SS5 Walker The Gilded Age Week 3

Georgia Standards of Excellence SS5H1 Describe how life changed in America at the turn of the century. SS5E2a SS5E2b SS5E2d SS5E3a

Gilded Age 1877-1893 Some very wealthy industrialists (robber barons) had very fancy lifestyles. They had fancy clothes, expensive jewelry, and lavish parties. Most people were poor.

Mark Twain (Samuel Clemens) Clemens was born in 1835 and died in 1910. He worked on boats before becoming a writer. Mark Twain was a famous American writer during the late 1800s. He wrote The Gilded Age: A Tale of Today, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Pudd’nhead Wilson, the Prince and the Pauper and many other books.

The Home of George Washington Vanderbilt II The Biltmore Estate as it is known was built in 1889, near Asheville, NC. The estate covered more than 125,000 acres. The house took six years to build and had 250 rooms including a pool, bowling alley, several kitchens and an elevator. It had electric lights and telephones. It is rumored to have cost more than $10,000 to build, when the average person made less than $500 a year.

Gilded To be covered in a thin layer of gold. Something that looks very valuable and expensive, but it wasn’t solid gold. It really wasn’t as valuable as it looked.

Progressives Some people felt that workers needed to be protected by the government from exploitation and other problems that came about during the Industrial Revolution. Woodrow Wilson and Theodore Roosevelt were Progressives. tried to improve of the industrial revolution. They wanted to limit the power of the monopolies and ensure fair treatment and pay for the workers.

Political Cartoons The cartoons were social commentary that appeared often in newspapers. Many people who could read very well could understand the cartoons.

Prosperity Living the good life, security, comfort and well being. Making enough money to cover what you need and some of what you want.

Natural resources Coal, iron ore, oil, water, minerals, trees and other things found in and on the land that can be used or sold.

profit The money that a business has left after paying for labor, materials, and any other costs (expenses).

reform To improve or to make better. The Industrial Revolution improve the way many consumer goods were made. The unions tried to reform or improve labor practices (the way workers were paid and treated)

Robber Barons-Captains of Industry Andrew Carnigie - steel John C Osgood - Colorado John D Rockefeller - oil

John Osgood Colorado Coal and Iron company, welfare capitalism, company town. Cleveholm Manor – Osgood Castle

Andrew Carnegie A “Robber Baron” that first made his money with the railroads, selling bonds, started the Carnegie steel company which he sold to JP Morgan and became US Steel. He also donated money to start a college and to the arts.

John D. Rockefeller One of the richest men alive during the Gilded Age. He founded the Standard Oil Company. He was known as one of the “Robber Barons”. He gave away billions to universities and for the eradication of hook worm in the south.

Woodrow Wilson A Progressive that fought for labor rights and anti-trust legislation (breaking up the monopolies) He eventually become President of the United States.

Theodore Roosevelt A Progressive, he went after some of the monopolies with anti trust legislation to help restore free competition. He eventually become President of the United States.

Strike A labor action where the workers refuse to enter the factory of job site to do the work the employer wants until they improve wages (pay), or working conditions. The workers go without pay while on strike. The workers frequently will surround the job site so the employer can’t bring in newly hired people to do the job.

The Great Railroad Strike of 1877 It started in West Virginia with workers protesting poor working conditions and wage cuts (pay cuts). The strike spread to other states and lasted 45 days. Over 100 men died from violence related to the strike.

1886 The American Federation of Labor Samuel Gompers organized several unions to fight together for 8 hour workdays, safer conditions and the end to child labor.

1894 The Pullman Strike The Pullman were railroad workers that shut down rail traffic in the Midwest. The workman didn’t get much out of the strike, but it did increase the popularity of unions.