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Click the Buttons below to review each standard for Westward Expansion & Gilded Age Unit
Click the Buttons below to review each standard for Westward Expansion & Gilded Age Unit
2A Standard - Identify the major eras in U.S. history from 1877 – 1898, and describe their defining characteristics.
2A Standard - Identify the major eras in U.S. history from 1877 – 1898, and describe their defining characteristics.
Westward Expansion and the Gilded Age (1877-1898) is characterized by;
Westward Expansion and the Gilded Age (1877-1898) is characterized by;
Factory system - machinery to mass produce, mostly in northern & midwest cities (NY, Chicago, Philadelphia, New Jersey)
Population shift to cities - Rural to Urban
Inventions / industrialism - Lightbulb extended working hours, Bessemer Steel Process led to expansion of steel/railroads/buildings, and Telephone led to increased movement of info.
Immigration - Ellis Island, NY - Europeans: Angel Island, California - Asians - Push Factors: Famine, Political Oppression, Poverty Pull Factors: Factory Jobs, Land, Better Life
Urbanization - led to sanitation issues because cities could not keep up with rapid influx of immigrants
Political corruption and political machines - exchanged infrastructure/jobs/favors with immigrants for votes
Entrepreneurship (growth of big business) - John D. Rockefeller (Standard Oil Monopoly), Andrew Carnegie (Carnegie Steel) & JP Morgan (Monopoly on Banking)
Philanthropy - donating to charity (Andrew Carnegie building libraries)
Indian (Native American) policies - Dawes Act assimilated Native Americans (broke tribes into individual plots & made them be farmers, not hunters & gatherers)
Labor unions - organized for better pay & working conditions
Growth of railroad (transcontinental) - access to distant markets
Cattle industry boom - meet demands of growing population (immigration)
Westward movement and the Homestead Act - federal land grants that settled the Great Plains if you farm it for 5 years, (free land) built sod houses because of shortage of timber (wood)
Laissez-faire (LAZY GOVERNMENT) - left big business unregulated to become too influential over the government "Bosses of the Senate"
Overview of the Gilded Age
Overview of Westward Expansion
Economic Impacts
Economic Impacts
Industrialization grew economic opportunities for U.S. citizens.
The expansion of the railroad provided settlement opportunities to the country.
Technology increased opportunities for workers to produce more.
Factory workers formed labor unions to engage in collective bargaining with employers.
Agricultural technology improved the standard of living of U.S. citizens.
Cattle industry boomed creating a greater demand for beef.
Entrepreneurship rose and free enterprise grew allowing business owners to compete for profit.
The rise of big business caused a greater divide in socio-economic divisions.
Immigrant workers created economic fears for native born citizens in America.
Immigrations laws were enacted based on these economic fears.
Social Impacts
Social Impacts
Women worked in factories creating textiles.
Children worked in factories performing dangerous jobs.
Nativists were opposed to new waves of immigrants who were competing for jobs.
Some minority groups faced exclusion from employment and housing.
Immigrants were encouraged to assimilate into American culture.
Many immigrants entered through various ports of entry in the United States and were forced to perform intellectual and physical examinations.
Immigrants faced language, cultural barriers and poverty.
U.S. citizens migrated to the West in search of gold, resources and land.
Migration from rural to urban areas changed the landscape of America.
Urban areas faced rapid growth, housing shortages, pollution, and quality of life issues as a result of overcrowding.
Political Impacts
Political Impacts
Indian (Native American) policies sought to allow expansion of the West.
Political corruption affected issues during the era.
Civil service reforms created a graduated income tax and direct election of senators.
Westward Expansion
Westward Expansion
This picture is representative of Westward Expansion & the idea of "Manifest Destiny". What were the effects for Native Americans & the settlers who moved westward?
The Gilded Age
The Gilded Age
"Bosses of the Senate" Political Cartoon. This picture is representative of the Gilded Age & large scale industrialization and big businesses with little to no government intervention (laissez-faire).
ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS ON 2A:
ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS ON 2A:
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