During the Gilded Age, otherwise known as the Progressive Era, there was a mass explosion in innovation to generate political, economic, and technological changes. Although there were detrimental changes in American cities during Urbanization, such as the spoils system, political machines, and robber barons, the majority of these changes were beneficial towards the evolution of today’s society, which is demonstrated by technological advances like Carnegie Steel and Edison’s light bulb, revolutionizing sanitary reforms sparked from books such as Jacob Riis’s How the Other Half Lives, and Carnegie and Rockefeller 's rise of industry.
During Urbanization, politicians developed new methods of gaining supporters; one of the most important ways is the spoils system. The spoils system was when politicians would promise something in return for one’s support. For example, Boss Tweed, leader of a Democratic Party political machine, took control of New York’s treasury and took out large sums of money. When he was taken into custody, it forced American citizens to become more cynical of political officers. As he had robbed New York City of more than a couple million dollars by lying to other politicians and taking advantage of Irish immigrants. In addition, such political machines, including Boss Tweed, provided services in exchange for patronage (Document 5). Since many immigrants who came to America were poor, political machines would offer jobs to them, as well as food, to help adjust to American life. Despite these forces taking advantage of immigrants, these immigrants were provided with enough to live and believe that they were on a path towards the American Dream. Technological innovations in this era significantly improved American lives. For example, the invention of Carnegie Steel made steel much more easier to access in regards to cost and time. It allowed mass production of machines to increase efficiency and build skyscrapers. This created more job openings for people and places to live for the massive amounts of immigrants coming into the cities for work. Later on, Thomas Edison created the light bulb, which allowed work to occur during the night as well. According to Document 4, urban life made Americans become more interdependent and rely on technology. In a sense, technology made it easier for people to complete tasks quicker while rising the general standard of living. For example, the creation of the light bulb led to the expectation that people could work at night. This would allow workforce managers to increase working hours and for people to work longer hours for more money. Moreover, technological advances in technology, such as trains, allowed people to travel to farther places with ease. According to Document 6, people became so condensed …show more content…
Prior to the Gilded Age, agriculture was considered to be a the preferred method of earning one’s keep but this would evolve into the preference of urban life during the Progressive Era (Document 2). This occurred because of such technological advances, new job opportunities offered, and the dreamlike rumors about cities: the streets being painted in gold, job opportunities everywhere, and each corner teeming with a new adventure filled with new people. According to Document 1, the urban population massively multiplied into becoming almost half of the rural population. This is due to urbanization and the appeal to urban cities; cities were the first time large masses of people could interact and expand one’s methods of communication. The idea that people could live near people other than their families excited them and became one of the reasons people moved into the city. This resulted in Carnegie’s Steel and Rockefeller’s Oil industrializing the business aspect of America. Rockefeller dominated the oil industry to the point where he controlled each aspect of generating oil to fuel the economy. This served as the first demonstration of a monopoly, which utilized the teeming amounts of job-seekers to work for his industry. Similar to this, Carnegie realized America’s need for steel, as it was required to make skyscrapers, elevators, and railroads. This realization led to his decision to innovate a cheaper way to make steel, hence Carnegie’s Steel. His industry skyrocketed due to steel’s high demand and led to mass numbers of workers under his control. These men industrialized America’s economy and and led it to become one of the most powerful powerhouses in
During Urbanization, politicians developed new methods of gaining supporters; one of the most important ways is the spoils system. The spoils system was when politicians would promise something in return for one’s support. For example, Boss Tweed, leader of a Democratic Party political machine, took control of New York’s treasury and took out large sums of money. When he was taken into custody, it forced American citizens to become more cynical of political officers. As he had robbed New York City of more than a couple million dollars by lying to other politicians and taking advantage of Irish immigrants. In addition, such political machines, including Boss Tweed, provided services in exchange for patronage (Document 5). Since many immigrants who came to America were poor, political machines would offer jobs to them, as well as food, to help adjust to American life. Despite these forces taking advantage of immigrants, these immigrants were provided with enough to live and believe that they were on a path towards the American Dream. Technological innovations in this era significantly improved American lives. For example, the invention of Carnegie Steel made steel much more easier to access in regards to cost and time. It allowed mass production of machines to increase efficiency and build skyscrapers. This created more job openings for people and places to live for the massive amounts of immigrants coming into the cities for work. Later on, Thomas Edison created the light bulb, which allowed work to occur during the night as well. According to Document 4, urban life made Americans become more interdependent and rely on technology. In a sense, technology made it easier for people to complete tasks quicker while rising the general standard of living. For example, the creation of the light bulb led to the expectation that people could work at night. This would allow workforce managers to increase working hours and for people to work longer hours for more money. Moreover, technological advances in technology, such as trains, allowed people to travel to farther places with ease. According to Document 6, people became so condensed …show more content…
Prior to the Gilded Age, agriculture was considered to be a the preferred method of earning one’s keep but this would evolve into the preference of urban life during the Progressive Era (Document 2). This occurred because of such technological advances, new job opportunities offered, and the dreamlike rumors about cities: the streets being painted in gold, job opportunities everywhere, and each corner teeming with a new adventure filled with new people. According to Document 1, the urban population massively multiplied into becoming almost half of the rural population. This is due to urbanization and the appeal to urban cities; cities were the first time large masses of people could interact and expand one’s methods of communication. The idea that people could live near people other than their families excited them and became one of the reasons people moved into the city. This resulted in Carnegie’s Steel and Rockefeller’s Oil industrializing the business aspect of America. Rockefeller dominated the oil industry to the point where he controlled each aspect of generating oil to fuel the economy. This served as the first demonstration of a monopoly, which utilized the teeming amounts of job-seekers to work for his industry. Similar to this, Carnegie realized America’s need for steel, as it was required to make skyscrapers, elevators, and railroads. This realization led to his decision to innovate a cheaper way to make steel, hence Carnegie’s Steel. His industry skyrocketed due to steel’s high demand and led to mass numbers of workers under his control. These men industrialized America’s economy and and led it to become one of the most powerful powerhouses in