The West during the Gilded Age
 Show 36. The Gilded AgeRoadside America The Golden Spike: Does it really symbolize the completion of the transcontinental railroad? From the ashes of the American Civil War sprung an economic powerhouse. The factories built by the Union to defeat the Confederacy were not shut down at the war's end. Now that the fighting was done, these factories were converted to peacetime purposes. Although industry had existed prior to the war, agriculture had represented the most significant portion of the American economy. After the war, beginning with the railroads, small businesses grew larger and larger. By the century's end, the nation's economy was dominated by a few, very powerful individuals. In 1850, most Americans worked for themselves. By 1900, most Americans worked for an employer. The growth was astounding. From the end of Reconstruction in 1877 to the disastrous Panic of 1893, the American economy nearly doubled in size. New technologies and new ways of organizing business led a few individuals to the top. The competition was ruthless. Those who could not provide the best product at the cheapest price were simply driven into bankruptcy or were bought up by hungry, successful industrialists. Courtesy of Francois Micheloud The cartoon reads "One sees his (Uncle Sam's) finish unless good government retakes the ship" The so-called captains of industry became household names: John D. Rockefeller of Standard Oil, Andrew Carnegie of Carnegie Steel, and J. Pierpont Morgan, the powerful banker who controlled a great many industries. Their tactics were not always fair, but there were few laws regulating business conduct at that time. The "Molly Maguires" were a band of 19th century Irish immigrant laborers who struggled to survive in American industry. They organized labor unions and were not averse to violence, as this "coffin notice," delivered to three bosses, suggests. Industrial StrengthNevertheless, the American economy grew and grew. By 1914, the small nation once seen as a playground for European empires had now surpassed them all. The United States had become the largest industrial nation in the world. However, the prosperity of America did not reach everyone. Amid the fabulous wealth of the new economic elite was tremendous poverty. How did some manage to be so successful while others struggled to put food on the table? Americans wrestled with this great question as new attitudes toward wealth began to emerge. What role did the government play in this trend? Basically, it was pro-business. Congress, the Presidents, and the Courts looked favorably on this new growth. But leadership was generally lacking on the political level. Corruption spread like a plague through the city, state, and national governments. Greedy legislators and "forgettable" Presidents dominated the political scene. True leadership, for better or for worse, resided among the magnates who dominated the Gilded Age.
Who settled in the West during the Gilded Age?About 500,000 pioneer families migrated west (20,000 by 1865). Yet, five times as many families purchased lands from railroads, land companies, or states, instead of under the Homestead Act.
What problems did westward expansion cause during the Gilded Age?The western frontier saw violent conflicts between white settlers and the United States Army against Native Americans. The Native Americans were eventually forced off their land and onto reservations with often disastrous results.
What was America like during the Gilded Age?The Gilded Age was a period of economic growth as the United States jumped to the lead in industrialization ahead of Britain. The nation was rapidly expanding its economy into new areas, especially heavy industry like factories, railroads, and coal mining.
What was the West like in the late 1800s?Social centers, including churches, schools, and saloons, grew as well. By the late 1800's, the West had become a patchwork of farms, ranches, and towns amid vast open spaces. So much of the Far West had filled up by 1890 that the Census Bureau declared in a report that a definite frontier line no longer existed.
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