Essay On The Gilded Age

“Gilded Age” Essay During the 1800s, America was nicknamed the “Gilded Age” by Mark Twain, which means it appeared promising but oftentimes did not meet the expectations. This is a very accurate term for America during this time due to the experience of immigrants, the absence of democracy, and the West.
Many immigrants traveled to America as a result of rumors of vast opportunities that were so highly talked about throughout the nation during this time. Their opinions of America were quickly changed because of treatment they went through every day. The people who had lived in America all their lives experience cultural shock, the overwhelming of newly introduced cultures, and began to form ideas of nativism. This means they were narrow-minded towards anyone, especially the immigrants, who was not originally from
their country. Even the government intervened when the Chinese began to “overpopulate” the West and resulted in the Chinese Exclusion Act which limited the immigration of the Chinese. Also, when immigrants would arrive at Ellis Island in New York, they would eagerly set out to find jobs and new homes for their families. They then realized the jobs were absurd and impractical because of the long work hour, low wages, sanitation, and dangerous workplace. At that point, they were forced to accept them because they were too poor to do anything else. Also, the living conditions given along with their jobs were very shabby and crammed. These factors contributed to the immigrant’s experience as they were sadly mistaken of the land of “opportunities”. The absence of democracy was also a huge predicament during the “Gilded Age” because they were promised a true democracy and the government failed to do so.
The huge companies controlled by robber barons overruled the rest of the population by creating blacklists and scabs to prevent the low-class workers from being noticed by the government. The African-Americans are another example of how their freedom and promises were neglected. Even though they were supposed to be treated equally, most Americans did everything they could to prevent this from happening. They invented the grandfather clauses and literacy tests to enable the black men from voting which separated them even more from being true citizens. Political machines in cities would influence the workers voting by promising them jobs and other perks if they would, in turn, vote for them. This corrupted government as well as disappointed the workers because, more often than not, the benefits they were once excited about were not what they perceived. As you can see, the people of America were often let down by their country giving America yet another example of the illusion of the “Gilded
Age”. Lastly, the West greatly influenced the idea of the “Gilded Age”. The Native Americans, who were first occupying the land of the West, were forced out of the territory into reservations, which are designated places for the Indians. Americans also thought it would be more “humane” to simply assimilate the Indian’s culture into their own. Another example of the problems of the West includes the poverty that was associated to it. For example, the people who intended on prospering off farming were sadly mistaken when they realized the lands dry conditions. At that point, they were left with immense amounts of land and no way to utilize it. Another factor contributing to the West includes mining and the towns that resulted from them. When gold was found in a new area, people would abandon their towns and flee to that area. This left many ghost towns and didn’t help with the growth of the West. As you can tell, the West was not what it was set out to be which supports to the idea of the “Gilded Age”. In conclusion, you can see why Mark Twain nicknamed America the “Gilded Age” during the 1800s; this idea is supported significantly by the experience of immigrants, the absence of democracy, and the West.

This is one of the many mansions built by the wealthy, selfish robber barons during the “Gilded Age”.