Chapter 15 Section Three – The Gilded Age

1. Chapter 15 Section Three – The Gilded Age

2. A Changing Culture • i. Corruption, poverty, crime and great disparities in wealth lay just below the surface • a. The Idea of Individualism • i. People could rise in society as far as their talents could take them. • b. Social Darwinism • i. . Herbert Spencer • a. Society evolves through competition and natural selection • b. “Survival of the Fittest” • c. Fit with laissez-faire economics

3. b. Darwinism and the Church i. Theory of evolution caused controversy in the church (against creation story) ii. Some said evolution may have been God’s way of creating the world c. Carnegie’s Gospel of Wealth i. Those who accumulate wealth have the responsibility to engage in philanthropy ii. Use their fortunes to benefit society

4. II. Realism i. An attempt to portray people as they are a. Realism in Art i. Portrayed everyday life b. Mark Twain i. Huck Finn – Distinctly American characters

5. III. Popular Culture i. Improved standard of living allowed people to spend money on recreation a. The Saloon i. Became “community centers” ii. Political centers b. Amusement Parks and Sports i. Coney Island – New York ii. Professional boxing ii. Professional Baseball – Cincinnati Red Stockings 1889 a. First world series in 1903 iii. College football – Began at elite private universities iv. Basketball invented in 1891 c. Vaudeville and Ragtime i. Vaudeville – Fast moving theatre acts

6. Chapter 15 Section Four – The Birth of Reform

7. Social Criticism • i. We could only solve our societal problems if the government took a more active role in regulating the economy and helping those in need\ • a. Henry George and Progress and Poverty • i. Harshly criticized wealth inequity. • ii. May reformers looked to his book – although flawed • b. Reform Darwinism – Lester Ward • i. People succeeded not because of their ability to compete, but their ability to cooperate • ii. Said competition was wasteful and government could regulate the economy, cure poverty and promote education better than competition in the marketplace

8. c. Looking Backward i. Edward Bellamy (1888) – Began to promote socialism II. Naturalism in Literature i. Said that leaving society and the economy unregulated often did not lead to the best results ii. Jack London – Power of the wilderness iii. Pursuit of wealth and power destroyed character III. Helping the Urban Poor i. Salvation Army and YMCA a. The Social Gospel i. Worked to improve cities according to the biblical teachings of charity and justice ii. The Church must either condemn the world and seek to change it, or tolerate and conform to it

9. b. The Salvation Army and the YMCA i. Salvation Army – Practical aid and religious counseling to urban poor ii. YMCA – Organized Bible study and citizenship training for industrial workers c. Revivalism and Dwight Moody i. Wanted to redeem souls and reform character d. The Settlement House Movement i. Attracted idealists who wanted to improve the lives of the urban poor ii. Built many settlement houses across the U.S.

10. IV. Public Education i. Developed from a demand for higher skilled workers a. The Spread of Schools i. 17.3 million children attended schools by 1900 (up from 6.5 in 1870) ii. Americanization – Schools helped assimilate children into American culture iii. Some African-Americans started their own schools (Tuskegee 1881) b. Education for the Workplace i. Attendance, neatness and efficiency in grammar school ii. Technical and vocational skills in high schools

11. c. Expanding Higher Education i. Land Grant colleges across the Midwest ii. 157,000 students by 1900 d. Public Libraries i. Free libraries made education available to city dwellers ii. Carnegie strongly supported libraries – Donated millions