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Life in the Gilded Age

Life in the Gilded Age. Bellwork. Why is the Gilded Age called the Gilded Age? What are inventors? Which inventions do you think have had the biggest impact on our lives? Why? How does technology affect our lives?. Gilded Age. Term is coined by Mark Twain Famous author of the time

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Life in the Gilded Age

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  1. Life in the Gilded Age

  2. Bellwork • Why is the Gilded Age called the Gilded Age? • What are inventors? Which inventions do you think have had the biggest impact on our lives? Why? How does technology affect our lives?

  3. Gilded Age • Term is coined by Mark Twain • Famous author of the time • Tom Sawyer, Huckleberry Finn

  4. End of the frontier • Indians pushed into reservations • Wild West is tamed and settled

  5. The Expansion of Industry • Changes in technology • Fuel • Kerosene • Oil • Coal • Iron and steel • Bessemer process

  6. Steel • Steel is used for: • Railroads • Plows, reapers, farm tools • Food cans

  7. Edison

  8. Thomas Edison • Made power plant/light bulb • With electricity factories can work more hours and be anywhere.

  9. Other inventions • Typewriter • Telephone (1876) by Alexander Graham Bell

  10. "Mr. Watson—Come here—I want to see you"

  11. Bellwork-Answer these if you were not here on Friday. The rest of you BE QUIET OR YOU WILL GET BELLWORK!!!! • Why do we have time zones? • What is a union? What is the benefit of having unions? What are some negative effects of unions?

  12. The Age of Railroads • 1890=more than 200,000 miles of track • 1888=more than 2,000 railroad workers die and 20,000 are injured. • Built by immigrants (Asians in the West and Irish in the East) also African-Americans • Earn very little

  13. Joining the nation • Railroads link the nation together • Travel and industry increases • Time zones are created to keep railroad schedules.

  14. Industry grows • Railroads cause industry to grow • George Pullman invents a sleeping car known as a Pullman car

  15. Corruption • Railroads were usually corrupt • Charged high prices • Bribed government officials • Made millions through trickery

  16. Congress Acts • Congress tries to combat corruption • Supreme Court says they can regulate interstate trade • Congress passes the Interstate Commerce Act to regulate trade • Not strong enough to control the railroads

  17. Big Business Emerges • Businesses consolidate into big industries • These are run by businessmen who become very wealthy and become known as robber barons.

  18. Government practices • Government supported laissez-faire economics • Means hands off • Government does very little regulation • Result=very wealthy businesses and lots of corruption and little competition

  19. Social Darwinism • Idea that the best individuals will succeed • The survival of the fittest • Government should do very little

  20. Robber barons • Andrew Carnegie • Built a giant steel firm • Bought out competition and provides of raw materials and transportation of his goods • Known as vertical consolidation

  21. Vertical consolidation • Buying out companies for every stage of the productive process from raw materials to marketing.

  22. John D. Rockefeller • Another robber baron • Controlled Standard Oil • Bought other oil companies • This is horizontal consolidation=controlling competition at one step in the process of a product.

  23. Cornelius Vanderbilt: RR monopolist J. P. Morgan: banking monopolist Robber barons did philanthropy work JDR philanthropy was attacked as "tainted money"; 1910 Puck cartoon shows him purifying it through a foundation Other robber barons

  24. Monopolies and trusts • Robber barons created monopolies • Where a firm controls all the competition • Also created trusts • Companies agree to work together

  25. What’s wrong with this? • What’s wrong with having monopolies and no competition?

  26. Sherman Anti-trust Act • Congress passed the Sherman anti-trust act to outlaw trusts and monopolies • Difficult to enforce

  27. Working conditions • Conditions were terrible • Long hours • Dangerous conditions • Poor living conditions • Child Labor • To improve conditions formed labor unions

  28. Development of Labor unions • Labor Movement: unions illegal until 1840's for interfering in commerce, black lists Federal Government kept unions weak

  29. Unions • Knights of Labor: unskilled/skilled workers demanded reforms in child labor, safety, hours (8 hr day), equal pay for women • American Federation of Labor: skilled workers demanded higher pay, shorter work weeks.

  30. Strikes • Strikes resulted and usually ended in violence. Government usually sent in troops against the unions

  31. Notable Strikes • Great RR Strike of 1877: RR shut down, Hayes used army to end strike • Haymarket Square Riot: bomb killed 7 policeman, police fired on strikers • Homestead Strike: Carnegie hired Pinkertons to violently end strike • Pullman Strike: RR shut down, federal troops brought in and people get hurt and lose their jobs.

  32. Business leaders react • Unions were prevented by: • Not hiring union workers • Banning union meetings • Using the courts and troops to stop unions

  33. Bellwork • On a piece of paper, in 50 words, answer the following questions: • Why do people leave their homelands? • Why do people immigrate to the US? • What problems do immigrants face?

  34. Bellwork • On a half sheet of paper answer the following question: • Is America a melting pot or a salad bowl? Explain your answer.

  35. Immigration • Change from: • Western and Northern Europe • Germany, Ireland, and Great Britain • To Southern and Eastern Europe • Italy, Austria-Hungary, and Russia

  36. Ellis Island • Europeans enter through Ellis Island • See Statue of Liberty on Liberty Island • Usually stay 5 hrs • Undergo mental and health tests • Requirements to enter: pass health tests, literacy test, prove they can work, and have at least $25 • 20% are detained for a day or more • 98% allowed to stay in the US

  37. Asian Immigrants • Chinese and Japanese come to the US • Chinese come to California during gold rush and work on railroad. • Japanese went to Hawaii to work and gradually went to the west coast (California).

  38. Angel Island • Asian immigrants came through Angel Island • Different from Ellis Island • Harsh questioning • Long detention • Filthy, ramshackle buildings • Confined like prisoners • More sent back

  39. Problems for Immigrants • Culture shock • Confusion and anxiety from being in a new culture they didn’t understand • Jobs • Housing

  40. Survival • Settle in neighborhoods with people from their culture • Little Italy, China, etc. • Good: makes transition easier • Bad: excluding themselves, slows down assimilation • Americanization movement: use schools and volunteers to teach immigrants English and how to be American.

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