Category Archives: The Gilded Age

While reading an article from the Diplomatic History journal written by historian Marc-William Palen, I came across a term I had not seen before: Cobdenism. Apparently, Cobdenism originates from the ideologies of a British individual named Richard Cobden, who advocated free markets … Continue reading →

The Gilded Age allowed for rapid urbanization of American cities through wealth concentration and developing industrial technology. In an article from the journal Planning Perspectives, urban historian Domenic Vitellio examines the history of urban planning in the Gilded Age as it … Continue reading →

During the Gilded Age, immigration became a significant socioeconomic factor in the nation’s development, more so than in any time period before it. The period saw tremendous increases in the volume of immigrants, in their original locations and ethnic compositions, … Continue reading →

Wage-labor emerged as the primary characterization of the working class during the Industrial Age, a development most lower class workers were wholly unsatisfied with. Economic need, for one, is an obvious explanation as to this fact. But the divide between labor … Continue reading →

In his book The Incorporation of Modern America, Alan Trachtenberg explores the confrontation between labor and capital that occurred during the Gilded Age. As the Civil War ended and the Gilded Age began, Americans accepted and even welcomed industrialization on … Continue reading →

I’ve always had a bias against “big business” and dominating corporations in society. This is, I think, due to my left-leaning consciousness and the subtle biases present in most of my social studies classes against centralized economic power. But reading … Continue reading →