REFORM in the Gilded Age [APUSH Review Unit 6 Topic 11] Period 6:1865-1898

Summary

In this video from Heimler's History, we explore the various reform movements that emerged during the Gilded Age in response to the rise of industrial capitalism. The era saw a shift from small-scale artisan production to mass production in factories, leading to a concentration of wealth among the elite and harsh working conditions for the laborers. Reformers like Henry George proposed solutions such as the single tax on land to redistribute wealth. Edward Bellamy's novel 'Looking Backward' depicted a socialist utopia as an alternative. The socialist ideology gained traction, with figures like Eugene V. Debs founding the Socialist Party of America. The social gospel movement advocated for applying Christian principles to societal issues, particularly urban poverty. Women played a significant role in reform movements, with Jane Addams establishing settlement houses and the National American Woman Suffrage Association advocating for women's right to vote. The temperance movement, led by organizations like the Women's Christian Temperance Union, sought to combat alcohol consumption, with radical figures like Carrie Nation taking direct action against saloons.

Takeaways

• 🏭 The Gilded Age saw a shift from artisanal production to industrial capitalism, with factories mass-producing goods for national and international markets.
• 💼 Laissez-faire capitalism was prevalent, leading to minimal government intervention and rapid business growth, but also to wealth concentration among the elite.
• 📈 Industrial capitalism resulted in poor working conditions and low wages for the laborers, leading to widespread dissatisfaction and calls for reform.
• 💰 Henry George proposed a 'single tax on land' to address the wealth disparity, advocating for a more equitable distribution of resources.
• 📚 Edward Bellamy's novel 'Looking Backward' depicted a socialist utopia as a critique of industrial capitalism, influencing public thought.
• 🌟 The rise of socialism during this period was a response to perceived failures of capitalism, with some advocating for community ownership of production means.
• 🏛 Eugene V. Debs and the Socialist Party of America represented a political push for socialism, although it did not gain widespread acceptance in the U.S.
• 📖 The Social Gospel movement applied Christian principles to societal issues, with preachers advocating for social justice and urban reform.
• 👥 Women played a significant role in reform movements, focusing on various causes such as establishing settlement houses and advocating for women's suffrage.
• 🔇 The temperance movement, led by organizations like the Women's Christian Temperance Union, sought to combat alcohol consumption, which was seen as a cause of poverty.
• ⚖️ Carrie Nation, a radical temperance advocate, famously destroyed saloons and liquor barrels with an axe to make a statement against alcohol.
• 🌐 The video script provides a comprehensive overview of the various reform movements during the Gilded Age, highlighting the societal challenges and the responses to industrial capitalism.

Q & A

What was the primary focus of the video script?

The video script primarily focuses on explaining how different reform movements responded to the rise of industrial capitalism during the Gilded Age in American history.

What was the economic system that allowed businesses to flourish during the Gilded Age?

The economic system that allowed businesses to flourish during the Gilded Age was laissez-faire capitalism, characterized by minimal government intervention in economic operations.

What was Henry George's proposed solution to address the wealth disparity during the Gilded Age?

Henry George proposed the 'single tax on land' as a solution to address wealth disparity, suggesting that the elite who owned large tracts of land should be taxed more to even the playing field with the working class.

Who is Edward Bellamy and what was his contribution to challenging industrial capitalism?

Edward Bellamy was an author who used utopian art to challenge industrial capitalism. He wrote a novel in 1888 called 'Looking Backward,' which depicted a socialist utopia where capitalism had been replaced and everyone's needs were met.

What was the basic principle of socialism that gained traction during the Gilded Age?

The basic principle of socialism that gained traction during the Gilded Age was that all means of production in a society should be owned and regulated by the community for the benefit of everyone more or less equally.

Who was Eugene V. Debs and what was his role in the socialist movement?

Eugene V. Debs was the head of a significant union and, along with a few others, started the Socialist Party of America in 1901. He ran for president on the party's ticket, although they did not achieve significant success.

What was the social gospel and how did it relate to the reform movements of the Gilded Age?

The social gospel was a movement among Christians in America that believed Christian principles should be applied not just to the individual's soul but also to cure societal ills. Advocates of the social gospel, particularly Protestant preachers, crusaded for social justice for the urban poor during the Gilded Age.

What was the primary goal of the women's suffrage movement during the Gilded Age?

The primary goal of the women's suffrage movement during the Gilded Age was to secure the right to vote for women, which was led by the National American Woman Suffrage Association (NAWSA) founded by Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony.

What was the temperance movement and how did it relate to the issues of the Gilded Age?

The temperance movement was a social cause that aimed to combat the consumption of alcohol, which was a significant problem among urban male factory workers contributing to the impoverishment of the working classes. The Women's Christian Temperance Union was formed to crusade for total abstinence from alcohol.

Who was Carrie Nation and what was her approach to the temperance movement?

Carrie Nation was a radical advocate of the temperance movement known for her direct and confrontational approach. She would carry a hatchet into saloons and destroy liquor barrels to protest against alcohol consumption.

What was the overall impact of the reform movements on the society during the Gilded Age?

The reform movements of the Gilded Age brought attention to the social and economic disparities caused by industrial capitalism. While some, like the women's suffrage and temperance movements, made significant strides, others, like socialism, did not achieve immediate widespread acceptance but contributed to the ongoing dialogue about social justice and equality.

How did the video script describe the transformation of the American economy during the Gilded Age?

The video script described the transformation of the American economy during the Gilded Age as a shift from artisans and skilled laborers crafting items by hand for small-scale sale to factories employing tens of thousands of unskilled laborers mass-producing goods for national and international markets.

Outlines

00:00

😀 Industrial Capitalism and Reform Movements in the Gilded Age

This paragraph introduces the topic of various reform movements that emerged during the Gilded Age in response to the rise of industrial capitalism. It explains the shift from artisans crafting goods by hand to mass production in factories, leading to a situation where wealth was concentrated among the elite while workers faced harsh conditions. The paragraph also mentions the laissez-faire capitalism prevalent at the time, which contributed to the rapid growth of businesses with minimal government intervention. Key figures and movements such as Henry George's single tax on land, Edward Bellamy's utopian socialism, and the broader socialist movement are introduced, along with their goals to address societal inequalities and the plight of the working class.

05:03

📚 The Social Gospel and Women's Reform Movements

The second paragraph delves into the social gospel movement, which advocated for applying Christian principles to societal issues, particularly focusing on social justice for the urban poor. It highlights the efforts of Protestant preachers and the middle class's role in addressing urban poverty. The paragraph also discusses the significant role women played in reform movements, including Jane Addams' establishment of settlement houses and the push for women's suffrage led by Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony through the National American Woman Suffrage Association (NAWSA). Additionally, the temperance movement, which aimed to reduce alcohol consumption, is covered, with a focus on the Women's Christian Temperance Union and the radical actions of Carrie Nation, who famously destroyed saloons and liquor barrels as a form of protest.

Keywords

💡Gilded Age

The Gilded Age refers to the late 19th century in the United States, a period marked by rapid industrialization, economic growth, and social inequality. In the video, it is the backdrop against which various reform movements emerged in response to the rise of industrial capitalism and its associated challenges.

💡Industrial Capitalism

Industrial capitalism is an economic system where goods are produced on a large scale in factories, rather than by individual artisans or skilled laborers. It is characterized by the use of machinery, mass production, and the concentration of wealth among a small elite class. The video discusses how this system led to the rise of reform movements as it created vast disparities between the rich and the poor.

💡Reform Movements

Reform movements are social, political, or economic initiatives that aim to improve societal conditions or address perceived injustices. In the context of the video, these movements arose as a response to the negative consequences of industrial capitalism, such as poverty, dangerous working conditions, and long working hours.

💡Laissez-Faire Capitalism

Laissez-faire capitalism is an economic philosophy that advocates for minimal government intervention in the economy, allowing businesses to operate with little to no regulation. The video explains that this approach contributed to the rapid growth of businesses during the Gilded Age but also led to wealth concentration and poor working conditions for many.

💡Single Tax on Land

The single tax on land, proposed by Henry George, was a reform idea that aimed to address economic inequality by taxing landowners based on the value of their land. The video mentions this as a solution to redistribute wealth from the elite landowners to the working class, thereby evening the economic playing field.

💡Utopian Art

Utopian art refers to artistic works that depict or promote an ideal society, often as a critique of the current social order. In the video, Edward Bellamy's novel 'Looking Backward' is cited as an example of utopian art that challenges industrial capitalism by envisioning a socialist utopia where everyone's needs are met.

💡Socialism

Socialism is an economic and political ideology that advocates for the means of production to be owned and controlled by the community as a whole, with the goal of benefiting everyone more equally. The video discusses how socialism gained traction during the Gilded Age as a response to the perceived failures of capitalism in addressing societal needs.

💡Social Gospel

The Social Gospel is a Christian movement that emphasizes applying Christian principles to social issues, rather than focusing solely on personal salvation. The video highlights how advocates of the Social Gospel, particularly Protestant preachers, campaigned for social justice and urged the middle class to address urban poverty as a Christian duty.

💡Women's Suffrage

Women's suffrage is the right of women to vote and be involved in the political process. The video discusses the founding of the National American Woman Suffrage Association (NAWSA) by Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony, which worked to secure voting rights for women, a goal that was eventually achieved in 1920.

💡Temperance Movement

The temperance movement was a social reform effort aimed at reducing or eliminating the consumption of alcohol. The video explains that the Women's Christian Temperance Union was formed to combat the problem of drunkenness among urban male factory workers, which contributed to the impoverishment of the working class.

💡Carrie Nation

Carrie Nation was a prominent activist in the temperance movement, known for her radical approach of destroying saloons and liquor barrels with a hatchet. The video uses her as an example of the more radical strand within the temperance movement, which took direct action against alcohol consumption rather than relying solely on legislative change.

Highlights

The Gilded Age saw the rise of various reform movements in response to the rise of industrial capitalism.

America experienced a shift from artisanal production to mass production in factories with unskilled laborers.

Laissez-faire capitalism allowed businesses to flourish with minimal government intervention, leading to rapid growth but also wealth disparity.

The majority of wealth generated by businesses was concentrated in the hands of the elite upper class.

Factory workers faced low wages, dangerous working conditions, and long working hours.

Artists, critics, agrarians, utopians, socialists, and social gospel advocates demanded reform.

Henry George proposed a 'single tax on land' to redistribute wealth more equitably.

Edward Bellamy's novel 'Looking Backward' depicted a socialist utopia as a critique of industrial capitalism.

Socialism gained traction as a response to perceived capitalist failures, advocating for community ownership of production means.

Eugene V. Debs founded the Socialist Party of America in 1901 and ran for president.

The social gospel movement applied Christian principles to societal issues, advocating for social justice and urban poor reform.

Jane Addams established settlement houses to help immigrants assimilate into American culture.

The National American Woman Suffrage Association (NAWSA) was founded in 1890 to secure women's right to vote.

The Women's Christian Temperance Union, established in 1874, campaigned for total abstinence from alcohol.

Carrie Nation, a radical temperance advocate, famously destroyed saloons with an axe as a form of protest.

Reform movements during the Gilded Age were diverse, addressing issues from wealth disparity to women's rights and temperance.

Transcripts

hey there and welcome back to heimler's history now we've been going through unit six of the

ap us history curriculum and considering the gilded age from all kinds of different angles

and in this video we're going to consider the various reform movements that sprang up

during this time so if you're ready to get them brain cows milk and i know you are then

let's get to it so in this video we're basically trying to do one thing and that's to explain

how different reform movements responded to the rise of industrial capitalism in the gilded

age easy peasy lemon squeezy so when i say industrial capitalism here's what i mean now

if you've been with me in these last videos you'll remember that america was undergoing

a massive change in the way it produced goods to be sold like back in the old days artisans

and skilled laborers crafted items by hand to be sold on a small scale but during this

period factories sprang forth from the ground like athena from zeus's head and within these

factories tens of thousands of unskilled laborers worked machines day in and day out mass producing

goods to be sold on a national and international scale one of the economic realities that allowed

them to grow so quickly was the prevalence of laissez-faire capitalism and this just

means that the american government intervened very rarely in economic operations of businesses

and so without many regulations these businesses flourish when i say these businesses flourish

what i really mean is that most of the wealth they generated stayed in the hands of the

elite upper class for those working in the factories it was a different story altogether

like their wages in many cases were only barely enough to survive and add to that the exceedingly

dangerous working conditions and then add to that the 12 to 14 hour days that meant

that you went to work in the dark and returned home in the dark and then all of a sudden

you've got a whole sector of society who are eeking out a miserable existence and so in

light of all this artists and critics which included agrarians and utopians and socialists

and advocates of the social gospel they all rose up and demanded reform and let me introduce

you to some of their causes now henry george who was a politician and an economist thought

it was downright foolish that so much wealth could be generated by a nation while at the

same time so many of its citizens lived in abject poverty his solution was called the

single tax on land and according to his estimates those elite folks who owned large tracts of

land were gaining disproportionate amounts of wealth based on the increasing value of

that land and therefore they simply needed to be taxed more to even the playing field

between them and the working class okay let's switch over to utopians a good example of

an artist using utopian art to challenge industrial capitalism was edward bellamy he wrote a novel

in 1888 called looking backward in which a man goes to sleep in 1887 only to wake up

in 2000 and find that america had been transformed into a socialist utopia where capitalism had

been crushed and everyone's needs were met yeah i'd say you got that one just about wrong

anyway speaking of socialism that ancient enemy of capitalism this ideology really gained

some traction during this time and look i'm not trying to advocate for socialism here

but it's easy to understand why people gravitated toward this ideology according to the dictates

of socialism all the means of production in a society should be owned and regulated by

the community and benefit everyone more or less equally looking around at the state of

society in the late 19th century it is understandable why some people might think capitalism had

failed anyway socialism picked up some steam during this period but it never really grabbed

hold of american citizens like it did to europeans still our buddy eugene v debs who if you'll

remember was the head of a significant union we talked about in another video joined with

a few others and started the socialist party of america in 1901 he ran for president on

this party's ticket but they didn't do so well and they basically petered out after

this others who opposed industrial capitalism did so under the banner of the social gospel

christians in america had always believed that repentance and reform ought to be applied

to one's own soul but here the focus grew wider the advocates of the social gospel believe

that christian principles ought to be applied not just to oneself but to cure the ills of

society as well and in that vein throughout the last 20 years of the 19th century many

protestant preachers crusaded for social justice for the urban poor they especially set their

sights on the middle class and urged them to take up the mantle of solving urban poverty

as their christian duty so the point of all of this is that there were a lot of folks

who tried different methods to resist the kind of society that industrial capitalism

created now during the same time there was another reform movement brewing but it had

less to do with capitalism than everything i just said women especially took up the cause

of reform during this period and they did so for various causes in the last video i

introduced you to jane adams who established settlement houses to help immigrants assimilate

to american culture but also there was a big push for women's suffrage during this time

which is to say women's right to vote in 1890 elizabeth katie stanton susan b anthony founded

the national american woman suffrage association or nasa which worked tirelessly to secure

the franchise for women now i'll have to come back to that in the next unit because their

work won't bear constitutional fruit until 1920.

but during this period women also took up the cause of temperance which is the fight

against the consumption of alcohol now make no mistake drunkenness was a real problem

among urban male factory workers during this period and that was a large cause of the growing

impoverishment of the working classes so to combat this women formed the women's christian

temperance union in 1874 and they crusaded for total abstinence from alcohol and apparently

it was a popular message because they had something like 500 000 members on their roles

by 1898.

now this organization along with others like the anti-saloon league worked largely through

peaceful means like protest and trying to lobby congress to pass laws but there was

a more radical strand of women who refuse to wait for the painfully slow gears of congress

to turn and maybe the best example i can think of as carrie nation she said of herself that

she was a bulldog running along at the feet of jesus barking at what he doesn't like apparently

jesus didn't like alcohol because what kerry nation was known for was her hatchet which

she carried into saloons and hacked at liquor barrels until they spilled their contents

onto the floor she was probably the only one who could get away with that like all the

men are sitting around at the bar going i mean what do we do like can we can we find

a woman can we fight a woman while they'Well hey there and welcome back to Heimler’s

History.

We’ve been going through Unit 6 of the AP U.S. History curriculum and considering the

Gilded AGe from all kinds of different angles.

And in this video we’re going to consider the various reform movements that sprang up

during this time.

So if you're ready to get them brain cows milked, and I know you are, then let’s get

to it.

So in this video we’re basically trying to do one thing, and that’s to explain how

different reform movements responded to the rise of industrial capitalism in the Gilded

Age.

If you’ve been with me in these last videos, you’ll remember that America was undergoing

a massive change in the way it produced goods to be sold.

Back in the old days, artisans and skilled laborers crafted items by hand to be sold

on a small scale.

During this period, factories sprang forth from the ground like Athena from Zeus’s

head, and within these factories, tens of thousand of unskilled laborers worked machines

day in and day out mass-producing goods to be sold on a national and international scale.

And one of the economic realities that allowed them to grow so quickly was the prevalence

of laissez faire capitalism.