The Gilded Age"What is the chief end of man?--to get
rich. In what way?--dishonestly if we can; honestly if we must."-- Mark Twain-1871
Gilded Age
• Everyone man was a potential wealthy businessman
• Americans starting living more lavishly than ever before
• However, many Americans were still living below the poverty line
• Gilded means covered in gold on the outside but made of cheaper material on the inside
• The few wealthy were celebrating like never before while the masses were living in urban tenements
Gilded Age Beliefs• Individualism – The thought that no
matter what a person’s background, he or she can still become successful
• Social Darwinism – based on Darwin’s theory of evolution and natural selection. Believed humans have developed through competition and natural selection with only the strongest surviving
• Gospel of Wealth – a gentler version of social Darwinism. Believed that wealthy Americans should engage in philanthropy and use their fortunes to help people. – Ex: Building schools and hospitals
rather than giving a handout
Changing Culture
• Changes in art and entertainment• Realism – artists and writers portrayed the
world realistically
Helping the Urban Poor
• Social Gospel – worked to better conditions in cities according to biblical ideals of charity and justice
• Settlement House – community center where reformers resided and offered medical care, English classes, Kindergarten, and recreational programs for those in poor neighborhoods– Ex: Hull House – opened by
Jane Addams in Chicago
Populism
Populism – The People’s Party
• Populism – movement to increase farmer’s political power and to work for legislation (laws) in their interest
• Goals: Free coinage of silver, subtreasury plan, end protective tariffs, tighten railroad regulations, direct election of senators, graduated income tax
Goals of Populist
• 1) Adjust Money Supply• Country was undergoing
deflation (increase in the value of money and a decrease in prices) due to stopping the production of greenbacks (paper money) and silver coins– Not enough money in circulation
so price of goods went down leading to less money for farmers
• Eastern farmers wanted to print more greenbacks while Western farmers wanted to mint silver coins (free coinage of silver)
Corn: 1 cent
• 2) Create Cooperatives – marketing organizations that tried to increase prices and lower costs for its members– Ex. The Grange
• Farmers could not charge higher prices for goods because too much competition
• If farmers got together and pooled crops together then they could negotiate better railroad shipping rates– Not work because railroads often
refused to do business with them
Cooperatives Continued
• Farmers Alliance was an organization that tried to create large cooperatives called exchanges
• They wanted to create a large enough exchange that could force farm prices up and make loans to farmers at low interest rates
• Failed because never big enough to affect world prices
• 3) Subtreasury plan – addition to cooperatives
• Government would set up warehouses to store crops called subtreasuries
• Farmers could hold crops long enough to even supply and demand forcing crop prices up
• 4) Graduated Income Tax – tax higher earnings more heavility
Rise of Segregation
• Segregation – separation of the races• 15th Amendment gave African American males
the right to vote– Southern states used poll taxes and literacy tests
to keep African Americans from voting– Grandfather clause- allowed any man to vote if he
had an ancestor who could vote
Jim Crow Laws
• Created by Plessy v. Ferguson
• Laws that enforced segregation
• Allowed for ‘separate but equal’
African American activists
• Mary Church Terrell– Battled against lynching, racism, and
sexism– Worked with women’s suffrage workers– Helped found the NAACP
• Ida Wells – led a crusade against lynching– published a book denouncing mob
violence
– Demanded a fair trial by law
African American Activists continued
• Booker T. Washington– Focused on achieving economic
goals– Felt African Americans could use
education to achieve full equality• W.E.B. DuBois– Protected voting rights– Helped found the NAACP