the guilded age:

I. development of the west

• homestead act (1862)
  • not very agricultural in Montana but machinery made farming/making money possible.
• conflict with natives
  • grant’s peace policy
    • peace first: violence second
  • assimilation (power act) schools
  • buffalo massacres; deplete food supply, impact environment
  • helent hunt jackson (connection: de la casas) wrote “a century of dishonor” aka america bad

II. industry

• explosion of industry post civil war
• railroads start it all: vanderbilt’s credit
• government laissez faire, not regulatory but helpful approach where they “snowplow” problems away
• businesses took advantage of new system
  • natural resources !!!
  • capital investment & cheap labor
• social darwinism: some businesses are better than others, and they will survive

III. impact on society

• because govt is pro-business, govt has open immigration laws
• cities of focal point (urbanization)
  • melting pot of cultures
    • schools facilitate assimilation
  • little govt regulations
    • child labor!!!
    • lots of workplace deaths
  • social help from private citizens
• growth of middle class: white color workers
• clash between labor and management
  • creates unionization, violence, strikes, capitalism vs. socialism/anarchism

IV. guilded age politics

• local level
  • political machines, massive corruption,
  • “Boss Tweed” - control the vote; will ask for favors
• state level
  • attempts by farmers to regulate industries
  • big business & government are working with each other
• national level
  • patronage vs civil service
  • tariffs
  • currency
    • gold & silver backs money
• democrats: racial south, irish/german urban vote (racists)