The Gilded Age: PBS American Experience: 19th c. Robber Barons & Workers

[appalachiablue]

Last edited Fri Sep 3, 2021, 02:52 PM - Edit history (1)

'I can hire one half of the working class to kill the other half.' ~ Jay Gould, Robber Baron railroad tycoon.

Meet the elite of the lavishly wealthy Gilded Age — and the struggling workers who challenged them.
Learn more about our documentary, THE GILDED AGE, including where to watch the full film: https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexpe...2018.

- The Gilded Age, GILDED IS NOT GOLDEN. PBS Film Description

In the closing decades of the 19th c., during what has become known as the Gilded Age, the population of the U.S. doubled in the span of a single generation. The nation became the world’s leading producer of food, coal, oil, & steel, attracted vast amounts of foreign investment, & pushed into markets in Europe & the Far East. As national wealth expanded, 2 classes rose simultaneously, separated by a gulf of experience & circumstance that was unprecedented in American life. These disparities sparked passionate & violent debate over questions still being asked in our own times: How is wealth best distributed, & by what process? Does government exist to protect private property or provide balm to the inevitable casualties of a churning industrial system? Should the government concern itself chiefly with economic growth or economic justice?.. More, https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/films/gilded-age/
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- Wiki, The Gilded Age. In U.S. history, the Gilded Age was an era that occurred during the late 19th c. from the 1870s to about 1900. It was an era of rapid economic growth, especially in the Northern & Western U.S. As wages grew much higher than those in Europe, especially for skilled workers, the period saw an influx of millions of European immigrants. The rapid expansion of industrialization led to a real wage growth of 60%, between 1860-1890, & spread across the ever-increasing labor force. The ave. annual wage per industrial worker (incl. men, women, & children) rose from $380 in 1880, to $564 in 1890, a gain of 48%. The Gilded Age was also an era of abject poverty & inequality, as millions of immigrants—many from impoverished regions—poured into the U.S. & the high concentration of wealth became more visible & contentious. Railroads were the major growth industry, with the factory system, mining, & finance increasing in importance. Labor unions became increasingly important in the rapidly growing industrial cities... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gilded_Age



- Jay Gould, right, in 1855. - Jason Gould (May 27, 1836 – Dec. 2, 1892) American railroad magnate & financial speculator who is generally identified as one of the Robber barons of the Gilded Age. His sharp & often unscrupulous business practices made him one of the wealthiest men of the late 19th century. Gould was an unpopular figure during his life & remains controversial...https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jay_Gould

[Uncle Joe]

1. Kicked and recommended.

Thanks for the thread appalachiablue.

[love_katz]

2. K & R!

We have our current crop of robber barons. They never really went away.

[appalachiablue]

3. Correct, they never left.

[BigmanPigman]

4. I watched The Men Who Built America

on the History Channel I think. I liked the ending of the series when Carnegie ended up giving most of his money away before he died. Rockefeller and another equally rich zillionaire wanted to beat Carnegie and they both started giving all of their fortunes away, a 180° turn, and it became a challenge between both men.