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The Gilded Age The Gilded Age was considered to be the time of the greatest economic, territorial, industrial, and population expansion in American history. It began with the 1876 election of Rutherford B. Hayes. The Gilded Age put the main basis of the American society as a multinational diversified society due to increasing immigration. Such phenomena as prejudices and racial discrimination were the typical features of the Gilded Age. What is more, they were founded during the Gilded Age.
The Gilded Age was rooted in heavy American industrialization. The development of the industry, railroad infrastructure and the expansion of the American West were the main characteristics of the Gilded Age. The expansion to the American West was encouraged by the government which issued 160 acre (64 ha) land grants to families moving to the West under the Homestead Act 1. It was an era of economic development and intense generation and transfers of wealth in the United States from approximately 1876 to 1914. The expansion to the West was accompanied by the conflicts with the Native Americans. Alongside with the industrialization of the country the Gilded Age was characterized by the colonization of the Indian lands.
Numerous land conflicts arose and American government specified that the Native Americans should have settled in a fixed area to allow the region around them to progress and fill with American citizens. But the Native Americans were nomadic people and did not want to settle in fixed areas and this caused new conflicts. The Gilded Age was the age of enormous industrial development on one hand and an era of great political and social changes on the other hand. The political, namely party system of the United States began being structurally organized. Parties started fighting for the political influence in order to achieve this or that political decision.
The development of the country was rather controversial. On one hand country displayed the enormous industrial growth and on the other hand it was torn apart by the internal antagonisms. The Gilded Age was characterized by the political corruption, labor strikes, and southerner's who continued to keep to their old ways by refusing to comply with the federal government. The most remarkable feature of the US development was no doubt the railway infrastructure construction.
The development of the transcontinental railway line was one of the most remarkable achievements of the Americans that favored the economic development of the country. Between 1870 and 1900 alone, the population of the United States doubled from 38. 6 million people to 76 million people 2. Most of the people came from Europe. New immigrants needed the land for accommodation. Country adopted the most liberal land laws in its history. The industrial progress brought negative factors which accompanied any industrial development, namely the air pollution etc.
The most negative feature which was brought by the industrial progress is the corruption of authorities. That was a period of formation of the wealthiest class... The industrial boom made the USA the leading industrial power in the world. At the same time the industrial development was not even. While the Northern part of the country developed as industrial region, the South remained agrarian, poor and economically dependent upon the East.
Politically South remained segregated society of white from blacks. The last decade of the 19 th century was a decade of the US expansion over areas in the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans and into Central America. In 1867, America purchased Alaska from Russia. In the domestic politics the Gilded Age was the contest between the Republicans and the Democrats. They tried to win elections in order to take control over the Senate and White House... The economic growth brought certain problems.
The growing number of immigrants and technological development caused the unemployment. Growing corporations tried to form the trusts to take control over the industry. The consequences of the slavery were not eliminated completely. Despite the political attempts America did not become the society of the equal abilities. The new racist organizations, namely Ku Klux Clan emerged. At the same time the Gilded Age was the period which formed the American society.
The brave adventurers were rushing for happiness and the better life. They succeeded to create the basis of the most powerful country in the world trying to make it on the democratic principles. Gold rush in Alaska, Yukon River required the industrial development to supply the gold miners with tools, cloths and equipment. The Klondike gold rush was a good example of a city taking advantage of a temporary boom. Seattle became the centre serving the gold miners in Alaska. The gold miners sold the gold and bought necessary goods in Seattle.
Citation American history: The Gilded Age Industrial America Bibliography Wikipedia, American history: The Gilded Age, available at web retrieved 20. 10. 2005. Industrial America, Basic Readings in U. S. Democracy, available at web retrieved 20. 10. 2005
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Research essay sample on Gilded Age Native Americans
