Gilded Age and Westward Movement

Unit Vocabulary Settlement – permanent concentrations of people in one place Immigration – the movement of non-native people into a country in order to settle there Urbanization – the social process whereby cities grow and societies become more urban

Major Characteristics That Define An Historical Era An era of history having a distinctive feature Political, social or economic commonality Considered to be relative chronology rather than absolute chronology

Defining Characteristics of the Gilded Age Industry and growth of big business Political corruption in cities Population shift to cities Westward movement

The Last American Frontier Movement West Lure of Precious Metals Klondike Gold Rush- Gold nugget was found in the Klondike river near Alaska. One of the most turbulent gold rushes in history. 100,000 gold-seekers set out only about 30,000 ever made it because of the harsh conditions.

Railroads Transcontinental railroad was completed in Reduced travel time between New York to San Francisco from six months to just ten days How did the Railroads change America?

Availability of Cheap Land Homestead Act - Passed in 1862 –stated that any citizen could occupy 160 acres of government land and after making improvements, that in 5 years that land would be their land. Free Land!!!!!!!!!

Homestead act

Cattle Industry Following the Civil War there were several million wild longhorn cattle grazing on the Great Plains. Some Texans decided to start driving the cattle north. Why did they drive Cattle north?

Dawes Act 1887 Americanization – adopting the culture of other “mainstream” Americans. Dawes Act – was passed to hasten Americanization of the American Indians. Assimilation - learning or acting similar to other Americans Dawes Act :Worked to abolish Native American tribes, and allotted tribal lands to individuals, who sold them.

“Captains of Industry” Entrepreneur – Is a person (or small group) who starts a business in the hope of making a profit. “Captains of Industry” – entrepreneurs who forged the modern industrial economy

“Robber Barons” Men who use ruthless tactics to destroy competition and keep workers’ wages low. Can a “Captain of Industry” and “Robber Baron” be the same person? Explain

Philanthropy altruistic concern for human welfare and advancement, usually manifested by donations of money, property, or work to needy persons, by endowment of institutions of learning and hospitals, and by generosity to other socially useful purposes.

Captains of Industry Andrew Carnegie John D. Rockefeller J.P. Morgan Cornelius Vanderbilt

As industrialization and technology progressed, the 20th century brought the rise of the corporation. There are different classifications of corporations, based on the type of business. Stockholders own some corporations through shares of ownership, called stock. There are advantages to big corporations, such as the ability to make more goods at a lower cost. The Rise of Big Business

Andrew Carnegie Worked his way up from a penniless Scottish immigrant to one of America’s richest and most powerful men. Invested in ironworks and built a steel mill in Pittsburgh - a self-made steel tycoon – King of the Steel industry. Carnegie Steel Corporation undercut the competition, bought iron ore fields, coal mines.

Carnage Carnage Steel treated employs very bad : Sold his company to J.P. Morgan for around $450 million dollars. Spent his later life in acts of philanthropy – giving away $350 million to build libraries and endow universities.

America’s Economic System Free Enterprise System Individuals are free to produce and sell whatever they wish: they are also free to buy and use whatever they can afford. Capitalism an economic system in which investment in and ownership of the means of production, distribution, and exchange of wealth is made and maintained chiefly by private individuals or corporations, especially as contrasted to cooperatively or state- owned means of wealth.

New Type of Business Organization Corporation – a company chartered by state. Issues shares to investors (called stocks) Shareholder- Own shares in corporations which makes them partial owners. Why would this be an advantage?