What you'll learn
Period 6 (1865–1898) — rapid industrialization and its social conflicts (~10–17%).
Industrialization & the Gilded Age
Big business and trusts (Carnegie, Rockefeller); laissez-faire ideology and Social Darwinism; vast wealth alongside poverty and corruption.
Labor
Unions (Knights of Labor, AFL) and strikes (Haymarket, Homestead, Pullman) responded to harsh conditions; usually defeated in this era.
Immigration & urbanization
New immigration (Southern/Eastern Europe, Asia) filled cities and factories; nativism rose (Chinese Exclusion Act, 1882). Political machines ran cities.
The West
Railroads, mining, and farming expanded settlement; Native nations were forced onto reservations (Dawes Act, 1887); the 'closing' of the frontier.
Farmers & Populism
Falling prices and debt spurred the Populist movement demanding reforms (regulation, free silver).
Key themes
- Industrial capitalism reshaping society and the West.
- Responses to inequality (labor, Populism).
Exam tips
- Link industrialization to labor, immigration, and Western change.
Common mistakes
- Ignoring the period's labor and farmer resistance.
- Treating Western expansion as benign.