The Gilded Age Chapter 13 Section 3

Gilded Age Time period from about 1870 to 1900 – Amazing new inventions led to rapid industrial growth – Cities expanded – Electric Lights “Gilded Age” – If something is gilded it is covered with gold on the outside but some cheap mess on the inside

Individualism Individualism – Americans believed that no matter how low they started in life they can rise in society Horatio Alger – Wrote numerous of “rags to riches” stories

Social Darwinism Herbert Spencer – Applied Darwin’s theory of survival of the fittest to the human race – Also applied with the theory of Laissez Faire Darwinism and the Church – Rejected Darwin’s theory because it contradicted the Bible’s account of creation Carnegie’s Gospel of Wealth – Americans should engage in Philanthropy and use their fortunes to create things that would help people help themselves – Public libraries

A Changing Culture Realism – Edgar Degas and Edouard Manet – Mark Twain – wrote in local dialect with a sense of humor

A Changing Culture Popular Culture – people began dividing their lives into separate units – work and home – The Saloon In cities saloons outnumbered groceries and meat markets Offered drinks, free toilets, water for horses, and free newspapers Offered the first “free” lunch – salty food that made people thirsty

A Changing Culture Popular Culture – Amusements Parks and Sports New York’s Coney Island First professional baseball team – Cincinnati Red Stockings 1903 the first World Series was played between the Boston Red Sox and the Pittsburgh Pirates In 1891 Basketball was invented

A Changing Culture Popular Culture – Vaudeville Adapted from the French theater – hodgepodge of animal acts, acrobats, and dancers Shows went on all day and night – Ragtime Music that grew out of riverside honky-tonks, saloon pianists, and banjo players Scott Joplin – African American ragtime composer – Known as the King of Ragtime

Politics in Washington James Garfield was assassinated Election of 1884 – Democrats nominated Grover Cleveland - WINNER – Republicans nominated James Blaine

Republicans Regain Power 1888 Election – Benjamin Harrison – The McKinley Tariff Lowered the federal revenue causing a budget deficit Cut tobacco taxes and tariff rates on raw sugar but increased rates on other goods like textiles

The Rebirth of Reform Challenging Social Darwinism – Lester Frank Ward Insisted people had succeeded in the world because of their ability to corporate, competition was wasteful and time consuming Government could regulate economy, cure poverty, promote education

The Rebirth of Reform Looking Backward – Novel about a man who falls asleep in 1887 and awakens in 2000 – He finds that the nation is a perfect society with no crime, poverty, or politics – Government owns all industry and shares the wealth equally Naturalism in Literature – People fail in life because they are caught up in circumstances they cannot control

Helping the Urban Poor The Social Gospel – The church must demand protection for the moral safety of the people – Churches built gyms The Salvation Army and the YMCA – Salvation Army offered practical aid and religious counseling to the Urban Poor – Young Men’s Christian Association Bible Studies, citizenship training, and group activities

Helping the Urban Poor The Settlement House Movement – Established settlement houses in poor heavily immigrant neighborhoods – Jane Addams – Hull House in Chicago Public Education – Public Education grew rapidly – Public schools were teaching immigrants English and American History and culture – Americanization