Gilded Age, Urban Growth & Labor Movements

The Gilded Age and Urban Growth

• Major cities like Chicago experienced rapid growth due to industrialization, leading to the construction of railroads, factories, and industries
• Transportation improvements also spurred urban expansion
• Worker exploitation and a lack of protective laws caused significant income inequality
• The working class faced extreme poverty, while higher-class leaders accumulated wealth due to industrial innovations

Labor Movements and Worker Advocacy

• Unsafe working conditions prompted worker advocacy through unionization
• Unionists campaigned for fair wages, reasonable hours, and worker rights, advocating for policies like the 8-hour workday
• Workers challenged capitalism through movements like the American Federation of Labor (AFL), organizing strikes to protest unfair conditions

The Homestead Strike

• Andrew Carnegie aimed to maximize profits by diminishing union power through wage cuts at Homestead
• Union workers refused the wage cut and went on strike, leading to a plant shutdown by Carnegie's partner, Frick
• Violence ensued when Frick attempted to bring in non-union workers; strikers blew up a barge
• Carnegie eventually destroyed the Homestead Union with the help of state officials and the federal government

Industrialization and Western Expansion

• Railroad access reshaped the West by enabling access to land and facilitating the movement of goods and resources
• The Populists, initially a farmers' group, evolved into a political party advocating for farmers', women's rights, currency reform, and government ownership of railroads
• Industrialism led to political change due to poor working conditions and worker injustice
• Despite generating wealth for the upper class, industrialism sparked rebellion from Populists and Socialists

Indigenous Boarding Schools

• Boarding schools aimed to assimilate Indigenous children into Western society by eradicating their native culture
• These schools stripped children of their language, culture, and family connections, training them for domestic labor
• The Carlisle School exemplified this assimilation process with students like Tom Torlino
• The ultimate goal was to eliminate Indigenous identity and convert individuals to white American Christian culture
• The killing of the bison symbolized the erasure of Indigenous culture during American expansion westward

Immigration and the "Melting Pot"

• Immigration peaked in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, driven by the perception of economic opportunity
• Immigrants primarily came from Eastern Europe, as well as Jewish and Asian communities
• The U.S. implemented restrictive laws like literacy tests and the Chinese Exclusion Act to reduce immigration
• The "Melting Pot" theory described the blending of cultures in the U.S., suggesting immigrants would assimilate while retaining some aspects of their original cultures

Imperialism and American Expansion

• Imperialists sought access to foreign markets, justifying their claims with ideas of racial and gender hierarchies
• The American conquest of Hawaii demonstrated America's business-driven imperialist goals
• Imperialist efforts included attempts to eradicate the Hawaiian language and culture
• The "White Man’s Burden" was a concept that framed imperialism as a moral duty to civilize Indigenous populations
• The Spanish-American War (1898) declared America’s imperial ambitions and expanded the American empire
• The U.S. annexed the Philippines in 1899, provoking violent rebellions against American rule
• President Roosevelt asserted the U.S.'s dominance in the Western Hemisphere, excluding European intervention

Reform, Progressivism, and Social Change

• Early 20th-century America saw a surge in reform and progressivism
• The Social Gospel sought to apply Christian virtues to societal problems like prostitution, drug use, and immigration
• The Progressive Agenda, led by women activists, targeted trusts, monopolies, and vices
• The 18th Amendment, which prohibited alcohol sales and consumption, exemplified this agenda

National Negro Business League

• Booker T. Washington founded the League to promote African American entrepreneurship and economic development
• The League aimed to achieve social equality for the Black community by fostering independence, networking, insurance access, and job opportunities