1. The Gilded Age

2. The Gilded Age
The Gilded Age was when America became the economic, technological and cultural giant it is today.
It saw tremendous changes in all aspects of life that created much of the society we still have now.

3. The Gilded Age
Mark Twain lived during this time and gave it the name “Gilded Age”
What does “Gilded” mean?
Gilded – something that appears expensive or valuable on the outside but is actually made of cheap material.
Jewelry and household objects like lamps or candlesticks were often “gilded” to make them look like gold.
What does it tell you about this time period that it is called the “Gilded Age”?

4. The Gilded Age America saw enormous changes in every area of life:
Economics
Technology
Geography
Society
Politics
All of these changes were interconnected.

5. The Gilded Age Economics:
Government support helped businesses boom during this time period.
Civil War & Reconstruction
Laissez-faire (hands off)– Government let businesses do whatever they wanted.
Technology helped Big Businesses too
Lots of immigration = lots of cheap labor
“Big Business” is born – companies that produce a lot of goods and operate all over the nation.

6. The Gilded Age Economics: Technology:
Communications improved – telephone, telegraph
Transportation improved – railroad network grew, faster, larger ships could travel further and carry more.
Electricity – gave 24 hour power and light, led to more efficient machinery, light bulb was invented
Machines & innovations – new machines for factories and farms are invented, new process for making steel makes steel cheaper.

7. The Gilded Age
Technology Technological changes affected all aspects of life.
Cars
Tractors
Light bulb
Grammophone (early record player)
Electric power plant
Telephone
Barbed wire
Roller Skates
Elevators
Bicycles
Movies
Steel manufacturing
Bridge and tunnel construction
Skyscrapers

8. The Gilded Age

9. The Gilded Age Big Business: Good or Bad?
Positive
Negative
Country became wealthier.
New technologies made life easier.
Quality of life improved for most Americans.
America became the dominant economic & technological power on Earth.
Not everyone benefitted equally – rich got much richer, poor saw slight improvement.
Pollution & exploitation of the environment.
Workers in factories were exploited.
Children often worked in dangerous jobs for long hours.
Many Big Businesses became monopolies.
Government corruption – businesses bribed government officials.

10. The Gilded Age Geographic changes How can a nation’s geography change?
Expanded borders
The US purchased Alaska from Russia.
Expanded Population
Tens of thousands of settlers moved west.
Millions of immigrants came to America.
Expanded Cities
Cities grew in size due to growth of factories.
Americans & immigrants moved to cities in large numbers for work.

11. The Gilded Age Expansion West What do you think of when you hear
“The Old West”?
Where do these ideas and visuals come from?
Movies, TV, Legends
What was the old west really like?

12. The Gilded Age
The Frontier Myth

13. The Gilded Age Frontier Myths
We have many myths about what the west was like. What are the facts?
Fights with Native Americans did happen and continued until 1890.
There were “rushes” for many minerals like gold and silver. Few got wealthy.
Cowboys did exist, but not like in the movies.
Western states were the first to give women the right to vote. Why?

14. The Gilded Age The Old West
Where do you still see references to the old west in our culture today?
Why do we still hang on to these images and ideas?

15. The Gilded Age The Old West Lonely Dangerous Difficult
Farms spaced out miles apart.
Dangerous
Lack of government and law enforcement.
Native Americans were fighting for survival.
Difficult
Harsh winters and summers.
Lack of water.
Soil was not always easy to cultivate.
Railroad companies were monopolies.

16. The Gilded Age Immigration Millions of ‘new’ immigrants came to the US
Italians
Russians
Poles
Jews
Chinese
Latinos
They came in huge numbers and faced discrimination.
Most settled in ghettos in the cities.
Worked long hours for little pay.
Most never learned to speak English fluently.
Laws were passed to keep Asians out of America.

17. The Gilded Age Education became more important –
children and immigrants needed to be “Americanized”.
High Schools were developed
More colleges were formed
Women and African-Americans got their own schools and colleges.
Women and African-Americans began to demand more rights.

18. The Gilded Age Gilded Age Society
Huge increase in the number of millionaires.
Leisure time increased for many Americans because machines were doing more work.
New forms of recreation developed:
Movies
Music
Organized Sports
Physical Fitness

19. The Gilded Age What are the negative aspects of the Gilded Age?
Technology increased
Productivity increased
The nation expanded and grew wealthier
Everything looks good

20. The Gilded Age Gilded Age Society
Life for many in the Gilded Age was hard.
Factory work was long and dangerous.
Women had few rights.
Cities were overcrowded – led to poverty, crime and disease.
Pay for many was very low.
Farmers out west faced difficult geography and isolation.
Political power was in the hands of the wealthy.
Immigrants and minorities were taken advantage of and abused.
Children worked in mines and factories.

21. The Gilded Age Politics Most corrupt time in American history.
Bribes and kick-backs from businesses.
Political Bosses controlled votes
Manipulation of immigrants
Spoils system
Presidents were weak and not expected to do much

22. The Gilded Age Politics – Reform
Near the end of the Gilded Age people started demanding a cleaner government.
More regulation of big businesses
No more spoils system
No more corruption
This would lead to the Progressive Movement