1. Middle Class in the Gilded Age

2. Middle Class in the Gilded Age
New level of comfort and social respectability
Store owners, professionals, managers
Traveled, celebrated holidays with feasts/parties, bought consumer goods

4. Expectations Cities became more beautiful, more livable
Planners found ways to bring in clean water
Cholera
City life improved, but many middle class wanted distance from cities
Railroads built shorter lines

5. Gilded Age Religion Most middle class were white Protestant
Methodists, Baptists, Presbyterians, Congregationalists, Episcopalians tripled membership

6. Electoral Politics
, politics reflected dominant middle class interests
Republican & Democrat
“Stalwarts”- keep things the same
“Half-breeds” - wanted change, reform
“Mugwumps” - liberal reformers focused on honest government

7. Global Connections American influence around the world grew
Sent missionaries since early 1800s, many more went during Gilded Age
Brought W. values, human rights (especially women’s), commercialism
Growing importance in global markets
Needed foreign markets
Debtor  creditor nation

8. Global Connections Wanted Cuba Interests in Mexico
1868, rebellion against Spain
US merchants took advantage, bought sugar plantations, mines, ranches
US was dominant economic force in Cuba
Interests in Mexico
Napoleon III, Sec. of State Seward warned France it was “act of hostility”, US left weapons at border, would look the other way if they disappeared
Revolutionaries overthrew
Dictator Porfirio Diaz, expanded US investment in Mexico

9. Global Connections Africa King Leopold II, 1870s
President Arthur recognized legitimacy, Cleveland reduced involvement due to violence

10. Europe
Bad harvests, growing dependence on US
Almost a trade war

11. Global Connections Asia
1882, Korea opened itself to US markets
Similar to Japan, 1853
US emerged from Gilded Age as trading partner to major and also relatively unknown countries

13. Immigration
, 15 million immigrated to US
Majority from?

14. Immigration 1815-1890, 15 million immigrated to US
“Old Immigrants”
, 15 million immigrated to US
Majority from northern Europe
Britain, Ireland, Germany, Scandinavia, Switzerland, Holland

15. Immigration 1815-1890, 15 million immigrated to US
“Old Immigrants”
, 15 million immigrated to US
Majority from northern Europe
Britain, Ireland, Germany, Scandinavia, Switzerland, Holland
,15 million more come
From???

16. Immigration 1815-1890, 15 million immigrated to US
“Old Immigrants”
, 15 million immigrated to US
Majority from northern Europe
Britain, Ireland, Germany, Scandinavia, Switzerland, Holland
,15 million more come
From 80% from Italy, Greece, Russia, Austria-Hungary, Rumania, Turkey, Japan, China, Korea, Mexico, Latin America
“New Immigrants”

17. OLD IMMIGRANTS
NEW IMMIGRANTS

18. OLD IMMIGRANTS NEW IMMIGRANTS 1815-1890 From Western Europe
From Northern Europe
Protestant
Literate & skilled
Quick to assimilate
Came from countries with democracy
Often arrived as families
Settled in cities and rural areas
Eastern Europe
From Japan, China, Korea, Mexico
Catholic, Orthodox, Jewish
Illiterate & unskilled
Reluctant to assimilate
Came from undemocratic countries
Mostly arrived poor
Often single men
Settled in cities

21. Poverty

22. Poverty

23. Persecution

24. Poverty
Persecution

25. Poverty & Persecution
Nowhere was push greater than Russia & its dominated areas
Ukraine, Lithuania, Poland
Pogroms
Gov’t ordered attacks on Jews
Scape goats to save throne from revolutionaries
Italians, no persecution but violence & poverty
1882, Chinese Exclusion Act
Suspended Chinese immigration, limited their civil rights, & forbade their naturalization
Seen as a threat
Alexander II

26. Opportunity

27. Poverty
Persecution
Opportunity

28. Opportunity