From Industrial Revolution To The Gilded Age Essay

From Industrial Revolution to the Gilded Age The American Industrial Revolution, and Reconstruction set in motion great changes to the nation. The Industrial Revolution brought about problems for the lower class, while reconstruction created a power struggle for people in the south.
The labor movement and the Granger movement were two sides of the same coin. As the industrial revolution made commodities cheaper to make, industrial workers were paid lower wages. The farmers, albeit for different reasons were also trapped with low revenues (Openstax, 596). Although the concept of supply and demand is something today’s five year olds can understand easily, farmers at the time did not understand it. Farmers’ overproduction lowered the price for crops, thus
minimizing their returns. Eventually, farmers and factory workers grew tired of the two political parties and their inability to do anything to help them. From these groups of people grew the Populist party (Openstax, 600).
The populist party wanted the government to move from the gold standard to the silver standard, so that their money could be worth more. They also wanted to end to the national bank system, to directly elect US. senators, and create a federal income tax, as well as government controlled railroads. To the populists, the banks, big businessmen, and railroad owners were the cause of their demise (Openstax, 600). The populist party was successful in small scales. More notably in Kansas, Nebraska, and the Dakotas, but when it came to a national level, despite large support - for a third party - the populist party couldn't garner enough votes to win the presidency (Openstax, 601). While the industry giants were making tons of money, the farmers and factory workers were stuck with long hours and low pay. For the people working menial jobs, the principle that, “all people are created equal and that they are endowed. . .with life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness?” did not correlate at all with their situation. From the perspective of someone that had to work long, exhausting hours to be barely able to pay for rent, they were no equals to the Andrew Carnegies of the day who had all the time to pursue happiness.
In the time immediately after the war, any state that had not met requirements to be let back into the union was occupied by a standing army.
During reconstruction, the south began to pass a series of “black codes”, or laws which were discriminatory at least, and were designed to impede african americans from functioning within society. Through these black codes, african americans found it difficult to vote, hold office, and sometimes lease or own land (Openstax, 468). Programs like The Freedmen's Bureau were established to help black people find labor contracts. On the other hand, groups like the Ku Klux Klan also formed. The KKK wanted to take back control of political power and did so with fear tactics. Aside from killing and intimidating black people, they did the same to white political opponents (Openstax, 480). Another group of people the KKK strongly disliked were “carpetbaggers.” Carpetbaggers were northern businessmen who traveled south in search of wealth and power (Openstax, 480). Essentially, during reconstruction, the south became a battleground to the southerners. The now freed african americans and northerners traveling to the south were perceived as a threat to the southerners grasp on
power.