dakota simmons gilded age

By: Dakota SimmonsThe Gilded age was a hard time inamerican history, but it was also a veryrevolutionary. Industrialization wasstarting to boom and so wasurbanization. The were also manyuseful inventions made during thistime.

immigrationIn the beginning of the nineteenth century German, Irish,Chinese, Mexican, Scandinavian and French Canadians cameto the United States in search of better working conditionsand a better life in the \"New World\". During the Gilded age,there were approximately 20 million immigrants in the unitedstates.

Irish immigration There is theory that there were approximately 4.5 million irishimmigrants to the united states between 1820 and 1930. About ⅓ of the immigration was from the irish descent. They mainly left Europe for higher wages, better working conditions, and religious freedom

NativismSome of the immigrants wanted to starting making their religionand beliefs known after the big wave of immigration. TheAmericans thought that the new people were going to make americaworse since most of them were poor and not intelligent. Eventuallythey banned chinese immigration into the united states

Transportation and skyscrapersThe gilded age marked the age of a new transportation. The were inventions of cars,planes, and baloons. the ways of getting around were becoming endless. There were newroads, railways, and paths to the west. The building of skyscrapers was becoming popularand many people were going into that field of work. The death toll went up tremendouslyduring this time. The main reason most immigrants came to america was to find betterwork for themselves.

Tenement housingTenements were apartments or houses divided into multiple living spaces toaccommodate this growing population. These narrow, low-rise apartment buildingwere often cramped, poorly lit and lacked indoor plumbing and proper ventilation.Sometimes, up to 3 or 4 families were sharing an apartment. This led toovercrowding, disease, and even death.

Problems due to urbanizationThe U.S. faced many problems due to urbanization. Therewere new jobs opening up but they were really dangerous.The death toll drastically went up due to the dangers of thesejobs. There was also a problem with not enough places to outall of the immigrants in the big cities. This led toovercrowding.

Political machines and party bossesWilliam Magear Tweed, also known as boss Tweed, was aDemocratic politician noted for being the political boss ofTammany Hall, the Democratic political machine that played amajor role in the politics of New York City. A political boss is aleader of a political machine who controls votes.

Tammany hallTammany Hall was the name given to the Democratic politicalmachine that dominated New York City politics from the victory ofFernando Wood in 1854 through the election of Fiorello LaGuardiain 1934. its popularity stemmed from a willingness to help the city'spoor and immigrant populations.

Social darwinismMany Social Darwinists embraced laissez-faire capitalism andracism. They believed that government should not interfere in the“survival of the fittest” by helping the poor, and promoted the ideathat some races are biologically superior to others. The ideas ofSocial Darwinism had many aspects of American society in theGilded age, including policies that affected immigration,imperialism, and public health.

Gospel of wealthThis was an article written by Andrew Carnegie in June of 1889 thatdescribes the responsibility of philanthropy by the new upper classof self-made rich. The Gospel of Wealth, or sometimes the Gospelof Success, was the term for a notion promoted by many successfulbusinessmen that their massive wealth was a social benefit for all

ReformsThe Pendleton Civil Service Act was signed into law in 1883. Thisaction was a response to the dramatic expansion in the size andscope of government. Reformers hoped its passage would initiate anera of civil service reforms at the state and local levels too, butPennsylvania did not pass the civil service reform law until 1941.There were not many reforms in the Gilded age

Realism in artRealism was an artistic movement that began in France in the1850s, after the 1848 Revolution. Realists rejected Romanticism,which had dominated French literature and art since the late 18thcentury. Realism revolted against subject matter and exaggeratedemotion and drama of the Romantic movement.

Populists and the populist partyThe Populists were an political movement trying to improveconditions for the country's farmers and workers. The populistmovement was preceded by the Farmer's Alliance and the Grange.The People's party was a political party founded in 1891 by leadersof the populist movement.