Changing Culture In 1873 Mark Twain and Charles Warner co-wrote the novel, The Gilded Age. Historians use this term to describe the time between 1870 and 1900. The term “gilded” refers to something being gold on the outside while the inside is made of cheaper material. The authors tried to point out that although this was a time of growth, beneath the surface were corruption, poverty, and a huge difference between rich and poor. One belief during this age was individualism. A person could rise no matter what condition Horatio Alger wrote hundreds of novels that told about rags to riches stories

Social Darwinism Herbert Spencer, an English philosopher, first proposed the idea of Social Darwinism. He took Darwin’s theory of evolution and natural selection and applied it to human society. Like Darwin’s theory – that a species that cannot adapt to the environment will eventually die out – Spencer felt that human society evolved through competition. Andrew Carnegie, a wealthy business leader, believed in Social Darwinism and laissez-faire. He also felt those who profited from society should give something back, so he softened Social Darwinism with his Gospel of Wealth. This philosophy stated that wealthy Americans were responsible and should engage in philanthropy, using great fortunes to further social progress.

Culture Realism was a new movement in art and literature. It portrayed people living in realistic situations instead of idealizing them as the romantic artists had done. Popular culture changed in the late 1800s. People had more money to spend on entertainment and recreation. Work became separate from home. People looked to have fun by “going out” to public entertainment. The saloon acted like a community and political center for male workers. Coney Island in New York was an amusement park that attracted working class families and single adults. Watching sports became very popular in the late 1800s. Vaudeville also became very popular. It was a theater where animal acts, acrobats, gymnasts, and dancers performed.

Social Criticism Changes in industrialization and urbanization led to debates among Americans over the issue of how to handle society’s problems. (mainly about the ideas of Social Darwinism and laissez-faire economics. Realists argued that people could control their lives and make choices to improve their situation. In a style of writing known as naturalism, writers criticized industrial society. They suggested that some people failed in life due to circumstances that they could not control.

Improving Society Reformers began to organize to help the poor. Organizations such as the Social Gospel movement, Salvation Army, YMCA, women’s clubs, settlement houses, and temperance movements formed to help the needy. Jane Addams set up settlement houses in poor neighborhoods. Addams opened Hull House in 1889 and inspired many others. The need for more public education was directly a result of immigration. Americanization, or becoming knowledgeable about American culture, was key to the success of immigrant children. Due to a lack of educational opportunities for African Americans, Booker T. Washington led the crusade to form the Tuskegee Institute in Alabama in 1881. The number of colleges greatly increased as a result of the Morrill Land Grant Act, which gave federal land grants to states for the purposes of establishing agricultural and mechanical colleges.

Campaign to Clean Up Politics Under the spoils system, or patronage, government jobs went to those that supported the winning party in an election. By the late 1870s, many Americans believed that patronage corrupted those who worked for the government. They began a movement to reform the civil service. Civil service reformers were called “Halfbreeds.” The Republican candidates for the election of 1880 were a Halfbreed, James Garfield for president, and the Stalwart, Chester Arthur for vice president. They won the election. President Garfield was assassinated a few months into his presidency. He was killed by a Stalwart who wanted a civil service job through the spoils system. In 1883 Congress passed the Pendleton Act. This civil service reform act allowed the president to decide which federal jobs would be filled according to rules set up by a bipartisan Civil Service Commission. Candidates competed for federal jobs through examinations.