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The Gilded AgeGilded Age ExplainedName given to the time period in American history between Reconstruction and the turn of the 20th century (late 1870s-1900).

Mark Twain coined the term... Describing, satirically, a society whose serious problems had been veiled by a thin coating of gold.

Marked a change in society from agrarian dominated by small producers to urban dominated by industrial corporations.

Gilded Age Explained Rampant greed (robber baronsCarnegie, Rockefeller, Morgan).Political corruption (Boss Tweed and Tammany Hall).Economic growth (American economy doubles in size).Poor labor practices (low wages, long hours, poor working conditions).Unionization (Knights of Labor).Urbanization (% of Americans living in cities increases from 20% in 1865 to 40% by 1900).Technological innovation (steel, oil, electricity).Gilded Age ExplainedPolitical and social philosophies (socialism; Darwinism; American Dream; Russell Conwell and acres of diamonds).Railroad expansion (miles of track increases from 35,000 in 1865 to 242,000 by 1900).Mass immigration (5.5 million in the 1880s; 4 million in the 1890s).Judicial rulings (Plessy v. Ferguson; Santa Clara County v. Southern Pacific Railroad).Racial Inequality (Chinese Exclusion Act).Political Oversight (Interstate Commerce Commission; Sherman Anti-Trust Act).Financial inequality (In 1890, 11 million of the nation's 12 million families earned less than $1200 per year; of this group, the average annual income was $380, well below the poverty line).

Robber Barron or Captain of Industry?John D RockefellerStandard Oil.Andrew CarnegieCarnegie Steel Company.JP MorganJP Morgan bank.Avoided Civil War service by way of payment; leaders in philanthropy.Rags to riches?A study of 303 business executives in from the1870s showed 90% came from middle to upper class families.A Senate report from the early 20th century shows Morgan at his peak sat on the board of 48 corporations; Rockefeller 37.Big Business and the Governmentthe purpose of the state was to settle upper-class disputes peacefully, control lower-class rebellion, and adopt policies that would further the long-range stability of the system. - Howard Zinn A Peoples History of the United StatesOf the 14th Amendment cases brought before the Supreme Court between 1890 and 1910, 19 dealt with the Negro, 288 dealt with corporations."No harm shall come to any business interest as the result of administrative policy so long as I am President ... a transfer of executive control from one party to another does not mean any serious disturbance of existing conditions." Grover Cleveland (22nd and 24th president of the United States)

The Supreme Court2 major rulings: Santa Clara County v. Southern Pacific Railroad (1886). Plessy v. Ferguson (1896).

Santa Clara County v. Southern Pacific Railroad. Decision: corporations were persons for the purposes of the 14th Amendment (citizenship and civil liberties).Corporate personhood.

Plessy v. Ferguson.Decision: segregation was legal as long as equal facilities were available.Separate but equalThe Supreme Court

Financial Inequality

Unionization Poor working conditions, wages, violence, and overall mistreatment sparks unionization movement.Early1880s = about 500 strikes a year involving about 150,000 workers; 1890s = 1,000 a year involving 700,000 workers; early 1900s = 4,000 annually.Mass influx of immigrants (i.e., cheap, available labor) allowed for business owners to treat employees anyway the wanted.Knights of Labor (1869)Created to effectively negotiate with big corporations.Organize workers into one big brotherhood.Open to anyone regardless of trade (excluded bankers and lawyers).Campaigned for 8 hour work day, abolishment of child labor, improved safety, equal pay for men and women, injury pay.Declined after the Haymarket Square Riot in 1886.

Political and Social PhilosophiesSocial DarwinismScientist Charles Darwins book On the Origin of Species (1859) expounded the theory of evolution whereby the stronger/adaptable animals and plants survive.This idea began to spill over into society and became a basis for discussion when dealing with social issues.Evolution was a natural process in society much like nature and the government should not interfere. To place restrictions on society (legislation) would weaken society.Failure to advance in society indicated a lack of character, determination and ability. SocialismThe idea was made popular in America by the book The Cooperative Commonwealth by Laurence Gronlund.The belief that private control of the economy should be replaced by government oversight/control to ensure fairness.

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