2. The Gilded Age 1 865-1900

3. 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.

4. 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”?

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

6. 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.

7. The Gilded Age Big Business: Good or Bad? Positive Country became wealthier. New technologies made life easier. Quality of life improved for most Americans. America became the dominant economic & technological power on Earth. Negative 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.

8. 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.

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

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 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?

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

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

15. 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

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

19. 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.

20. 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

21. 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