The Gilded Age/ Social Darwinism The Reillys Section 6.3 (230-232) The Spirit of the Gilded Age

Today’s Agenda September 21, 2015 Collect “letter home” paragraph Reminder: HIPE (Essay or Presentation) due in 1 week Put finished slide show in my Inbox by Monday morning 6.3 The Spirit of the Gilded Age (Conspicuous Consumption) Homework Work on Essay or presentation

Let Review Father of the Skyscraper Government control over all economic activity and no private ownership When a nation goes from farms to factories Centennial Exposition Let it be Anti-Foreigner Ben Carson Built Brooklyn Bridge Violence a legitimate tool The Republican Party

Objectives for Today You should be able to: Define and list at least 2 characteristics of the Gilded Age Identify “The Breakers” Define and give at least 3 examples of Conspicuous Consumption Develop a position on the role government should play (if any) in dealing with severe economic disparity

Was America a great nation circa 1900? Centennial Exposition showcased American know-how Growing economy Thousands of new patents Click for Clips

The Greatness of America (ASof US, D2Ep3 begin at 9:00)

What was the Gilded Age? Another name for America’s Industrial Revolution America from 1890-1912 Gilded: to cover something with a thin layer of gold to make it seem more attractive or valuable than it really is. "Gilded Age" coined by Mark Twain

What was the nation trying to gild? Poverty Child Labor Crime Alcoholism Prostitution Inhumane working conditions Economic disparity

How did the American elite gild themselves? Conspicuous Consumption refers to the acquisition of goods in order to flaunt status & wealth Many poor immigrant families lived on $445 per year Cornelia Sherman Martin spent $360 thousand on 1 party Disparagingly called Nouveaux Riches by Old Money People New Rich Molly Brown Wealthy but lacked class, refinement

ASofUS, D2 Ep3 , begin at 18:00

Describe Vanderbilt’s, The Breakers. Cornelius Vanderbilt II’s summer mansion in Newport, RI Quintessential example of conspicuous consumption interior used marble & rare woods imported from Italy and Africa Gold Room constructed in France, disassembled, shipped in airtight cases, and re-assembled in place in Newport

Are we still in a Gilded Age?

Royals by Lordes I've never seen a diamond in the flesh I cut my teeth on wedding rings in the movies And I'm not proud of my address, In a torn-up town, no postcode envy But every song's like gold teeth, grey goose, trippin' in the bathroom Blood stains, ball gowns, trashin' the hotel room, We don't care, we're driving Cadillacs in our dreams. But everybody's like Cristal, Maybach, diamonds on your timepiece. Jet planes, islands, tigers on a gold leash. We don't care, we aren't caught up in your love affair. And we'll never be royals (royals). It don't run in our blood, That kind of luxe just ain't for us. We crave a different kind of buzz. Let me be your ruler (ruler), You can call me queen Bee And baby I'll rule, I'll rule, I'll rule, I'll rule. Let me live that fantasy. My friends and I—we've cracked the code. We count our dollars on the train to the party. And everyone who knows us knows that we're fine with this, We didn't come from money. Chorus Ooh ooh oh We're bigger than we ever dreamed, And I'm in love with being queen. Ooh ooh oh Life is great without a care We aren't caught up in your love affair. Chorus