The Gilded Age

Question 1

“The Gilded Age” Coined by mark twain

Answer 1

• “glittering on the surface, but corrupt underneath”

Question 2

Period of 7 things

Answer 2

1. Greed, scandal, and corruption in government and industry
2. Unprecedented economic growth/exploded
3. Period of modern industrial economy
4. Moved from an agrarian (rural) society to an industrial (urban) society
5. USA becomes an emerging world power
6. Mass immigration
7. Unequal distribution of wealth - “haves” and the “have-nots” - (closest the USA ever came to an aristocracy of the elite) *less that 1% of the population (4,000 families) owned 50% of the wealth!

Question 3

Immigrants - why did they come? (2)

Answer 3

1. Escape religious persecution
2. Escape poverty
   America was the land of opportunity! (Rags to riches)
   • “golden door” the promise of a better life!

Question 4

Emma lazarus

Answer 4

american poet who wrote a poem on the Statue of Liberty

Question 5

• Processing - 3 steps - usually 1 day

Answer 5

• 1. Physical examination
     • 2. Record names / questioning
     • 3. Documents checked (passports, etc.) and legal requirements checked

Question 6

• Melting point theory

Answer 6

give up culture and blend in

Question 7

Old immigrants

New immigrants

Answer 7

came from Great Britain and Northern Europe - Protestant WASPS -white anglo-Saxon protestantS - before civil war

Southern Europe/Asia - were not welcomed at first -

Question 8

5 reasons why new immigrants were not welcomed

Answer 8

1. They didn’t fit in (look dress, speak the same)
2. Job competition
3. Religious differences
4. Ethnic differences
5. Racial differences

Question 9

• Nativism

Answer 9

was an anti-immigrant movement that swept across the United States

Question 10

The american party (know nothings)

Answer 10

political party designed to restrict and stop immigration

• NINA signs - no Irish need apply!

Question 11

Chinese exclusion act (1882)

Answer 11

• stopped Chinese immigration for 30 years!

Question 12

Gentleman’s agreement (1908)

Answer 12

• limited the number of Japanese immigrants to America

Question 13

Immigration act of 1917

Answer 13

• required them to be able to read or write before they could enter the country

Question 14

Immigrant contributions (3) name 3 ways in which the immigrants contributed to society

Answer 14

1. Provided most of the work first for the industrialization of America
2. Enriched America with unique customs, culture, language, and literature
3. Creative entrepreneurial talents (business)

Question 15

Urban (city) problems (7)

Answer 15

1. Housing - working class poor “HAVE_NOTS” dumbbell tenements (multi-family dwellings) - overcrowded and unsanitary
   • middle class - row houses.
   • Rich - HUGE homes (30+ rooms)
2. Transportation - mass transit (designed to move large groups of people
   • streetcars (hors drawn, cable, electric
   • Subways - 1st in boston
3. Water
   • rivers, lakes
   • Indoor plumbing was rare!
4. Sanitation
   • Street sweepers (trash, manure, etc)
   • Cholera, typhoid very common - summers!
   • 1st sower lines by 1900/sanitation dept.
5. Crime
   • pick pockets and thieves, NYC 1st police force
6. Fire
   • wooden building stacked on top of each other
   • Limited water
   • Candles and kerosene lanterns = fire!
   • Cincinnati Oh - 1st fire department
7. Factory working conditions
   • 12 hr. Days, low pay ($1 per day) dangerous condition and child labor

Question 16

• Political machines

Answer 16

an organized group that controlled the activities of a political party in the. It by providing services to people and businesses in exchange for votes

Question 17

• Graft

Answer 17

(illegal use of political influence for personal gain) - money!
• How it worked: immigrants stepped off the boat and the machine would get them a job, and a place to stay in exchange fo political support (vote)

Question 18

Most infamous political machine was…

Answer 18

Tammany hall in NYC. “Tweed ring” run by William tweed (boss tweed)

Question 19

Thomas nast

Answer 19

journalist that drew cartoons to expose corruption of the bosses and robber barons

Question 20

Modern industrial economy:

• economic growth was fueled by 3 things

Answer 20

1. Wealth from the war
2. Modern machinery
3. Unlimited workforce (immigrants)

Question 21

Robber Barons - “big business”

Answer 21

(rich businessmen) who created industrial “monopolies” (single seller/controls all)

Question 22

Cornelius vanderbilt

Answer 22

railroads - worth $100 million - todays money!

Question 23

Andrew Carnegie -

Answer 23

steel - worth $7.5 billion in todays money

Question 24

JP Morgan

Answer 24

banking/finance - worth $41 billion

Question 25

Henry ford - automobile - worth $200 billion

Answer 25

***John D. Rockefeller - oil - worth $340 billion

Question 26

Industrial workers

Answer 26

(working class) worked long hours for low wages!
Average salary = $1.50 per day or $500 per year. Today = $6,000
• robber barons made all the profit

Question 27

Progressive era

Answer 27

Toward the end of the gilded age was the progressive era - period of reform!

Question 28

Jacob Riis

Answer 28

Men like Jacob Riis, a social reformer journalist/photographer showed how the other half lived.

Question 29

Muckrakers

Answer 29

exposed the evils of society

Question 30

Reforms (changes) in society

Answer 30

1. Helping the poor - have nots
   • Washington gladden, founder of the social gospel movement: preached salvation through service to the poor (jesus Christ) emulate
   • Settlement houses: (community centers that provided services to the poor)
   • Examples: YMCA (young men’s Christian association) - george Williams
   • Salvation Army - William booth
   • Hull house - Jane Addams - for women
2. Improved working conditions - formation of…
   • Unions - organized to protect workers rights (better wages, hours, safe working condition, child labor laws)
   • Strike - stoppage of work (only weapon) to combat “robber barons”
3. Women’s suffrage (right to vote)
   • Suffragettes were women who fought for the right to vote
   • Susan b anothony, Lucrecia Mott, Elizabeth cady Stanton, Alice Paul
   • 1920 - right to vote
4. Alcohol reform: prohibition 1919 - 1933
   • forbade the sale and consumption of alcohol
5. Education reform - Horace Mann “father of modern public education”
6. Child labor was outlawed
7. Government corruption
8. Ended business “monopolies”
   Etc…………………………………………………….,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,..,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,