The Darkest Time In American History: The Gilded Age

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The Gilded age is portrayed as one of the darkest time in American history. The Gilded age was the time between the Civil War and WWI; the U.S population and Economy were growing rapidly. It was 1880, the outside world looked beautiful, America was booming economically but things weren't looking so great in America. Theres many reason behind why that time period (1860-1900) was labeled the Gilded age. Not only was the Gilded age full of economic success but also immigration,labor, and lies.

Mark Twain called the late 19th period “ The Gilded Age” because everything was glittering on the outside but in the inside everything terrible (Digital History). The late 19th century was eager for a modern industrial economy. National transportation and communication networks were created.; More than ever factory jobs were on the rise. People also in the late 19th century living in the middle class were really unhappy. It was post segregation, racial tension was on the rise and the factories weren’t hiring anybody from the urban community because of their skin color (Lecrae,Kb,Propaganda,2015). The labor violence was grievous and people were unhappy. Approximately 35,000 workers a year were killed annually in work-related accidents from 1880 to 1900. Injured workers totaled another 536,000 (Notable Labor Strikes of the Gilded Age. (n.d.). Children were working to help pay bills, women were working to help provide for their families, and fathers weren't feeling sufficient and the head of the household. People were stuck with heavy debts and couldn’t afford food. It was a time for technological innovation, nobody expected technology to increase as fast as it did. Immigration was at an all time high, people came from all over the world escaping their problems back home for a new life. The real truth of this age is that there was a shiny gold covering on the outside of a really bad situation. The government was experiencing corruption. After the murder of President Abe Lincoln, the morals of government change and everything went downhill. Rich people used their power to swindle others. William tweed used his wealth and govern power to bamboozle new york with great finesse for millions. Eventually situations like this became recurring, Many scandals broke loose all over this era. Why was the gilded age full of economic success? Two words, railroads and business, according to this article “With the development of the transcontinental railroad, big business made significant strides” (Watts, Tim. 2016.), as you can see the gilded age was filled with business growth men were ambitious and ready to be rich. There Was an increase in different industries
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Trade unions later on took matters into their own hands of course because we needed improvement. Because of the growth in american cities, and the land gained from expansion. there was a new group of services that came to be which later own came to be known as public services. They were made off telephones,railways, electricity and also places to find gas. Wealthy people such as John Rockefeller were seen as immune to the tribulation that the poor people of america had to go through at this time period.
The United States Adamson Act in 1916 established an eight-hour day, with additional pay for overtime, for railroad workers.(Act in Wilson v. New, 243 U.S. 332 1917) This act brought a lot of relief to the people during this era since the majority of the workers and immigrant workers worked for railroad companies. The Interstate Commerce Act of 1887, regulation on railroads and price discrimination so farmers and the wealthy can both afford it. Not only did The Gilded age affect the 1860’s - 1900 but also Modern day. Now we have the Adamson act, so people can’t be forced to work more hours than they are supposed.The value of gold has also gone through the roof ever since that mining age. Big monopolies and organization have been shut down and are no longer overpowered. We learned from our mistakes now are economy and well being of people are balanced. Immigration helped make cities even more bigger and the taxes paid helped the cities grow throughout the years. Labor laws have come into effect and unhealthy factories conditions have been

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