Late 19th Century Research Paper

Business developments in the late nineteenth caused major changes in the lives of citizens, how they worked and how the government functioned. Society changed with new inventions and with the new of idea of Social Darwinism. The standard of living increased, increasing the amount of required by each worker. Big business owners did not care about the conditions of labor; they only cared if they made a profit. The government was being manipulated by the rich and lost power over the rich. Society took a major impact when the citizens were being exploited by big business owners, and with new inventions that allowed women to have a position in the work place. The invention of the telephone, typewriter, and bicycle opened up jobs for women in the work place and gave them more freedom. This gave women more independence. The idea of Social Darwinism was express by Robber Barons to justify what they forced upon their workers. Robber Barons such as Carnegie, …show more content…
The Pendleton Civil Services Act made it so that government officials could not hire friends or supports to work in government, so they could no longer depend on the money coming from friends they had to depend on Robber Barons for money. This gave the rich more power in government. In the case of Munn v. Illinois states won the right to regulate the railroads for the benefit of farmers and consumers. This was mostly overturned in the Interstate Commerce Act, it reestablished the right of the federal government to supervise railroad activities. The government did push through and made the Sherman Antitrust Act, which made it illegal to form a trust that interfered with free trade between states or with other countries. This act lost its effect when companies like Standard Oil fought back. Idea of laissez faire encouraged people to have the best business possible, but when all the competitors of one industry are removed laissez faire is not