Title: From the end of the Civil War to the outbreak of the Spanish-American War
11865-1898
- From the end of the Civil War to the outbreak of
the Spanish-American War - Also known as
- Late 19th Century America
- The Gilded Age
- Characterized by
- Final subjugation of the Native Americans in the
West - Rapid industrialization
- Rapid urbanization
2The West
- A key characteristic of the Late 19th Century is
the settlement of the American West - By American West we are referring to the Great
Plains and Rocky Mountains - This is the period in American history of the
Wild, Wild, West and Cowboys and Indians
3The Homestead Act (1862)
- Federal Government land west of the Mississippi
River offered to loyal Americans - Up to 160 acres is made for the purpose of
actual settlement and cultivation - Required to build a structure on the land
- Paved the way for the settlement of the Great
Plains
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6The Pacific Railway Act (1862)
- Established federal government funding for a
transcontinental RR - Central Pacific and Union Pacific RRs
- The companies were given millions of acres of
public land and lent money by the federal
government - Chinese laborers on west coast
- Promoted the settlement of the West
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8The Peopling of the West
- 8 minutes The Grandest Enterprise Under God
The origins of the Transcontinental RR - 6 Minutes Good Company The settlers of the
West
9The Peopling of the West
- 15 Minutes The Geography of Hope - Exodusters,
Proud settlers - 6 minutes - Fast forward to Chinese
- 4 minutes Fast forward to Mexican experience
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12The West
- We are going to focus on the series of events
that led to the destruction of the cultural life
of the native Americans that lived on the Great
Plains - What were characteristics of their culture?
- Nomadic hunters
- Followed buffalo herds and utilized the buffalo
in every way imaginable - No individual ownership of land
13Causation
- How did the peopling of the west affect the
natives that lived on the Great Plains? - 5 Minutes - A Wound in the Heart The
Destruction of the Buffalo
14Document Analysis Fort Laramie Treaty to
Wounded Knee
- Primary or Secondary Source?
- Who is the author of the source?
- When was the source created? (Contextualization)
- Analysis
- The significance or importance of the source
- A counter-argument
- Additional Point
- Argument made
- Intended Audience
- Purpose
- POV
15The Fort Laramie Treaty (1868)
- Peace agreement between the U.S. government and
some representatives of the Lakota (Sioux) - U.S. government promised the sacred Black Hills
to the Lakota (Sioux) - Sioux agree to leave western settlers alone and
stop attacking railroads - Treaty violated when white settlers moved into
the Black Hills looking for gold
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19The Battle of Little Bighorn (1876)
- General George Armstrong Custer and the 7th U.S.
Cavalry was sent to round up some Lakota leaders
(including Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse) who left
their reservation and refused to renegotiate the
Fort Laramie Treaty (so the new settlers could
stay in the Black Hills) - Custer and over 200 of his men were slaughtered
(Custers Last Stand)
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23The Dawes Act (1887)
- A sincere attempt to assimilate American Indians
into U.S. society - Tried to establish individual ownership of land
so that natives could become farmers - The folly in this was that they were historically
nomadic hunters that considered land to be
communally owned
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26Wounded Knee (1890)
- The symbolic end to Native American resistance to
U.S. authority - Over 300 men, women, and children massacred in
the snow by the U.S. military after months of
tension - The Ghost Dance had spread across the plains as a
last, desperate hope for the Plains Indians
27Frozen body of Bigfoot
28Frozen body at Wounded Knee
29Frozen body at Wounded Knee
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32Mass Grave at Wounded Knee
33The Rise of Big Business
- The Civil War ignited a second American
industrial revolution - By 1900 the U.S. was the leading manufacturing
nation on earth
34The Rise of Big Business
- The railroad, oil, and steel industries paved the
way for this economic growth - Even the ex-Confederate states became more
industrialized (The New South) as businessmen
took advantage of cheap southern labor (Textile
mills)
35The Role of Government
- Pro-Business government policies also encouraged
industrialization - Laissez-Faire (virtually no government taxation
or regulation of business) - Anti-labor union
- Promoted westward expansion and global markets
36The Trusts
- This was a period of large scale production and a
period of business consolidation - Trusts (Corporations that joined together to
control production and prices to their benefit)
emerged in all the major industries in the
country - The big business interests in the country greatly
influenced, often in unethical/corrupt ways, the
nations political leaders
37Labor Unions
- The tremendous economic growth benefitted many
Americans but also created great amounts of
economic inequality (rich vs. poor) - Industrial workers organized themselves into
unions - Two national labor unions emerged
- The Knights of Labor (unskilled workers more
radical) - The American Federation of Labor (skilled
workers focused more on better pay and
conditions, still exists)
38Moderate Critics
- Different groups of Americans criticized big
business and our economic system - Some wanted reform and called for government to
protect the public interests (the people) vs. the
corporate interests (big business) - Liberals/Progressives in the cities
- Populists amongst farmers
39Radical Critics
- Others were more radical and wanted to overhaul
the free market, laissez-faire capitalist system - Socialists (wanted the workers to own and operate
the industries) - Anarchists (believed all government benefitted
the rich at the expense of the poor)
40Social Darwinism
- The Captains of Industry (men like Rockefeller,
Vanderbilt, and J.P. Morgan) justified their
wealth by promoting what is known as SOCIAL
DARWINISM
41Social Darwinism
- Social Darwinism the application of Darwins
survival of the fittest to human relations. - The poor are poor as a result of weaknesses in
their character, genetic flaws, mental
incapacity, etc - The best and the brightest rise to the topthey
acquire wealth and power
42Philanthropy
- Many of these men also gave a lot of their wealth
to various charities - Some of the finest universities in the country
were started with gifts from Captains of Industry
like DUKE, STANFORD, VANDERBILT, and CORNELL
43The Gospel of Wealth
- Men like Andrew Carnegie argued that the rich had
an obligation to use that wealth for the
betterment of society THE GOSPEL OF WEALTH
44Document Analysis
45Horatio Alger
- Late 19th Century author
- Wrote stories of young boys who were poor but,
through hard work perseverance, honesty and
courage were able to rise in status (Social
Darwinism)
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48Twain Lampoons the Alger myth
- http//historymatters.gmu.edu/d/4935/
49Quick Review
- What were the four largest and most violent labor
strikes of the Gilded Age? - The Great RR Strike of 1877
- The Haymarket Square Strike Chicago 1886
- The Homestead Strike Outside of Pittsburgh 1892
- The Pullman Strike Chicago 1894
50Capitalism vs. Socialism
- Benefits of Capitalism
- Encourages inventiveness
- Provides consumers with many different products
- Provides many economic opportunities and chances
to acquire wealth - Increases the standard of living for many people
51Costs of Capitalism
- Volatile Boom and bust
- Wealth is not distributed equitably
- The drive for profit can be more important than
individuals (dangerous working conditions,
lay-offs) - Critics of capitalism called for greater
government control of the economic system and a
more equitable society. Some of these critics
wanted to replace Capitalism with whats known as
Socialism
52Capitalism vs. Socialism
- Socialism has its roots in 19th century Europe
- Karl Marx, a Prussian born philosopher and
historian, is the most influential socialist
thinker - Marx saw history as a continuous class struggle
(rich vs. poor) - He witnessed industrial capitalism while living
in London, was horrified by it and predicted its
eventual demise
53Capitalism vs. Socialism
- Marx predicted that capitalism would be replaced,
in the end, by a classless society - In the meantime, industrial workers needed to
unite - Workers of the world unite you have nothing to
lose but your chains - View Excerpts from New York including How the
Other Half Lives video clip (Episode 3)
54Gilded Age Politics
- Political balance in Congress between Republicans
and Democrats - Every president was a northerner
- Republican Party
- Party of big business
- Party of protective tariffs
- Party of civil service reform (how govt. workers
got their jobs) - Almost exclusively a northern party
55Gilded Age Politics
- Democratic Party
- Party of states rights and limited government
- Boasted of being a white mans party both north
and south - Dominated Southern politics (The Solid South)
- Grover Cleveland only Democratic president of
the time period
56Gilded Age Politics
- A time period of rampant political corruption on
the national, state, and local levels - Political machines wielded power in many American
cities
57Political Machines
- Urban political organizations, often headed by a
boss, that used their power to make their
members rich - The machine provided services to urban voters in
an attempt to win their votes - They also won the loyalty of local businesses who
often benefited - From the actions of the machine
58Tammany Hall
- The Democratic Party political machine that
dominated politics in New York City for many
years - Its most notorious boss was William Marcy
Tweed Boss Tweed - Tweed video time baby!!!
59Thomas Nast Political Cartoonist
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65- Read from the Strenuous Life of a Tammany leader
- Go to Honest vs. Dishonest graft
- George Washington Plunkitt
66Presidents of the Gilded Age
- Hayes (R) (1877-1881)
- Garfield (R) (1881)
- Arthur (R) (1881-1885)
- Cleveland (D) (1885-1889)
- Harrison (R) (1889-1893)
- Cleveland (D) (1893-1897)
67Gilded Age Vocab/Identification
- Conspicuous consumption
- Mother Jones
- The New South
- Dept. of the Interior
- Sierra Club
- NAWSA
- WCTU
- Ghost Dance movement
- Chinese Exclusion Act
- Gospel of Wealth
- The Social Gospel
68Promontory Point, Utah (1869)
69The Farmers Dilemma
- Technological improvements created greater
efficiency in production - Fewer farmers produced more crops the U.S.
became a world leader in agriculture and meat - But farmers now had to buy expensive machinery in
order to plant and harvest crops (increased debt
owed to Eastern financial institutions)
70The Farmers Dilemma
- Farmers competed in an extremely competitive
world market with NO tariffs to protect them - Therefore, their own production along with crops
grown around the world (Wheat from Russia for
example) created an oversupply that drove down
prices
71The Farmers Dilemma
- Periodic droughts, floods, as well as grasshopper
and cotton-boll weevil infestations ravaged farms - Farmers in the South and West (Texas, Kansas,
Nebraska, the Dakotas, Colorado) were hit hardest - They also faced declining influence/status as the
U.S. became more industrial and more urban
(hayseeds, hicks)
72Farmers Organize
- Farmers began to organize Granges, Farmers
Alliances, Populist Party - They blamed
- RR companies for high rates of transport
(sometimes burning corn for fuel was more
efficient than transporting it) - eastern financial institutions for high interest
rates - A low money supply that contributed to high
interest rates
73The Omaha Platform
- The Populist Party emerged to speak to these
concerns (Mary Lease Raise more hell and less
corn)
74Free Silver!
- The Omaha Platform (1892)
- Unlimited coinage of silver at a ratio of 16 oz.
of silver to 1 oz. of gold - This would increase the money supply, create
inflation thus raising the price of their crops,
and making it easier to pay off debts (Debtors
vs. Creditors issue like Shays Rebellion in
1786)
75The Omaha Platform
- A graduated income tax (higher percentage paid by
wealthier Americans) - Government ownership of the RRs, telephone and
telegraph companies - The direct election of senators (greater
democracy) - Positions many Progressives will also support
76The Election of 1896
- On the heels of a terrible depression
- The Democratic Party adopted many of the
proposals of the Populists
77- The Democrats and the Populists both nominated
William Jennings Bryan of Nebraska after his
resounding Cross of Gold speech at the
Democratic National Convention
78Cross of Gold Speech (1896)
- We will answer their demands for a gold standard
by saying to them You shall not press down
upon the brow of labor this crown of thorns, you
shall not crucify mankind upon a cross of gold.
79The Election of 1896
- The Republican Party represented the established
business interests in the country - They nominated William McKinley of Ohio (Bryan
vs. McKinleyThe agricultural West vs. the
industrial eastbusiness interests vs.
agricultural interests)
80Electoral Results - 1896
81Importance of the Election of 1896
- Ushered in a period of Republican Party control
of both Congress and the Presidency - Clearly established the dominance of the
industrial and financial interests over the
agricultural interests
82By the end of the Gilded Age
- The U.S. was a world economic power
- The U.S. was beginning to expand its influence
around the world economically and militarily - A small but growing conservationist movement
began - More and more Americans called for Government
(federal and state) to level the playing field by
reigning in the power of big business and the
influence of the super rich
83Federal Government Interference in the economy
- The Interstate Commerce Act (1887) gave the
federal government power to regulate the RR
industry - The Sherman Anti-Trust Act (1890) gave the
federal government the power to break up
monopolies - Pay attention to how strictly these laws were
enforced in the late 19th and early 20th centuries