6.1: The Gilded Age—The Rise of Big Business & the Closing of the Western Frontier

Follow along in the student packet: “Content students MUST KNOW to be successful on the GHSGT” (p. 105-107)

USA in the Gilded Age: 1870-1900

IndustrializationIndustrialization

Reconstruction & Reconstruction & Rise of Jim CrowRise of Jim Crow

Ranching, Mining, FarmingRanching, Mining, Farming

USA in the Gilded Age: 1870-1900The SouthThe South:

After the failure of Reconstruction in 1877, the

South entered the Jim Crow era

Sharecropping & Segregation

USA in the Gilded Age: 1870-1900

The WestThe West:Farmers,

ranchers, & miners

closed the last of the frontier at

the expense of Indians

Mining was the 1st

attraction to the West;

Miners created “instant

towns” in areas where

gold or silver was discovered

Cattle Ranchers on the “Open Range”

The Farming Bonanza In 1862, the U.S. government began the Homestead ActHomestead Act which encouraged farmers to settle in the West by offering 160 acres of land to families who promised to live there for 5 yearsA pioneer sod house

1st transcontinentaltranscontinental railroad connected the west coast to eastern cities in 1869

Chinese workers made up a large percentage of laborers

on the western leg

Irish workers made up a large percentage of laborers on the eastern section

PopulistsPopulists were westerners who wanted“Free silver” (Bi-metalism)

Regulation of railroads

Income taxDirection election of senators

Native Native Americans Americans in the West: in the West:

Major Battles &

Reservations

• Little Big HornLittle Big Horn—Sioux surrounded & killed US Army division led by Custer

• Wounded KneeWounded Knee—Indians were killed to stop performance of Ghost Dance ritual

The Original Native Americans

Indian tribes retained only a few reservationsreservations

set aside by the U.S. government

USA in the Gilded Age: 1870-1900

The NorthThe North:Experienced an industrial revolution,

mass immigration, & urbanization

America became the world’s leader in railroad, steel, & oil production

“Big Business” MonopoliesMonopolies (truststrusts): Companies that controlled the majority of one industry:Rockefeller’s Standard Oil

Carnegie’s U.S. Steel

Vanderbilt’s railroads

Robber Barons or Captains of Industry?

“New Immigration” & Urbanization

Ellis Island was the primary receiving port for _________ immigrants. Asian immigrants were primarily processed at ______ Island in the San Francisco Bay.

European

Angel

Working & Living Conditions

The Thirteenth Amendment ended

sla

very 

Bla

ck c

odes 

the C

ivil

War

 

Jim

Cro

w L

aws

89%

0%0%11%

1. slavery 2. Black codes 3. the Civil War 4. Jim Crow Laws

10

The court case that established the "separate but equal" doctrine was  

Mar

bury v

s. M

adis

on.

Dre

d Sco

tt vs

. San

ford

.

Mira

nda vs

. Ariz

ona.

Ple

ssy

vs. F

erguson.

33%

56%

0%

11%

1. Marbury vs. Madison. 2. Dred Scott vs.

Sanford. 3. Miranda vs. Arizona. 4. Plessy vs. Ferguson.

10

This labor union (created by Samuel Gompers) was open only to skilled,

white male workers

Am

eric

an Fed

erat

ion ..

Knig

hts o

f Lab

or.

Wobblie

s.

Nat

ional

Work

ers

Ass...

100%

0%0%0%

1. American Federation of Labor.2. Knights of Labor.3. Wobblies.4. National Workers Association.

10

Poor, run-down urban apartments were also called:

slu

ms

tenem

ents

suburb

s

sky

scra

pers

22%

0%

33%

44%

1. slums2. tenements3. suburbs4. skyscrapers

10

Outlawing the Indian Sun (Ghost) Dance in 1890 resulted in the

Bat

tle o

f Litt

le B

ig H

orn

Bat

tle o

f Poto

wanam

i...

Mas

sacr

e at S

and C

r...

Bat

tle o

f Wounded

K...

56%

44%

0%0%

1. Battle of Little Big Horn2. Battle of Potowanamie Creek3. Massacre at Sand Creek.4. Battle of Wounded Knee.

10

The two factors that did most to encourage western settlement

after the Civil War were

the g

old ru

sh &

cat

tl...

the H

omes

tead

Act

& ..

.

rem

oval o

f the

buffal..

.

the re

mova

l of t

he In

...

11%

22%

11%

56%

1. the gold rush & cattle economy2. the Homestead Act & the railroad3. removal of the buffalo & Native

Americans from the plains4. the removal of the Indians & the

gold rush10

Which best explains why Standard Oil was so successful

inte

rlock

ing d

irect

orate

buyi

ng sto

cks

“on th

...

labor u

nions

horiz

ontal i

ntegra

tion

11%

56%

22%

11%

1. interlocking directorate2. buying stocks “on the margin”3. labor unions4. horizontal integration

10

Which population trend occurred in the U.S. from 1860 to 1920?

few

er E

aste

rn &

Sout..

.

the g

row

th o

f the

su...

peo

ple m

oved fr

om t.

.

gro

wth in

Am

eric

an c

i...

44%

33%

11%11%

1. fewer Eastern & Southern European immigrants coming to America

2. the growth of the suburbs3. people moved from the North to the

South4. growth in American cities

10

The size and power of John D. Rockefeller’s Standard Oil Company caused which of the following?

The

govern

men

t cre

at..

The

public a

ccep

ted t.

.

Man

y ot

her b

usines

...

Man

y wea

lthy

people

...

0% 0%0%0%

0

5

1. The government created anti-trust laws.

2. The public accepted the benefits of monopolies.

3. Many other businessmen entered the oil business.

4. Many wealthy people chose to give away millions of dollars.

10

Which of the following contributed MOST to the forced removal of Native Americans from the Great Plains from 1867 to 1890?

the

desire

to e

stab

lis...

the

build

ing o

f new

c...

the

westw

ard s

hift o

f t..

the

desire

for m

ore la

..

0% 0%0%0%

0

5

1. the desire to establish military posts

2. the building of new canals

3. the westward shift of the frontier

4. the desire for more land to grow cotton

10

According to the pie charts on the previous slide, how did immigration to the United States change between 1854 and 1907?

The

perce

ntage

of i...

By

1907

, Russ

ia re

pl...

The

tota

l num

ber o

f ...

The

perce

ntage

of i...

0% 0%0%0%

1. The percentage of immigrants coming from Germany and Britain gradually increased.

2. By 1907, Russia replaced Britain as the source of the greatest number of immigrants.

3. The total number of immigrants coming to the United States declined.

4. The percentage of immigrants coming from southern and eastern Europe increased dramatically.

0

5

10