What Was the Name Given to Journalists Who Focused on the Poverty and Corruption in the Cities

"The Gilt Age" is the term used to depict the tumultuous years between the Civil State of war and the turn of the twentieth century. The Gilded Historic period: A Tale of Today was a famous satirical novel by Mark Twain set in the belatedly 1800s, and was its namesake. During this era, America became more than prosperous and saw unprecedented growth in industry and engineering science. Simply the Gilded Age had a more than sinister side: It was a period where greedy, corrupt industrialists, bankers and politicians enjoyed boggling wealth and opulence at the expense of the working grade. In fact, it was wealthy tycoons, not politicians, who inconspicuously held the most political power during the Gilded Age.

Transcontinental Railroad

Before the Civil War, rails travel was dangerous and hard, only subsequently the state of war, George Westinghouse invented the air brake, which made braking systems more than dependable and safe.

Soon, the evolution of Pullman sleeping cars and dining cars made rail travel comfortable and more enjoyable for passengers. It wasn't long before trains overtook other forms of long-altitude travel such as the stagecoach and riding horseback.

In 1869, the Transcontinental Railroad was finished and led to rapid settlement of the western United States. It as well fabricated information technology much easier to transport goods over long distances from ane part of the country to some other.

This enormous railroad expansion resulted in rail companies and their executives receiving lavish amounts of money and state—upwardly to 200 meg acres, by some estimates—from the United States government. In many cases, politicians cut shady backroom deals and helped create railroad and shipping tycoons such every bit Cornelius Vanderbilt and Jay Gould. Meanwhile, thousands of African American—many of them sometime slaves—were hired as Pullman porters and paid a pittance to cater to riders' every need.

Robber Barons

Railroad tycoons were merely one of many types of so-chosen robber barons that emerged in the Gilded Historic period.

These men used marriage busting, fraud, intimidation, violence and their extensive political connections to gain an advantage over whatsoever competitors. Robber barons were relentless in their efforts to amass wealth while exploiting workers and ignoring standard business rules—and in many cases, the law itself.

They soon accumulated vast amounts of money and dominated every major industry including the railroad, oil, banking, timber, sugar, liquor, meatpacking, steel, mining, tobacco and textile industries.

Some wealthy entrepreneurs such as Andrew Carnegie, John D. Rockefeller and Henry Frick are often referred to equally robber barons but may not exactly fit the mold. While it'due south true they built huge monopolies, often by burdensome any small business concern or competitor in their way, they were also generous philanthropists who didn't always rely on political ploys to build their empires.

Some tried to improve life for their employees, donated millions to charities and nonprofits and supported their communities by providing funding for everything from libraries and hospitals to universities, public parks and zoos.

Industrial Revolution

The Gilded Age was in many ways the culmination of the Industrial Revolution, when America and much of Europe shifted from an agricultural society to an industrial one.

Millions of immigrants and struggling farmers arrived in cities such as New York, Boston, Philadelphia, St. Louis and Chicago, looking for work and hastening the urbanization of America. By 1900, nearly 40 percentage of Americans lived in major cities.

READ More than: Photos Reveal Shocking Conditions of Tenement Slums in Late 1800s

Most cities were unprepared for rapid population growth. Housing was limited, and tenements and slums sprung upward nationwide. Heating, lighting, sanitation and medical care were poor or nonexistent, and millions died from preventable disease.

Many immigrants were unskilled and willing to work long hours for little pay. Gilded Age plutocrats considered them the perfect employees for their sweatshops, where working weather were dangerous and workers endured long periods of unemployment, wage cuts and no benefits.

Gilded Age Homes

Homes of the Gilded Historic period elite were nothing brusque of spectacular. The wealthy considered themselves America's royalty and settled for nothing less than estates worthy of that distinction. Some of America'due south about famous mansions were built during the Gilded Historic period such as:

Biltmore, located in Asheville, Northward Carolina, was the family estate of George and Edith Vanderbilt. Construction started on the 250-room chateau in 1889, prior to the couple's wedlock, and continued for six years. The home had 35 bedrooms, 43 bathrooms, 65 fireplaces, a dairy, a horse barn and cute formal and informal gardens.

The Breakers in Newport, Rhode Isle, is another Vanderbilt mansion. It was the summer abode of railroad mogul Cornelius Vanderbilt. The Italian-Renaissance style home has 70 rooms, a stable and a railroad vehicle business firm.

Rosecliff, as well in Newport, was completed in 1902. The oceanfront home was contracted past Theresa Fair Oelrichs and built to resemble the Grand Trianon of Versailles. Today, it's best known as the backdrop for motion picture scenes in The Slap-up Gatsby, High Club, 27 Dresses and True Lies.

Whitehall, located in Palm Beach, Florida, was the neoclassical wintertime retreat of oil tycoon Henry Flagler and his wife Mary. The 100,000 foursquare foot, 75-room mansion was completed in 1902 and is now a popular museum.

Income Inequality in the Gilded Age

The industrialists of the Gilt Age lived loftier on the pig, just most of the working class lived below poverty level. As time went on, the income inequality between wealthy and poor became more and more glaring.

While the wealthy lived in opulent homes, dined on succulent food and showered their children with gifts, the poor were crammed into filthy tenement apartments, struggled to put a loaf of bread on the table and often accompanied their children to a sweatshop each morn where they faced a 12-hour (or longer) workday.

Some moguls used Social Darwinism to justify the inequality betwixt the classes. The theory presumes that the fittest humans are the most successful and poor people are destitute because they're weak and lack the skills to be prosperous.

Muckrakers

Muckrakers is a term used to describe reporters who exposed corruption among politicians and the elite. They used investigative journalism and the print revolution to dig through "the muck" of the Gilt Age and report scandal and injustice.

In 1890, reporter and lensman Jacob Riis brought the horrors of New York slum life to low-cal in his book, How the Other Half Lives, prompting New York politicians to pass legislation to meliorate tenement conditions.

In 1902, McClure Magazine announcer Lincoln Steffens took on urban center corruption when he penned the commodity, "Tweed Days in St. Louis." The article, which is widely considered the first muckracking magazine article, exposed how metropolis officials deceitfully fabricated deals with crooked businessmen to maintain ability.

Some other journalist, Ida Tarbell, spent years investigating the underhanded rise of oilman John D. Rockefeller. Her 19-part series, as well published in McClure in 1902, led to the breakup of Rockefeller's monopoly, the Standard Oil Company.

In 1906, activist journalist and novelist Upton Sinclair wrote The Jungle to expose horrendous working conditions in the meatpacking industry. The book and ensuing public outcry led to the passing of the Meat Inspection Deed and the Pure Nutrient and Drug Act.

Labor Unions Rise

It soon became obvious that the huge disparity betwixt the wealthy and poor couldn't last, and the working course would take to organize to improve their working and living conditions. Information technology was too obvious this wouldn't happen without some caste of violence.

Much of the violence, however, was betwixt the workers themselves as they struggled to agree on what they were fighting for. Some simply wanted increased wages and a better working environment, while others also wanted to continue women, immigrants and blacks out of the workforce.

Although the commencement labor unions occurred effectually the plow of the nineteenth century, they gained momentum during the Gold Historic period, thanks to the increased number of unskilled and unsatisfied manufactory workers.

Railroad Strikes

Scout: Labor Day's Railroad Strike Roots

On July sixteen, 1877, the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Company announced a 10-percent pay cut on its railroad workers in Martinsburg, West Virginia, the second cutting in less than eight months.

Infuriated and fed upwards, the workers—with the support of the locals—announced they'd prevent all trains from leaving the roundhouse until their pay was restored.

The mayor, the law and fifty-fifty the National Guard couldn't terminate the strike. It wasn't until Federal troops arrived that one train finally left the station.

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The strike spread amid other railroads, sparking violence across America between the working class and local and federal authorities. At its peak, over 100,000 railroad workers were on strike. Many of the Robber Barons feared an aggressive, all-out revolution against their fashion of life.

Instead, the strike—later known as the Peachy Upheaval—ended abruptly and was labeled a dismal failure. Yet information technology showed America'southward tycoons there was forcefulness in numbers and that organized labor had the potential to shut downward entire industries and inflict major economic and political damage.

As the working grade connected to use strikes and boycotts to fight for higher wages and improved working atmospheric condition, their bosses staged lock-outs and brought in replacement workers known every bit scabs.

They also created blacklists to forestall active union workers from becoming employed elsewhere. Notwithstanding, the working course continued to unite and press their cause and often won at least some of their demands.

Golden Age Cities

Innovations of the Gilt Age helped usher in modern America. Urbanization and technological creativity led to many applied science advances such every bit bridges and canals, elevators and skyscrapers, trolley lines and subways.

The invention of electricity brought illumination to homes and businesses and created an unprecedented, thriving night life. Fine art and literature flourished, and the rich filled their lavish homes with expensive works of art and elaborate décor.

In 1876, Alexander Graham Bell invented the telephone and made the earth a much smaller place for both individuals and businesses. Advances in sanitation and housing, and the availability of improve quality food and material goods, improved quality of life for the middle class.

But while the middle and upper classes enjoyed the allure of city life, piffling changed for the poor. Most still faced horrific living atmospheric condition, high crime rates and a pitiable existence.

Many escaped their drudgery by watching a vaudeville show or a spectator sport such as boxing, baseball game or football, all of which enjoyed a surge during the Gilded Historic period.

Women in the Gilded Age

Upper-grade women of the Gilt Age have been compared to dolls on brandish dressed in resplendent finery. They flaunted their wealth and endeavored to meliorate their status in social club while poor and middle-class women both envied and mimicked them.

Some wealthy Gilded Age women were much more than eye processed, though, and frequently traded domestic life for social activism and charitable piece of work. They felt a new caste of empowerment and fought for equality, including the correct to vote through women'southward suffrage groups.

Some created homes for destitute immigrants while others pushed a temperance agenda, believing the source of poverty and near family troubles was booze. Wealthy women philanthropists of the Gilded Age include:

Louise Whitfield Carnegie, wife of Andrew Carnegie, who created Carnegie Hall and donated to the Cerise Cross, the Y.W.C.A., and other charities.

Abby Aldrich Rockefeller, wife of John D. Rockefeller, Jr., who helped create hotels for women and solicited funds to create the New York Museum of Mod Art.

Margaret Olivia Sage, wife of Russell Sage, who subsequently the death of her miserly husband gave away $45 million of her $75 1000000 inheritance to support women's causes, educational institutions and the creation of the Russell Sage Foundation for Social Edification, which directly helped poor people.

Many women during the Gilded Age sought college education. Others postponed union and took jobs such as typists or telephone switchboard operators.

Thanks to a impress revolution and the accessibility of newspapers, magazines and books, women became increasingly knowledgeable, cultured, well-informed and a political force to be reckoned with.

Jane Addams

Jane Addams is arguably the best-known philanthropist of the Gilded Age. In 1889, she and Ellen Gates Star established a secular settlement firm in Chicago known as Hull-House.

The neighborhood was a melting pot of struggling immigrants, and Hull-House provided everything from midwife services and basic medical care to kindergarten, twenty-four hours intendance and housing for driveling women. It besides offered English and citizenship classes. Adams received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1931.

Carrie Nation

Temperance leader Carrie Nation gained notoriety during the Gilded Historic period for groovy upwardly saloons with a hatchet to bring attention to her sobriety calendar. She was likewise a strong voice for the suffrage motion.

Nation's belief that alcohol was the root of all evil was partially due to her difficult first marriage to an alcoholic, and her piece of work with women and children displaced or driveling by over-imbibing husbands.

Convinced God had instructed her to utilise whatever means necessary to shut confined throughout Kansas, she was often beaten, mocked and jailed merely ultimately helped pave the mode for the 18th Amendment (prohibiting the sale of alcohol) and the 19th Subpoena (giving women the right to vote).

Limits to Power

Many other pivotal events happened during the Gilded Age which changed America'due south course and culture. As muckrakers exposed corrupt robber barons and politicians, labor unions and reformist politicians enacted laws to limit their power.

The western frontier saw violent conflicts betwixt white settlers and the United States Army against Native Americans. The Native Americans were somewhen forced off their country and onto reservations with ofttimes disastrous results. In 1890, the western borderland was declared airtight.

Populist Party

Every bit drought and depression struck rural America, farmers in the west—who vilified railroad tycoons and wanted a political vocalism—organized and played a key function in forming the Populist Party.

The Populists had a democratic agenda that aimed to give power dorsum to the people and paved the way for the progressive movement, which still fights to close the gap between the wealthy and poor and champion the needy and disenfranchised.

WATCH: The Ascension of Populism

End of the Gilded Age

In 1893, both the overextended Philadelphia and Reading Railroad and the National Cordage Company failed, which gear up off an economic depression unlike whatever seen before in America.

Banks and other businesses folded, and the stock market place plunged, leaving millions unemployed, homeless and hungry. In some states, unemployment rose to almost 50 percent.

The Panic of 1893 lasted iv years and left lower and even eye-class Americans fed upwards with political abuse and social inequality. Their frustration gave rise to the Progressive Movement which took hold when President Theodore Roosevelt took office in 1901.

Although Roosevelt supported corporate America, he likewise felt there should be federal controls in place to go on excessive corporate greed in cheque and prevent individuals from making obscene amounts of money off the backs of immigrants and the lower class.

Helped by the muckrackers and the White House, the Progressive Era ushered in many reforms that helped shift abroad power from robber barons, such as:

trust busting
labor reform
women's suffrage
nascence control
formation of trade unions
increased conservation efforts
food and medicine regulations
tax reform
ceremonious rights
ballot reform
fair labor standards

By 1916, America's cities were cleaner and healthier, factories safer, governments less decadent and many people had amend housing, working hours and wages. Fewer monopolies meant more people could pursue the American Dream and outset their own businesses.

When America entered World War I in 1917, the Progressive Era and any remnants of the Gold Historic period effectively concluded as the country'due south focus shifted to the realities of war. Most robber barons and their families, notwithstanding, remained wealthy for generations.

Yet, many bequeathed much of their wealth, land and homes to charity and historical societies. And progressives connected their mission to close the gap betwixt the wealthy and poor and champion the needy and disenfranchised.

Sources

Chicago Workers During the Long Gilt Age. The Newberry.
Gilded Age Reform. Academy of Virginia.
The Doll House: Wealth and Women in the Aureate Age. Journeys Into the By: An Online Journal of Miami Academy's History Department.
The Gilded Age. Scholastic.
About Jane Addams. Jane Addams Hull-House Museum.
Carrie A. Nation (1846-1911). The State Historical Society of Missouri: Historic Missourians.
Lincoln Steffens Exposes "Tweed Days in St. Louis." History Matters.
The Breakers. The Preservation Gild of Newport County.
The Progressive Era (1890-1920). The Eleanor Roosevelt Papers Project.
Biltmore Estate History. Biltmore.
Margaret Olivia Sage. Philanthropy Roundtable.

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Source: https://www.history.com/topics/19th-century/gilded-age