Sometimes 4000 people lived on one block
Reform: Every bedroom must have a window
UrbanizationWhat were cities like?
Sometimes 4000 people lived on one block
Reform: Every bedroom must have a window
Result: “dumbell tenements”
UrbanizationWhat were cities like?
Sometimes 4000 people lived on one block
Reform: Every bedroom must have a window
Result: “dumbell tenements”
Ethnic neighborhoods
UrbanizationWhat were cities like?
Sometimes 4000 people lived on one block
Reform: Every bedroom must have a window
Result: “dumbell tenements”
Ethnic neighborhoodsStill crowded
conditions
UrbanizationWhat were cities like?
Sometimes 4000 people lived on one block
Reform: Every bedroom must have a window
Result: “dumbell tenements”
Ethnic neighborhoodsStill crowded conditionsResult: Invention of
suburbsBrooklyn Bridge, 1883
UrbanizationWhat were cities like?
Suburbs promoted byAbundant and cheap
landAvailable
transportationLow-cost constructionEthnic and racial
prejudiceAmerican desire for
private homes, grass, trees
UrbanizationWhat were cities like?
Life in Cities
Early—no overall controlProblems:Waste managementDiseaseCrimeZoningResult: Strong city
government
UrbanizationHow were cities governed?
Without strong laws, cities were run by “political bosses”
They gained power by:•Understanding needs of different ethnic factions•Giving money to individuals or groups•Encouraging voter fraud•Awarding jobs to family and loyal friends
UrbanizationHow were cities governed?
The best known of these was political bosses was Boss Marcy Tweed.
He was the head of a political machine in New York City that ran everything in the city while making huge profits for himself.
UrbanizationHow were cities governed?
Tweed feuded with Thomas Nast, a political cartoonist who hated him.
Tweed was finally convicted of fraud and extortion in 1873 and died in jail in 1878.
EducationK-12 Education
Public support grew for high schools
Early high schools were just college prep
Later added vocational courses
Catholic schools increased
(beginning 1852—one school per parish)
EducationHigher Education
Benefitted from philanthropists (this trend begun by Johns Hopkins in 1871):
Cornelius Vanderbilt (1877)Vanderbilt University
Nashville, Tennessee
EducationHigher Education
Benefitted from philanthropists:
Cornelius Vanderbilt (1877)
Leland Stanford (1891)Stanford University
Palo Alto, California
EducationHigher Education
Benefitted from philanthropists:
Cornelius Vanderbilt (1877)
Leland Stanford (1891)
John D. Rockefeller (1890)
University of ChicagoChicago, Illinois
EducationHigher Education
Women’s colleges made progress:
Mount Holyoke (1837)Vassar College (1865)Wellesley (1875)Smith (1875)Bryn Mawr (1884)
By 1900: one hundred co-educational colleges
ReligionChanges in
Christianity
Personal faith vs. structured religion
Darwin’s account of creation vs. inerrancy of the Bible
Mary Baker Eddy—Church of Christ, Scientist
ReligionSocial Gospel:
applying Christian principles to social problems
Big Proponent: Walter Rauschenbusch, NYC minister: “Whoever uncouples the religious from the social life has not known Jesus.”
ReligionThe Catholic Church
began supporting the Knights of Labor and the cause of workers as well as immigrants.
ArtsLiterature
Realism:Mark TwainBret HarteWilliam Dean Howells
ArtsPainting
Ashcan School
Depicted gritty urban life
Bellows Glackens
ArtsNaturalism
Included: Painter Edward
HopperAuthors: Stephen CraneTheodore DreiserJack London
ArtsArchitecture/Design
Frederick Law Olmsted (greenspace: Central Park, grounds of U.S. Capitol)
Louis Sullivan (form follows function)
ArtsMusic
John Phillip Sousa(Marches: Stars and
Stripes Forever)
Scott Joplin(Ragtime: Maple Leaf
Rag, The Entertainer)
Popular Culture—Daily LifeWomen’s lives
Some married women worked in sweatshops
Some single women saw work as a way to independence
Middle class women had leisure time— now making home beautiful
Popular Culture—Daily LifeCulture
Seen as a way to move to a higher social class
Culture was divided by class: museums and opera for upper classes, sports and amusement parks for lower classes
Manners very important
PoliticsPeriod defined by:
Belief in limited government
Two party balancePatronage system
PoliticsWell-Defined Voting Blocs
Republican Bloc
Northern whites(pro-business)
African AmericansNorthern
ProtestantsOld WASPs (support
for anti-immigrant laws)
Most of the middleclass
Democratic Bloc
White southerners(preservation ofwhite supremacy)
CatholicsRecent immigrants
(esp. Jews)Urban working
poor (pro-labor)Most farmers
PoliticsPresidents of the Era
Presidents were figureheads
Party bosses and business leaders ruled
President gave out Federal jobs by the thousands
Rutherford B. Hayes (1876)
James A. Garfield (1880)
Chester A. Arthur (1881)
Grover Cleveland (1884)
Benjamin Harrison (1888)
Grover Cleveland (1892)
Politics
Senator Roscoe Conkling (NY)—leader of the Stalwarts
Republicans divided into three groups :
Stalwarts (very conservative; opposed to any Civil Service reform)
Half-Breeds (moderates; wanted some reform)
Mugwumps (opposed to patronage)
PoliticsElection of 1880
Republicans:
James A. Garfield (Half-Breed) for President
Chester A. Arthur (Stalwart) for VP
PoliticsDemocrats 1880
Again nominate a Union general, Winfield Hancock
Republicans win in a very close popular vote
PoliticsGarfield’s Presidency
Besieged by 100,000 office-seekers
Named mostly Half-Breeds to the offices
Conkling and Stalwarts furious
PoliticsCharles Guiteau:
“I am a stalwart and Arthur is President now!”
Garfield dies after 11 weeks of decline
PoliticsChester A. Arthur
Distances himself from Stalwarts
Supports Civil Service Reform
Does not get renominated by Republicans for 1884
PoliticsElection of 1884
Republicans nominated Blaine of Maine
PoliticsElection of 1884
Republicans nominated Blaine of Maine
Democrats nominated Grover Cleveland of NY
--honest
PoliticsElection of 1884
Republicans nominated Blaine of Maine
Democrats nominated Grover Cleveland of NY
--honest--possible scandal--Republicans charge:
“Rum, Romanism and Rebellion!”
Politics—Election of 1884Blaine slow to
repudiate Burchard’s remarks
Mugwumps support Cleveland
Very narrow victory for Democrats
PoliticsIssues—Cleveland’s first term
Civil Service Reform
Money supply
Tariffs
PoliticsElection of 1888
Republicans choose Benjamin Harrison
Democrats renominate Grover Cleveland
Popular vote: ClevelandElectoral college:
Harrison
Politics
Political Cartoon:The Smallest Specimen Yet
Harrison’s Billion Dollar Congress:
McKinley Tariff Act of 1890
Sherman Antitrust ActSherman Silver
Purchase ActIncrease in pensions
for Civil War veterans, wives, and children
PoliticsElection of 1892
Republicans renominate Benjamin Harrison
Democrats try Grover Cleveland again
Populist party gains interest
PoliticsPopulist Party Platform
Direct election of senatorsState laws to come from ballot
referendumsUnlimited silver coinageGraduated income taxPublic ownership of railroads,
telegraph and telephonesAgricultural warehousesEight-hour work day for
industrial workers
Politics—1892 Presidential Election
Politics—Cleveland’s Second TermPanic of 1893
Cleveland, now more conservative, adopted a “hands off” strategy toward the economy
Drain on gold—loan from J.P. Morgan
PoliticsThe Rise of Populism
Coxey’s Army—1894
March on Washington by the
unemployed demanding
creation of public jobs
PoliticsThe Election of 1896—Rise of Populism
What is Populism?
PoliticsThe Election of 1896—Rise of Populism
What is Populism?
The People vs. “The Elite”
PoliticsThe Election of 1896—Rise of Populism
Gold Standard
Vs.
“Free Silver”
William Jennings Bryan “The Great
Commoner”
PoliticsElection of 1896—Rise of Populism
William Jennings Bryan
YoungFiery oratorTireless campaignerNominated by both
Democrats and Populists
PoliticsWilliam Jennings Bryan’s Cross of Gold Speech:
“We will answer their demands for a gold standard by saying to them: ‘You shall not press down upon the brow of labor this crown of thorns, you shall not crucify mankind on a cross of gold.’”
Politics—Election of 1896William McKinley
Republican
Backed by wealthy businessman and strategist, Mark Hanna
Politics—Election of 1896
Politics—Election of 1896McKinley’s victory:
Begins the decline of the Populists
Shows dominance of urban voters
Starts modern political methods
Altered Republicans to party of Big Business and Big Government
PoliticsGold triumphs over silver
Gold found in Alaska
Economy begins to recover
McKinley gets credit, moves America to world power in war with Spain (1898)