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)