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Post-Civil War DBQ

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The post-Civil War, also known as the extended period that came to be known as the Gilded Age, was largely centered around and influenced by big business and corporations. The newfound efficiency of resources and mass production resulted in a wide variety of available products but also a wide divide between classes and a misdistribution of power that led to the forming of unions and passing of anti-trust legislation. Big business employed money and power to control and manipulate the economy and politics to their own advantage through dishonest means and exploitation of poor immigrants. Americans such as Samuel Gompers worked on the creation of different labor unions to protect the common people and authors such as Jacob Riis and Stephen …show more content…

Document A is an article by George E. McNeill which touches upon how the railroad companies have a lot of power in both government and the people. This shows how big businesses had the power to control government and the legislative bodies therefore are able to decide the political leaders who win. George E. McNeil was a labor leader who would be bias towards the treatment of workers and would be bias against big businesses due to the fact that they treat workers poorly. During this time there was these businesses that would be called sweat shops due to their poor hours and bad treatment. Then document C is an illustration of “the Bosses of the Senate” by Joseph Keppler depicting large business people in the shape of money bags with small hard working people below. This shows how big businesses have taken over the Senate by controlling them through money so every law made would benefit business. This illustration was made by most likely a poor hard worker who realizes the corruption that is taking place in the government through monopolies and wanted to let his/her audience see the truth behind their government. Then document D is an article by the People’s Party Platform on how the country would prosper through the power of the government and how the power of the people should be expanded. This shows how the Populist Party was dedicated to political …show more content…

Document F was an article by George Rice saying how badly he was treated and how he was a victim of Rockefeller’s business. This shows how big businesses are destroying small businesses in order to monopolize and how government needs to step in to help small businesses against unjust practices. This changes the economy because if there is only one business selling a product with a high demand then that company can make their prices as high as they want. This makes big businesses even more powerful because there will always be a demand for their products. George Rice was a worker of Rockefeller who received bad treatment by him making anything he says bias against big companies. His audience was the people of New York in which he was hoping to inform about the unjust treatment of Rockefeller’s workers. Document G is a picture that shows women all dressed the same doing the same job of typing. This shows how with technology came new opportunities and jobs available for women meaning that there is a new and even cheaper work force. Economically, women can now be hired for even less than immigrants meaning that a new work force is now available for the big businesses to hire making everyone easily replaceable. Big businesses could now make even more of a profit with this new unskilled labor force which changes the economy drastically in their

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