Technology and Reforms of the Gilded Age

U.S. History IIOHS

Typewriter and Telephone• The typewriter allowed for

quicker and clearer communication across the business world.

• The telephone, invented by Alexander Graham Bell, allowed for instant communication over huge distances.

• Opened up jobs for women as switchboard operators and within 10 years of its invention over 250,000 phones were in use

Thomas Edison• Edison was more of an

innovator than an inventor• He put inventions of others

to practical use• His typewriter allowed for

faster typing, his phone worked with longer distances.

• And his work with electricity made it cheaper and his light bulb lasted longer than any previous models

Civil War Improvements• The Civil War led to the

creation an later explosion of the canned food industry

• Clothing sizes and shoe sizes were standardized to make clothing soldiers easier, this was now passed on to the public.

• Clothing and shoes were now being produced on a mass scale rather than in local shops, making them cheaper.

Oil and Steel• The Bessemer process

allowed for quicker production of steel making it cheaper than iron.

• Oil use now boomed due to its need as a lubricant in everything from machines to railroads.

• Oil was also needed as a fuel source for lamps and the production of electricity

Railroads• Railroads now began

replacing iron with steel• Rail width was standardized

so all trains could travel on any rail

• In 30 years over 160,000 miles of tracks were built

• This boom and standardization made railroads cheaper to run so goods transported by them were also cheaper.

• Railroads also helped improve the steel, coal, lumber, and oil industries!

Civil Service Reform• President Rutherford B. Hayes

began the process of civil service reform in 1877.

• He limited the power of elected officials to appoint whoever they wanted to unelected office.

• He also vetoed legislation from Congress that had riders attached. • [Irrelevant amendments added on

to a bill]• This all helped cut down

corruption and again balanced the power between Congress and the President

The Pendleton Act• The Pendleton Act finally

eliminated the spoils system• [A process where a new

administration appointed their friends to public office and not necessarily the most qualified individuals]

• This act laid out rules for how civil service workers would be appointed.

• These rules included:• Open competition for each job• Examination of each candidates

merits• And no removal from office for

political reasons

Cleveland Continues Reform• Grover Cleveland was elected

president in 1884.• His first order of business was to

appoint qualified individuals to public office

• He also helped pass the Presidential Succession Act• [Outlined clear line of succession if

the president and VP died]

• He strengthened presidential independence and reclaimed public land from private companies who had not lived to the terms of their land grants.

Education Reform• They began working towards

compulsory attendance• The school year, which had

been squeezed between fall harvesting and spring planting, was now lengthened

• Increased number of high schools…built over 200 in thirty years.

• But much work still needed to be done because the average child still only received 5 years of school by 1900.

Education Reform (cont.)• Colleges and Universities were

also improved and expanded across the country

• Many universities fixed curricula and allowed students to choose their own course of study

• Government also gave land grants to states to help finance the creation of public state colleges

• Many of the new western colleges also opened their doors to women too.

Women’s Movements• In addition to education, women

also fought to make alcohol illegal in the U.S. and get the right to vote.

• The Temperance Movement had many strong organizations such as the Women’s Christian Temperance Union (WCTU)

• They even ran a candidate for president in 1872.

• Women’s Suffrage was also a major battle ground between 1870 and 1920.

• It was voted on many times and failed but by 1900 four states had begun to allow women to vote!