1. Give 3 reasons to support your answer
What do you think the time period in which we live today, early 21st century, will be called in the future?
Give 3 reasons to support your answer
Will people look upon this time positively? Any negative associations with our time period?

2. The Gilded Age: ~1870-~1900
What do you think that means??? Do you think it is a positive or negative characterization of the time period?

3. "What is the chief end of man. --to get rich. In what way
"What is the chief end of man?--to get rich. In what way?--dishonestly if we can; honestly if we must.“
-- Mark Twain-1871 (the person who coined the term “Gilded Age”)

4. The gilded age
glittering with wealth and prosperity on the surface but a mess of poverty and corruption underneath

5. Living Conditions

6. Working conditions & incomes
…in the mid to late 1800s, factory workers put in over 12 hours per day, 6 days per week and had no right o vacation, sick leave, unemployment or reimbursement for injuries.
…In 1882 alone, an average of 675 laborers were killed in work related accidents EACH WEEK. That is over 36,000 deaths in one year from work related accidents.
…in the mid to late 1800s, 20% of boys and 10% of girls under 15 held full time jobs
…in late 1800s, women averaged $267 a year and men averaged $498 a year working in sweatshops, while Andrew Carnegie pulled in $23 million that same year!

7. Self-made man: Horatio Alger

8. A song about carnegie
Sing ho, for we know you, Carnegie; God help us and save us, we know you too well; You're crushing our wives and you're starving our babies; In our homes you have driven the shadow of hell. Then bow, bow down to Carnegie, Ye men who are slaves to his veriest whim; If he lowers your wages cheer, vassals, then cheer. Ye Are nothing but chattels and slaves under him. - 2nd verse, "A Man Named Carnegie," anonymous, California, 7 July 1892
Andrew Carnegie was the owner of Carnegie Steel Company. Carnegie sold his company to JP Morgan in 1901 for $480 million (over 300 billion in today’s dollars).

9. The Gilded Age
Carnegie, Rockefeller, Vanderbilt made $$$, beautiful mansions, new/modern factories, America’s economy grows….
BUT
1890, 11 million of the nation's 12 million families earned less than $1200 per year
of this group, the average annual income was $380, well below the poverty line
Corruption and manipulation with political machines (Are we really a democracy?)
Corruption in the national government….