#AP US History: The Gilded Age - A Last-Minute Review 🚂

Hey there, future AP historian! Feeling the pressure? Don't worry, we've got this. This guide is designed to be your go-to resource for the Gilded Age, hitting all the key points you need to ace that exam. Let's dive in!

#1. The Gilded Age: An Overview

#1.1. Continuities and Changes in Government Role

• Continuities:
  • Promoting economic growth through infrastructure (like railroads) and territorial expansion.
  • Protecting American industry with tariffs on imports.
  • Regulating business (e.g., Sherman Antitrust Act).
• Changes:

  • Limited role in addressing social issues like poverty and labor rights.

  • Laissez-faire approach to the economy (hands-off).

  • Shift in railroad policy from support to regulation (Interstate Commerce Act).

#1.2. Context: Laissez-faire and Social Darwinism

• Laissez-faire: Minimal government intervention in the economy. The market should regulate itself.

• Social Darwinism: Competition is natural and beneficial, leading to the "survival of the fittest" in business.

• Many opposed government intervention, believing the economy would self-correct. 💡

• Government actions (land grants, tariffs, hard money) aimed to support business while maintaining a laissez-faire stance.

#2. Government Actions and Their Impacts

#2.1. Federal Land Grants

• Government Subsidies: Land grants to railroad companies to promote growth and development.
• Positive: Increased land value, mail delivery, troop transport.
• Negative:
  • Hasty, poor construction.
  • Corruption (bribes, insider profits).
  • Displacement of Native Americans and environme...