Gilded Age Study Guide Flashcards
What are the differences between the “old” and the “new” immigrants
Old came first, WASPs White Anglo-saxons-Protestants from Great Britain & Northern Europe
New came later from Southern Europe/Ireland/Asia/Jewish
Why were the “new” immigrants not welcomed at first into the US?
- They didn’t fit in
- Job competition
- Religious differences
- Ethnic differences
- Racial differences
What are the seven characteristics of the gilded age?
- Greed, scandal and corruption in government/industry
- Unprecedented economic growth/exploded!
- Modern industrial economy
- Moved from an agrarian (rural) society to an industrial (urban) society
- USA becomes an emerging world power
- Mass immigration
- Unequal distribution of wealth- rich “HAVES” and poor “HAVE-NOTS”
What did the word “gilded” refer to?
“Covered” /pretty on the outside but corrupt underneath
Name five urban problems cities faced during this time and how they dealt with the problems:
- Housing- dumbbell tenements, row houses
- Transportation- mass transit
- Water- ran water through pipes from rivers and lakes
- Sanitation- street sweepers, eventual sewer line
- Crime- NYC first police force
- Fire- Cincinnati OH first fire dept.
- Factory working conditions- child labor laws
What three things fueled economic growth during the gilded age?
- Wealth from war
- Modern machinery
- Unlimited work force (immigrants)
List and describe five reforms brought about during the progressive era:
- Helping the poor- settlement houses were built as shelters
- Improve working conditions- unions, strikes
- Women’s suffrage- right to vote
- Alcohol reform- prohibition/ban
- Education reform- Horace Mann “father of modern public education”
- Child labor- outlawed
- Government corruption- exposed
- Ended business “monopolies”
Mark Twain:
Coined term “gilded age”
Jane Adams
Helped start first hull house/women’s shelter
Willian booth
Founded Salvation Army
George Williams
Founded YMCA
Jacob Riis
Photo journalist
Henry Ford
Automobile monopolist
Susan B. Anthony
Leader in women’s suffrage
Horace Mann
Father of public school system
