Progressive Era Dbq Analysis

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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
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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

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