The Gilded Age: A Tale Of Today

The Gilded Age received its name from Mark Twain, a famous author who wrote the novel The Gilded Age: A Tale of Today. Twain was referring to the gilding process, when one covers an object with a superficial layer of gold and to make fun of the way America was while playing on the phrase “golden age”. Gilded is an accurate term to describe the period of time between 1865 and 1900, because immigrants were attracted to the idea of the American Dream that so many were achieving during the second industrial revolution. Unfortunately, these rich people received profits off of the backs of the industrial workers and poor farmers. This caused the majority of industrial workers to organize into unions and strike while the homesteaders organized to
This disappeared as demands increased and owners had separated from the floor. These owners went into offices to take care of finances and hired managers, which took away the personal aspect of knowing one’s boss. Dangerous work conditions increased due to having no contact with the boss as well as non-livable wages and increased work hours. Those who worked the factories were furious with these conditions and organized into unions to advocate for better conditions. One such union was the Knights of Labor, started in 1869, who advocated for all producers of society, African-Americans and women included, an eight hour workday, no child labor, and to expel all Asian workers. The union wanted these benefits for all, but after the Haymarket Square Riot in Chicago on day during 1884, the union quickly disassociated due to others blaming the riot on the members of the union although none were associated. Despite the fact that the Knights of Labor had no associated with the riot, the anarchists did. In an article of The Alarm in 1885,
For the beginning of the Gilded Age, the farmers enjoyed the industrialization of the Gilded Age. The transcontinental railroad was being built, which allowed people to spread westward. These people tried a hand at farming and produced the food supply of the United States of America. Unfortunately, food overproduction led to the farmers’ downfall. The price of crops inflated and it was cheaper to buy crops. Urbanists enjoyed this, but the farmers did not. Meanwhile, the monopolies of the west made it difficult to make a living out of farming. The railroads raised rates because it was known that there was no competition for transportation of products. While railroads were raising rates, banks began to raise interest rates as well. This angered farmers because the men could not easily pay back loans that were used to build homes, buy land, and buy equipment to be able to farm. Understanding that monopolies held power, silo owners decided to increase rates to store grain and other crops. The middlemen who sold the crops in the markets of the eat also inflated prices to receive a profit. In the end, the farmers became poor due to the monopolies that surrounded the men. This enraged the homesteaders. These men demanded that the government needed to intervene. Abraham Lincoln, the sixteenth president of the United States of America, setup the Department of Agriculture,