1. Life in the Gilded Age

2. Gilded Age Term is coined by Mark Twain Gilded means coated with gold
Famous author of the time
Tom Sawyer, Huckleberry Finn
Gilded means coated with gold
 The Gilded Age was a time of rapid industrialization, development of infrastructure (such as railroads), and little government regulation of the economy

3. End of the frontier Indians pushed into reservations
Wild West is tamed and settled

4. The Expansion of Industry
Changes in technology
Fuel
Kerosene
Oil
Coal
Iron and steel become important to industry

5. Steel Steel is used for: Railroads Buildings/Bridges
Plows, reapers, farm tools
Food cans

6. Edison

7. Thomas Edison Made power plant/light bulb
With electricity, factories can work more hours and be anywhere.

8. Other inventions
Typewriter
Telephone (1876) by Alexander Graham Bell

9. "Mr. Watson—Come here—I want to see you"

10. The Age of Railroads 1890=more than 200,000 miles of track
1888=more than 2,000 railroad workers die and 20,000 are injured.
Built by immigrants (Chinese in the West and Irish in the East) and African-Americans
Earn very little

12. Joining the nation Railroads link the nation together
Travel and industry increases
Time zones are created to keep railroad schedules.
Time still kept using instruments to track the position of the sun

13. Industry grows Railroads cause industry to grow
George Pullman invents a sleeping car known as a Pullman car

14. Corruption Railroads were usually corrupt
Charged high prices to travel/ship by rail
Bribed government officials
Made millions through trickery

15. Congress Acts Congress tries to combat corruption
Supreme Court says they can regulate interstate trade
Trade between states
Congress passes the Interstate Commerce Act to regulate trade
Prices needed to be “reasonable and just” for people to travel
Not strong enough to control the railroads

16. Big Business Emerges Businesses consolidate into big industries
These are run by businessmen who become very wealthy and become known as robber barons.

17. Government practices Government supported laissez-faire economics
Means hands off
Government does very little regulation
Result=very wealthy businesses and lots of corruption and little competition

18. Social Darwinism Idea that the best individuals will succeed
The survival of the fittest
Government should do very little to intervene