Unit 2: The ‘GILDED AGE’ 1

GILDED AGE: TIMELINE – pg 5 Homestead Act – 1862 Chinese Exclusion Act – 1882 Dawes Act – 1887 Populist Party – Klondike Gold Rush – Social Gospel – Early 1900s 2

IMPORTANT PEOPLE – pg 6 Andrew Carnegie / Gospel of Wealth – Scottish born immigrant to America – Built the steel industry and was one of the wealthiest men in America during this period. Elizabeth Cady Stanton – Social activist, abolitionist, and leading figure in the early Women’s Rights Movement. John D. Rockefeller – Founder of the Standard Oil Company, and created the first U.S. business trust (monopoly). 3

IMPORTANT PEOPLE – pg 6 Jane Addams – A pioneer in the creation of settlement houses – Founder of Hull House in Chicago providing services to immigrant populations W.E.B. DuBois – African American sociologist, historian, civil rights activist, and editor – Co-founder of the NAACP Booker T. Washington – African-American educator, author, orator, and advisor to presidents;founded TUSKEEGEE INSTITUTE – Believed in working to prove equal status with whites 4

UNIONS & POLITICAL MACHINES – pg 7 Conditions for Industrial Workers – Long hours, low wages, dangerous jobs, no worker’s compensation for injury, no health insurance, etc. Reasons for the Rise of Unions – Poor working conditions, discontent of workers, desire to force changes in working environment, power of collective bargaining Tammany Hall – Political machine in New York led by William “Boss” Tweed. – Corrupt practices used to place people in power and buy votes. – Provided some services to immigrant populations in exchange for their votes. The Role of Political Machines – The “machine” worked to “produce” candidates who did what the “Boss” said. – Led to people in government who could be “bought” or bribed 5

INDUSTRIALIZATION - URBANIZATION & IMMIGRATION - pg 8 Reasons Cities Grew – Population growth from high birthrate and immigration – Rise of factories (INDUSTRIALIZATION) means more people move to urban areas for jobs (URBANIZATION) Problems Cities Faced – Over-crowding, pollution, disease, poor or few and poorly managed resources….sewer, water, trash, lighting Why Immigrants Came to the U.S… Pull Factors – Opportunity, jobs, freedom, Land, cultural/family ties Why Immigrants Left Home… Push Factors – Oppression, poverty, war, persecution, no opportunity to advance or own land 6

URBANIZATION & IMMIGRATION - pg 8 Process of Americanization – Assimilation : to make an outsider part of the group – Immigrant children attended school and learned English, American culture, and religion The Chinese Exclusion Act … racism … – 1882 – Federal law to restrict the immigration of Chinese – Fear of losing jobs and lowering wages in places like California were blamed on the immigrant Asian populations, leading to this act.( Trans Con Railroad ) 7

WESTWARD EXPANSION – pg 9 Klondike Gold Rush (demographic pattern / shift ) – Gold found in the Yukon region near Alaska led to a massive population migration from western states up north. Native American Assimilation – Process of teaching Natives about White-American culture – Included schooling, changing names, religion, and traditional native practices. Impact of Railroads ** Critical to Manifest Destiny – Connect the East and West..opened the Great Plains – Make travel and shipping MUCH easier & more efficient – Boom for the American economy, like the Steel industry 8

WESTWARD EXPANSION – pg 9 Homestead Act (1862) – Any citizen could occupy 160 acres of government land if the citizen improved the land (building a home, farming, etc.) they owned it after 5 years. – Increased the population in the west and encouraged the spread of America from east to west. Farming on the Great Plains : both good and bad – Adaptation of farmers to the conditions they faced; sod houses, dry farming, barbed wire, steel plows, windmills Dawes Act (1887) : aimed at eliminating tribes – Abolished the tribal system and provided 160 acres of reservation land to each family for farming. – The government also sold of much of the reservation land as “surplus”….but sold to settlers which caused problems 9