The Gilded Age
The Gilded Age was an era of great transformation in American society from roughly the 1870's until the onset of WWI in 1914. The country experienced massive immigration and urbanization as new industries attracted millions to rapidly expanding cities. These changes caused significant hardship for many, but also created phenomenal wealth for some and led to significant political movements like populism and progressivism.
Learning Targets:
- Identify the factors present in the US that led to the explosion of technological innovation and industrialization in the late 19th century.
- Identify problems faced by workers in this era and assess the effectiveness of the labor movement.
- Identify the reasons for increased immigration in the Gilded Age.
- Explain the root causes of nativist backlash during this era.
- Assess the impact of government policy directed at Native people in the second half of the 19th century.
- Evaluate the Populist and Progressive movements in the Gilded Age era.
Day 1 (9/11): The Gilded Age was an era of incredible creativity and inventiveness, and much of that ingenuity occurred in the United States. The slideshow below highlights patent drawings from the mid/late 19th and early 20th centuries. We discussed why so much of this innovation was centered in the United States? A few answers are access to varied natural resources, as well as a system of government that features a legal system that enforces contracts, protects new ideas via patents and trademarks, etc. These factors contributed to an explosion of new ideas that will form the basis for a newly industrializing society. See text pages 436-442 for additional info.
Assignment: Read the provided primary source The Gospel of Wealth by Andrew Carnegie and answer the attached questions in preparation for tomorrow's class.
Day 2 (9/12): New inventions and standardized mass production ushered in a new ways of doing business and new business titans who capitalized on the change to a modern, industrial society. Were these new business titans "Captains of Industry" or were they "Robber Barrons"? Please see text 443-449 for additional info.
Day 3-4 (9/13-9/16) -- The transition to a new industrial economy raised a number of questions we still grapple with in contemporary society. How do we balance power between workers and business owners? What role should the government play in regulating the affairs of business? To understand the historical nature of these questions, we are examining the class between steelworkers and Andrew Carnegie in the Homestead Strike of 1892. A good explanation of these events is presented in 10 Days that Unexpectedly Changed America -- Homestead
Day 5 (9/17) -- Quiz #1
Day 6-7 (9/18-9/19) -- Farmers, the Populist Movement and the Wizard of Oz. Use the text beginning on page 533 to answer the following questions about farmers and the struggles they faced in an industrializing society. Finally, the Wizard of Oz is an allegory rooted in these issues. After learning about farmers and the Populist movement, try to discern what is represented in the Wizard of Oz.
Day 8 (9/20) The Labor Movement -- See the Crash Course video below as a quick review of the concepts we have discussed this far related to Industrialization and the response of workers in the late 19th/early 20th centuries.
Day 9: Immigration and Urbanization -- Class notes and discussion utilizing the slideshow listed below. We also examine some of the immigrant experiences of our own families, and discuss the role Ellis Island played for generations of immigrants to America. (https://www.libertyellisfoundation.org/)
Days 10/11: Quiz #2 and Immigration graphing assignment (not digitized, must be obtained in class).
Day 12: Discussion of the Progressive Era. See the notes and video clips below:
Day 13-14: Review and Exam
Day 15-19: Gilded Age Project. Project work in class Monday/Wednesday -- Presentations Thursday & Friday