Unit 6 - The Gilded Age: Industrialization, Urbanization, Imperialism and Immigration in the late 1800’s
The emergence of the Modern Nation-State in Europe was based upon the forces of industrialization, nationalism & imperialism.
As the changes that had been instituted during the political upheavals of the 18th Century in Europe &, the US began to take hold, economic forces were shifting and gaining momentum. Some say the Industrial Revolution that swept Europe & the US in the 18th and 19th centuries has had the most long lasting impact on modern societies. During the Industrial Revolution, European societies experienced a shift from a traditional, labor-intensive economy based on agriculture & handicrafts to a more capital-intensive economy. The newly stabilized governments often became the source of start-up capital for joint venture companies as well as the target of blame for the negative aspects of industrialization & urbanization. Several economic philosophies such as Marxism & utopianism arose at this time in response to the new struggles & societal pressures that emerged as societies developed & advanced economically. Though the Industrial Revolution took decades to spread, its technological & economic innovations affected population distribution, agricultural innovation, mechanization & trade for future generations.
During this unit, our class will examine the economic transformation of the United States in the late 1800’s and how this changed American society and politics. The country shifted very quickly from a mainly rural farming nation into a country dominated by cities and factories as the 20th Century dawned. At this time of rapid change, the nation was prospering financially and many individuals became fabulously wealthy. To support the growing economy, more new immigrants made their way to this country than ever before, greatly increasing the ethnic and cultural diversity of the U.S. It was also a time when new technologies and growing cities were altering many aspects of daily life for average Americans. These various shifts caused great upheavals as the United States redefined itself into a modern technological, multi-cultural, industrial giant.
As with most historic changes, the industrialization, urbanization and immigration patterns of the late 1800's had both positive and negative impacts on our nation. Noting the many contradictions of the era, the famous author Mark Twain referred to this period as a “Gilded Age” in America. Something that is “gilded” shines like gold on the surface, but has a core that is far less valuable. Twain believed that America’s growing wealth masked many deeper, serious problems – hence he titled a book he wrote about the period the “Gilded Age – A Tale of Today.” We will assess how valid Twain’s title for the period is during the next few weeks.
Essential Questions
· What are the cultural, political, economic and environmental impacts of industrialization?
· How did industrialization and urbanization affect the lives of Americans at the turn of the 20th century?
· Do technological and scientific advancements always mean progress?
· How has immigration shaped American society and character?
· How do people acquire a national identity?
· In what ways did innovation in the Gilded Age produce positive and negative effects? Does the era deserve the term “Gilded Age”?
· What new inventions related to oil, steel and electricity transformed the U.S. economy in the late 1800’s?
· How did the growth of railroads change the lives of both train employees and average citizens?
· Why did Andrew Carnegie and John D. Rockefeller support Social Darwinism and vertical integration?
· What did the Knights of Labor and the American Federation of Labor have in common and how were they different?
· How did the government react to major strikes in the late 1800’s?
· What were a few major problems that made life in many large American cities around 1900 dangerous?
· Why were political machines led by men like Boss Tweed both good and bad for cities?
Terms
American Federation of Labor
Andrew Carnegie
Angel Island
Black Lists
Boss Tweed
Changing workforce
Chinese and the West
Chinese Exclusion Act
Cornelius Vanderbilt
Ellis Island
Ethnic Enclaves
Great Strike of 1877
Haymarket Square Affair
Horizontal Consolidation
Interstate Commerce Act
J.P. Morgan
John D. Rockefeller
Knights of Labor
Mother Jones
Nativism
New Immigrants
Patronage
Political Machines
Pullman Strike
Push/pull factors of immigration
Railroad Boom
Sherman Anti-Trust Act
Social Darwinism
Social Gospel Movement
Standard Gauge
Steel and Coal Innovations
Sweatshops
Tenements
The “New” South
Vertical Integration
Imperialism
As the United States grew into an economic giant during the “Gilded Age” of the late 19th Century, America became a member of the “imperialist club” and joined Britain, France, and Germany in their drive to gain power by expanding abroad. Many Americans increasingly looked abroad for raw materials and markets to sell manufactured products. Economics was a primary motivator for the U.S. involvement in Latin America and Asia during this period.
Social and political factors were also influential as various U.S. leaders sought to increase American prestige and power across the world. Eventually, as American businesses pursued trade and profits abroad, the US military became involved in several international conflicts. Foremost among the military interventions of the era were wars with European nations (the Spanish-American War and World War I). These U.S. foreign involvements of the early 20th Century signaled a new era of American intervention overseas that have had repercussions into our modern times.
Perhaps imperialism was inevitable: America’s industrial growth made the search for raw materials and markets inevitable and necessary. Culture also mattered; our ideology of “Manifest Destiny” and our own idealism was, maybe, something built into our national “DNA.” We have always been a nation that believes in the rightness and promotion of its values. Did this make imperialism inevitable as well?
Essential Questions
· What are the cultural, political, economic and environmental impacts of imperialism?
· How and why did the U.S. become a world power?
· How did American imperialism impact other countries?
· Was US imperialism an inevitable product of earlier American ideas and actions, or was it something new, or a temporary diversion?
· How did imperialism both promote and undermine American values and interests?
· Under what conditions might expansion or intervention be justifiable?
· What lessons should we learn from America’s imperialist and expansionist past?
· What role should the U.S. play in the world?
Terms
· Foraker Act
· Protectorate
· Philippine-American War
· Boxer Rebellion
· Roosevelt corollary
· Panama Canal
· Dollar diplomacy
· Pancho Villa
· Pershing
· Spanish-American-Cuban War
· Yellow journalism
· USS Maine
· Rough Riders
· Remember the Maine
· San Juan Hill
· Treaty of Paris of 1898
· Annexation of Philippines