Which of the following factors contributed to the explosive industrial growth during the Gilded Age?

Presentation U.S. History Primary Source Timeline

• 

  Overview In the decades following the Civil War, the United States emerged as an industrial giant.

• 

  The American West, 1865-1900 The completion of the railroads to the West following the Civil War opened up vast areas of the region to settlement and economic development.

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

  Work in the Late 19th Century The late 19th-century United States is probably best known for the vast expansion of its industrial plant and output.

Part of

• Primary Source Sets
• Lesson Plans
• Presentations

Additional Navigation

• Teachers Home

  The Library of Congress offers classroom materials and professional development to help teachers effectively use primary sources from the Library's vast digital collections in their teaching.

• Analysis Tool & Guide

  To help your students analyze these primary sources, get a graphic organizer and guides.

36. The Gilded Age

Roadside America

The Golden Spike: Does it really symbolize the completion of the transcontinental railroad?

From the ashes of the American Civil War sprung an economic powerhouse.

The factories built by the Union to defeat the Confederacy were not shut down at the war's end. Now that the fighting was done, these factories were converted to peacetime purposes. Although industry had existed prior to the war, agriculture had represented the most significant portion of the American economy.

After the war, beginning with the railroads, small businesses grew larger and larger. By the century's end, the nation's economy was dominated by a few, very powerful individuals. In 1850, most Americans worked for themselves. By 1900, most Americans worked for an employer.

The growth was astounding. From the end of Reconstruction in 1877 to the disastrous Panic of 1893, the American economy nearly doubled in size. New technologies and new ways of organizing business led a few individuals to the top. The competition was ruthless. Those who could not provide the best product at the cheapest price were simply driven into bankruptcy or were bought up by hungry, successful industrialists.

Courtesy of Francois Micheloud

The cartoon reads "One sees his (Uncle Sam's) finish unless good government retakes the ship"

The so-called captains of industry became household names: John D. Rockefeller of Standard Oil, Andrew Carnegie of Carnegie Steel, and J. Pierpont Morgan, the powerful banker who controlled a great many industries. Their tactics were not always fair, but there were few laws regulating business conduct at that time.

Industrial Strength

Nevertheless, the American economy grew and grew. By 1914, the small nation once seen as a playground for European empires had now surpassed them all. The United States had become the largest industrial nation in the world.

However, the prosperity of America did not reach everyone. Amid the fabulous wealth of the new economic elite was tremendous poverty. How did some manage to be so successful while others struggled to put food on the table? Americans wrestled with this great question as new attitudes toward wealth began to emerge.

What role did the government play in this trend? Basically, it was pro-business. Congress, the Presidents, and the Courts looked favorably on this new growth. But leadership was generally lacking on the political level. Corruption spread like a plague through the city, state, and national governments. Greedy legislators and "forgettable" Presidents dominated the political scene.

True leadership, for better or for worse, resided among the magnates who dominated the Gilded Age.

What were the causes of industrialization during the Gilded Age?

What were the main causes of industrial growth in the Gilded Age quizlet?

What were the main causes of industrial growth in the Gilded Age Apush?

What are the three factors that led to the Gilded Age?