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The Gilded Age

The Gilded Age. Labor, Business and Immigration. Inventions of the Time…. Alexander Graham Bell. Telephone (1876). The Phonograph (1877). The Light Bulb (1879). Time Zones Created (1883) to standardize railroad arrival and departure times. AC Transformer (1887). George Westinghouse.

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The Gilded Age

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  1. The Gilded Age Labor, Business and Immigration

  2. Inventions of the Time…

  3. Alexander Graham Bell Telephone (1876)

  4. The Phonograph (1877)

  5. The Light Bulb (1879)

  6. Time Zones Created (1883)to standardize railroad arrival and departure times

  7. AC Transformer (1887) George Westinghouse

  8. The Motion Picture Camera (1888)

  9. The Airplane Wilbur Wright Orville Wright Kitty Hawk, NC – December 7, 1903

  10. Model T Automobile (1908) Henry FordI want to pay my workers so that they can afford my product!

  11. In Washington D.C….

  12. Federal Government • From 1870-1900  Govt. did verylittle domestically. • Main duties of the federal govt.: • Deliver the mail. • Maintain a national military. • Collect taxes & tariffs. • Conduct a foreign policy. • Exception  administer the annual Civil War veterans’ pension.

  13. The Job of the President • Party leaders made most of the decisions • Presidents should avoid offending anyfactions within their own party. • The President just doled out federal jobs. • 1865  53,000 federal govt. jobs • 1890  166,000 federal govt. jobs • Presidents during this era: Arthur, Cleveland, Harrisonand McKinley

  14. Changing Public Opinion • Americans wanted the federal govt. to dealwith growing soc. & eco. problems & to curbthe power of the trusts: • Interstate Commerce Act – 1887 • Sherman Antitrust Act – 1890 • McKinley Tariff – 1890 • Based on the theory that prosperityflowed directly from protectionism. • Increased already high rates another 4%!

  15. Pendelton Act (1883) Outlawed the Spoils System • Civil Service Act. • 1883  14,000 out of117,000 federal govt.jobs became civilservice exam positions. • 1900  100,000 out of 200,000 civil service federal govt. jobs. • Chester Arthur President

  16. Meanwhile out West…

  17. The Grange Movement • First organized in the 1870s in the Midwest, the south, and Texas. • Set up cooperative associations. • Social and educational components. • Succeeded in lobbying for “Granger Laws.” • Rapidly declined by the late 1870s.

  18. The Farmers Alliances • Begun in the late 1880s (Texas first  the Southern Alliance; then in the Midwest  the Northern Alliance). • Built upon the ashes of the Grange. • More political and less social than the Grange. • Ran candidates for office. • Controlled 8 state legislatures & had 47representatives in Congress during the 1890s.

  19. Result of Election Returns • Populist voteincreased by40% in the bi-election year,1894. • Democratic party losses in the West werecatastrophic! • But, Republicanswon control of the House.

  20. The Populist (Peoples’) Party • Founded by James B. Weaverand Tom Watson. • Omaha, NE Convention in July,1892. • Got almost 1 million popularvotes. • Several Congressional seatswon. James B. Weaver, Presidential Candidate &James G. Field, VP

  21. Heyday of Western Populism

  22. Why Did Populism Decline? The economy experienced rapid change. The era of small producers and farmers was fading away. Race divided the Populist Party, especially in the South. The Populists were not able to breakexisting party loyalties. Most of their agenda was co-opted bythe Democratic Party.

  23. Immigration, Urban Living and Factory Work…

  24. Men’s Lodgings

  25. Immigrant Family Lodgings

  26. Another Struggling Immigrant Family

  27. Child Labor

  28. Womens’ Trade Union League

  29. Typical NYC Sweatshop, 1910

  30. Page of theNew York Journal

  31. Out of the Ashes • ILGWU membership surged. • NYC created a Bureau of FirePrevention. • New strict building codes werepassed. • Tougher fire inspection ofsweatshops. • Growing momentum of support for women’s suffrage.

  32. Tenement Slum Living

  33. Hester Street – Jewish Section

  34. Pell St. - Chinatown, NYC

  35. Urban Growth: 1870 - 1900

  36. Big Business…

  37. Causes of Rapid Industrialization • Unskilled & semi-skilled labor in abundance. • Abundant capital. • New, talented group of businessmen [entrepreneurs] and advisors. • Market growing as US population increased. • Government willing to help at all levels to stimulate economic growth. • Abundant natural resources.

  38. New Business Culture Laissez Fairethe ideology of the Industrial Age. • Individuals should compete freely in the marketplace. • The market was not man-made or invented. • No room for government in the market!

  39. New Type of Business Entities

  40. Wall Street – 1867 & 1900

  41. The Protectors of Our Industries

  42. Relative Share of World Manufacturing

  43. Regulating the Trusts 1886 Wabash, St. Louis & Pacific Railroad Company v. IL – created regulation on interstate railroad fees 1890 Sherman Antitrust Act • in “restraint of trade” • Rarely enforced until T. Roosevelt

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