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Gilded Age/Progressive Era Flashcards

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1
Q

Gilded Age

A

Term coined by Mark Twain. Appears to be Golden on the surface but corrupt underneath

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2
Q

Gilded Age Characteristics (6)

A
  1. Greed, scandal, and corruption in (government/industry)
  2. Moved from an agrarian (rural) society/economy to an industrial (urban) society/economy
  3. Unprecedented economic growth/exploded
  4. USA becomes an emerging World Power
  5. Mass immigration
  6. Unequal distribution of wealth-inequality between the “Haves” and the “Have nots” (closest the USA ever came to an aristocracy of the elite) *Less than 1% of the population (4,000)- Owned 50% of the wealth
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3
Q

Why did the 25 million Immigrants come? (1865-1915)

A
  1. Escape religious and political persecution
  2. Escape poverty
  3. Start a new life (America was the land of opportunity)
    *Land where the streets were paved with gold
    (Go from Rags 2 Riches)
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4
Q

The Journey To America

A

-Steam boats- 2 weeks from Europe. 2 months from Asia.
Steerage class-lowest-deck- $30
-Most landed in either New York City or San Francisco
(After 1886 they were welcomed by the Statue of Liberty which represented opportunity and freedom)- “The Golden Door”

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5
Q

Emma Lazarus

A

American Poet

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6
Q

Ellis Island (NYC) & Angel Island (San Francisco)

A

-Immigration centers the people had to pass through
-Between 1870 & 1920 about 20 million people came to America

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7
Q

Processing-2-steps-usually 1 day

A
  1. Medical Inspection
  2. Legal Inspection (passport papers)
    *2% deported
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8
Q

Where to Settle?

A
  • 1/4 stayed in NY to find a job
    -most settled in the cities to find work Jobs/Factories
    -communities known as “Ethnic Islands” (same ethnic groups)
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9
Q

Immigrant Workers

A

-Most were unskilled/common laborers who worked in the factories
-“Sweatshops” (dark crowded and unsafe) factories in the clothing industry
-They were expected to assimilate (become like) the rest of America society

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10
Q

Multicultural Pot theory: assimilation

A
  1. Melting Pot Theory- immigrant groups will tend to “melt together,” abandoning their individual cultures and eventually becoming fully assimilated into American society
  2. Mixed Salad Theory- metaphor for the way a multicultural society can integrate different cultures while maintaining their separate identities
    *children assimilated faster due to public schools
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11
Q

Old Immigrants

A

Most from Northern/Western Europe (Mostly British & Scandinavian)
*WASPS - White Anglo-Saxons Protestants

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12
Q

New Immigrants

A

Southern Eastern Europe
(Italian/Irish/German/Slavic/Asia/Jewish)-were not welcomed at first

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13
Q

New Immigrants were not welcomed at first because of…

A
  1. Religious differences (Catholic/Jewish/Buddhist)
  2. Cultural differences- They didn’t fit in (look dress or speak the same language)
    *Threatened the American way of life
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14
Q

Anti-Immigration backlash

A

Immigration Restriction League- 1894
-Wanted to restrict immigration

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15
Q

Nativism

A

the practice of supporting he wants and needs of American residents over the interests of immigrants
-Anti immigrant sentiment swept across America

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16
Q

The American Party (Know-Nothings)

A

political party designed to restrict and stop immigration

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17
Q

NINA

A

No Irish Need Apply

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18
Q

Chinese Exclusion Act (1882)

A

Stopped Chinese immigration for 30 years

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19
Q

Gentlemen’s Agreement (1908)

A

Limited the number of Japanese immigrants to America

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20
Q

Immigration Act of 1917

A

Required them to be able to read and write before they could enter the country (Targeted Asians & other non-whites)

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21
Q

Immigrant contributions to USA

A
  1. Provided workers for the Industrialization of America
  2. Enriched America with unique customs, culture, language, and literature
  3. Creative entrepreneurial talents (business)
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22
Q

Urbanization of America

A

-Movement of people from the rural/country to the urban/city
-Cities like New York, Boston, and Chicago, etc. populations exploded
-2/3rds of immigrants moved into the cities for jobs
-First skyscrapers built

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23
Q

Urban (city problems)

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A
  1. Housing
  2. Transportation
  3. Water
  4. Sanitation
  5. Crime
  6. Wooden building stacked on top of each other
  7. Factory Working Conditions
24
Q

Housing

Study These Flashcards
A

-“Working class” (Have nots)- Dumbbell tenements (multi family dwellings)-overcrowded and unsanitary
-“Middle class” (very small)- Row houses
-“Rich”- Huge homes (30+ rooms) *”Haves”-Extreme wealth

25
Transportation
Mass Transit (designed to move large groups of people) -Streetcars (horse drawn, cable, electric) -Subways-1st Boston
26
Water
(clean drinking water) -Rivers, lakes -Indoor plumbing was rare
27
Sanitation
-Street sweepers (trash, manure, etc) -Tuberculosis, Cholera, Typhoid very common - Summers - rich people left town -1st sewer lines by 1900/Sanitation dept.
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Crime
-Pickpockets & thieves -NYC 1st police force
29
Wooden Buildings Stacked on top of each other
-Limited water -Candles and kerosene lanterns-fire -Cincinnati, OH- 1st fire dept.
30
Factory Working Conditions
Horrendous -12/14 hr shifts, low pay ($1 per day), dangerous conditions, and child labor -No labor laws that protected workers
31
Government/Politics corruption
-Political machines- an organized group that controlled the activities of a political party in the city by providing services to people and businesses in exchange for votes *Goal was to stay in power -Controlled by Party bosses
32
Graft
illegal use of political influence for personal gain (money)
33
Most infamous political machine/party boss
Tammany Hall in NYC -Tweed Ring- run by William Tweed “Boss Tweed” -Made millions of dollars illegally -Eventually went to jail
34
Thomas Nast
Journalist. Father of the political cartoon. He drew political cartoons to expose corruption of the Bosses and Robber Barons (even though people couldn’t read, they could see)
35
The US Congress & The White House
Was mostly corrupt (Democrats & Republicans)- All controlled by Big Business *6 presidents during that period: were all corrupt except Ulysses S. Grant
36
Modern Industrial economy: Economic growth was fueled by 3 things
1. Wealth from the war 2. Modern machinery 3. Unlimited workforce (immigrants)
37
Railroads
were the linchpin that connected America. (moved goods/people)
38
Electricity
Thomas Edison creates the 1st incandescent light bulb which eventually replaces kerosene lamps
39
Bourgeoisie
Private business owners “Big business” controlled by the Robber Barons (a person who has become rich through ruthless and unscrupulous business practices) who created industrial monopolies (single seller/control all)
40
Robber Barons
-Cornelius Vanderbilt- Railroads- Worth $76 billion today’s money -JP Morgan- Banking/Finance - Worth $100 billion -Henry Ford- Automobile - Worth $200 billion (Model T) -Andrew Carnegie)- Steel - Worth $350 billion in today’s money -John D. Rockefeller- Kerosene/Oil - Worth $400 billion
41
USA
Was a pro business economy based on Capitalism (industry controlled by private owners)
42
Backbone of Capitalism
industry workers: Proletariat or (Working class) -Average salary = $1.00 a day or $365 per year - Today = $36,000 -Robber Barons made All the profit off the backs of the working class -Most did not care about their workers. They were disposable
43
Race Relations during the Gilded Age
Were marked by violence, legal restrictions, and segregation. African Americans faced many challenges including: Legal restrictions, Residential segregation, Loss of Civil rights, education, and employment
44
Legal restrictions
Jim Crow Laws: Laws denied African Americans access to public facilities like trains, theater, hotels, bathrooms, and water fountains
45
Residential segregation
African Americans lost many civil rights and faced a decline in franchise (the right to vote) -Poll taxes: forced to pay $ to vote -Literacy tests: must read/write to vote
46
Education
Segregated schools that were poor quality
47
Employment
prevented from working as skilled artisans or professionals
48
Progressive Age
Toward the end of the Gilded Age. A political movement interested in: 1. Bringing about social & political reform (change) 2. Stopping political corruption caused by political machines 3. Ending Big business monopolies
49
Populist Party
Political party of the working class founded by James Weaver Goals: -Limit the power of the industrialists (Robber barons) -Reform corruption in government -Establish rights for the working class
50
One major social reform
was to bring about changes to improve the conditions of the “working class” Men like John Riis: a social reformer journalist/photographer showed how the the other half lived-opened the eyes of many Americans
51
Lewis Hine
photographer who exposed evils of child labor
52
Upton Sinclair
made “the Jungle” - exposed the unsanitary conditions in the meat packing industry: established food safety laws
53
Thomas Nast
Exposed Political machines
54
Muckrakers
Reformers who exposed the evils of scoiety
55
1. Helping the Poor
Washington Gladden - founder of Social Gospel movement: Preached salvation through service to the poor (emulate Jesus Christ) -Settlement houses: community centers that provided services to the poor YMCA (Young Men’s Christian Association)-George Williams Salvation Army-William Booth Hull House-Jane Addams-for women/children
56
2. Improve Working Conditions
formation of the 1st labor unions-organized to protect worker’s rights (Better wages, shorter hours, safer working conditions, child labor laws) -Strike- stoppage of work (only method to combat Robber Barons made
57
Rest of Reforms
3. Women’s Suffrage (right to vote) 4. Alcohol reform: Prohibition 1919 5. Education Reform - Horace Mann *Father of modern public education” 6. Anti-Trust laws (Sherman) brought an end to business monopolies 7. Child Labor Laws to Protect Children 8. Prison reform - est. probation/parole 9. Mental Institution reform: Dorothea Dix

US College History (6 decks)

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