The Gilded Age & Westward Expansion
Aligned to C3.D2.His.2 — C3 Framework for Social Studies State Standards.
What this lesson teaches
Between the 1870s and 1900, huge corporations in steel, oil, and railroads created enormous fortunes while many workers labored long hours for low pay. As settlers, miners, and railroads pushed west, the U.S. government forced Native nations onto reservations and broke up their lands.
Worked example
In 1892, steelworkers at Andrew Carnegie's Homestead plant near Pittsburgh went on strike over wage cuts; the company hired armed Pinkerton guards, and the battle that followed left workers and guards dead. That same era saw the 1890 massacre of Lakota people at Wounded Knee.
Practice questions
- What industries produced the great fortunes of the Gilded Age?
- Explain why workers formed labor unions during this period.
- Analyze how railroad expansion benefited industry while harming Native nations.
Watch the lesson
Every lesson comes with a video taught in English and Spanish — the same video the QR code in the printed workbook opens.
▶ Watch this lessonEn español
La Edad Dorada y la expansión hacia el Oeste
Entre la década de 1870 y 1900, grandes corporaciones del acero, el petróleo y los ferrocarriles crearon enormes fortunas mientras muchos trabajadores laboraban largas jornadas por bajos salarios. A medida que colonos, mineros y ferrocarriles avanzaban hacia el Oeste, el gobierno de EE. UU. obligó a las naciones indígenas a vivir en reservas y fragmentó sus tierras.
Ejemplo: En 1892, los obreros del acero de la planta Homestead de Andrew Carnegie, cerca de Pittsburgh, se declararon en huelga por recortes salariales; la empresa contrató guardias armados de Pinkerton y la batalla que siguió dejó muertos entre obreros y guardias. Esa misma época vio la masacre de 1890 del pueblo lakota en Wounded Knee.
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