The factories built by the Union to defeat the Confederacy were not shut down at the war's end. Now that the fighting was done, these factories were converted to peacetime purposes. Although industry had existed prior to the war, agriculture had represented the most significant portion of the American economy.
After the war, beginning with the railroads, small businesses grew larger and larger. By the century's end, the nation's economy was dominated by a few, very powerful individuals. In 1850, most Americans worked for themselves. By 1900, most Americans worked for an employer.
The growth was astounding. From the end of Reconstruction in 1877 to the disastrous Panic of 1893, the American economy nearly doubled in size. New technologies and new ways of organizing business led a few individuals to the top. The competition was ruthless. Those who could not provide the best product at the cheapest price were simply driven into bankruptcy or were bought up by hungry, successful industrialists.
Courtesy of Francois Micheloud
The cartoon reads "One sees his [Uncle Sam's] finish unless good government retakes the ship"The so-called captains of industry became household names: John D. Rockefeller of Standard Oil, Andrew Carnegie of Carnegie Steel, and J. Pierpont Morgan, the powerful banker who controlled a great many industries. Their tactics were not always fair, but there were few laws regulating business conduct at that time.
The "Molly Maguires" were a band of 19th century Irish immigrant laborers who struggled to survive in American industry. They organized labor unions and were not averse to violence, as this "coffin notice," delivered to three bosses, suggests.
Industrial Strength
Nevertheless, the American economy grew and grew. By 1914, the small nation once seen as a playground for European empires had now surpassed them all. The United States had become the largest industrial nation in the world.
However, the prosperity of America did not reach everyone. Amid the fabulous wealth of the new economic elite was tremendous poverty. How did some manage to be so successful while others struggled to put food on the table? Americans wrestled with this great question as new attitudes toward wealth began to emerge.
What role did the government play in this trend? Basically, it was pro-business. Congress, the Presidents, and the Courts looked favorably on this new growth. But leadership was generally lacking on the political level. Corruption spread like a plague through the city, state, and national governments. Greedy legislators and "forgettable" Presidents dominated the political scene.
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vertical integration: a method of growth where a company acquires other companies responsible for all aspects of a product’s lifecycle from the sourcing of raw materials through the production process to the delivery of the final product In a time after the Civil War, when a transcontinental railroad was created connecting the East and West, people began to move and settle across the country, creating new urban cities and manufacturing hubs. It was because of the railroad that the Second Industrial Revolution and the Gilded Age took place which rapidly increased the manufacturing of products through the new machines in factories and the spread of ideas by the telegraph and railroad. It was in this context that many farmers, as well, began to move West and experience a loss in the prices of their crops. It is also in this context that many workers were forced to work long, laborious hours with little pay. Farmers responded to industrialization in the Gilded Age by forming organizations such as the Granger movement and the Farmers Alliance as well as creating the Populist Party. Industrial workers responded to industrialization in the Gilded Age by forming labor unions such as the Knights of Labor and by fighting for his or her rights through strikes and riots. Farmers during the Gilded Age were angry with industrialization because the rapid increase in industry caused an economic decline and caused the farmer’s profits to decrease significantly. Industrialization is defined as the development in industry in a country or region. Due to J. D. Rockefeller, who was a very wealthy entrepreneur of his time who found a product he could use, improve, and make a successful business out of selling, and otherSections
Introduction: An Overview of the Gilded Age
Economic Issues of the Gilded Age
Social Issues of the Gilded Age
Political Issues of the Gilded Age
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