The Gilded Age Flashcards

1
Q

“The Gilded Age” Coined by mark twain

A
  • “glittering on the surface, but corrupt underneath”
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2
Q

Period of 7 things

A
  1. Greed, scandal, and corruption in government and industry
  2. Unprecedented economic growth/exploded
  3. Period of modern industrial economy
  4. Moved from an agrarian (rural) society to an industrial (urban) society
  5. USA becomes an emerging world power
  6. Mass immigration
  7. Unequal distribution of wealth - “haves” and the “have-nots” - (closest the USA ever came to an aristocracy of the elite) *less that 1% of the population (4,000 families) owned 50% of the wealth!
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3
Q

Immigrants - why did they come? (2)

A
  1. Escape religious persecution
  2. Escape poverty
    America was the land of opportunity! (Rags to riches)
    • “golden door” the promise of a better life!
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4
Q

Emma lazarus

A

american poet who wrote a poem on the Statue of Liberty

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5
Q

• Processing - 3 steps - usually 1 day

A
    1. Physical examination
      • 2. Record names / questioning
      • 3. Documents checked (passports, etc.) and legal requirements checked
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6
Q

• Melting point theory

A

give up culture and blend in

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7
Q

Old immigrants

New immigrants

A

came from Great Britain and Northern Europe - Protestant WASPS -white anglo-Saxon protestantS - before civil war

Southern Europe/Asia - were not welcomed at first -

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8
Q

5 reasons why new immigrants were not welcomed

A
  1. They didn’t fit in (look dress, speak the same)
  2. Job competition
  3. Religious differences
  4. Ethnic differences
  5. Racial differences
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9
Q

• Nativism

A

was an anti-immigrant movement that swept across the United States

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10
Q

The american party (know nothings)

A

political party designed to restrict and stop immigration

• NINA signs - no Irish need apply!

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11
Q

Chinese exclusion act (1882)

A

• stopped Chinese immigration for 30 years!

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12
Q

Gentleman’s agreement (1908)

A

• limited the number of Japanese immigrants to America

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13
Q

Immigration act of 1917

A

• required them to be able to read or write before they could enter the country

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14
Q

Immigrant contributions (3) name 3 ways in which the immigrants contributed to society

A
  1. Provided most of the work first for the industrialization of America
  2. Enriched America with unique customs, culture, language, and literature
  3. Creative entrepreneurial talents (business)
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15
Q

Urban (city) problems (7)

A
  1. Housing - working class poor “HAVE_NOTS” dumbbell tenements (multi-family dwellings) - overcrowded and unsanitary
    • middle class - row houses.
    • Rich - HUGE homes (30+ rooms)
  2. Transportation - mass transit (designed to move large groups of people
    • streetcars (hors drawn, cable, electric
    • Subways - 1st in boston
  3. Water
    • rivers, lakes
    • Indoor plumbing was rare!
  4. Sanitation
    • Street sweepers (trash, manure, etc)
    • Cholera, typhoid very common - summers!
    • 1st sower lines by 1900/sanitation dept.
  5. Crime
    • pick pockets and thieves, NYC 1st police force
  6. Fire
    • wooden building stacked on top of each other
    • Limited water
    • Candles and kerosene lanterns = fire!
    • Cincinnati Oh - 1st fire department
  7. Factory working conditions
    • 12 hr. Days, low pay ($1 per day) dangerous condition and child labor
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16
Q

• Political machines

A

an organized group that controlled the activities of a political party in the. It by providing services to people and businesses in exchange for votes

17
Q

• Graft

A

(illegal use of political influence for personal gain) - money!
• How it worked: immigrants stepped off the boat and the machine would get them a job, and a place to stay in exchange fo political support (vote)

18
Q

Most infamous political machine was…

A

Tammany hall in NYC. “Tweed ring” run by William tweed (boss tweed)

19
Q

Thomas nast

A

journalist that drew cartoons to expose corruption of the bosses and robber barons

20
Q

Modern industrial economy:

• economic growth was fueled by 3 things

A
  1. Wealth from the war
  2. Modern machinery
  3. Unlimited workforce (immigrants)
21
Q

Robber Barons - “big business”

A

(rich businessmen) who created industrial “monopolies” (single seller/controls all)

22
Q

Cornelius vanderbilt

A

railroads - worth $100 million - todays money!

23
Q

Andrew Carnegie -

A

steel - worth $7.5 billion in todays money

24
Q

JP Morgan

A

banking/finance - worth $41 billion

25
Q

Henry ford - automobile - worth $200 billion

A

***John D. Rockefeller - oil - worth $340 billion

26
Q

Industrial workers

A

(working class) worked long hours for low wages!
Average salary = $1.50 per day or $500 per year. Today = $6,000
• robber barons made all the profit

27
Q

Progressive era

A

Toward the end of the gilded age was the progressive era - period of reform!

28
Q

Jacob Riis

A

Men like Jacob Riis, a social reformer journalist/photographer showed how the other half lived.

29
Q

Muckrakers

A

exposed the evils of society

30
Q

Reforms (changes) in society

A
  1. Helping the poor - have nots
    • Washington gladden, founder of the social gospel movement: preached salvation through service to the poor (jesus Christ) emulate
    • Settlement houses: (community centers that provided services to the poor)
    • Examples: YMCA (young men’s Christian association) - george Williams
    • Salvation Army - William booth
    • Hull house - Jane Addams - for women
  2. Improved working conditions - formation of…
    • Unions - organized to protect workers rights (better wages, hours, safe working condition, child labor laws)
    • Strike - stoppage of work (only weapon) to combat “robber barons”
  3. Women’s suffrage (right to vote)
    • Suffragettes were women who fought for the right to vote
    • Susan b anothony, Lucrecia Mott, Elizabeth cady Stanton, Alice Paul
    • 1920 - right to vote
  4. Alcohol reform: prohibition 1919 - 1933
    • forbade the sale and consumption of alcohol
  5. Education reform - Horace Mann “father of modern public education”
  6. Child labor was outlawed
  7. Government corruption
  8. Ended business “monopolies”
    Etc…………………………………………………….,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,..,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,