The “Gilded Age” a term that was derived from Mark Twain’s book entitled “The Gilded Age” this was also the period after the Civil War. It was a period of economic development, growth of industrialization, and corruption. This period revolves on urban political machines – an organization that as used by politicians to gain power and stay in power. One famous political machine was Tammany Hall which dominated the Democratic party. Political machines were corrupt, based on the description given by George Plunkitt in his book “Plunkitt in Tammany Hall” he stated “Why don't reformers last in politics? Because they are amateurs and you must be a pro. Politicians do not have to steal to make a living because a crook is a fool and a politician can become a millionaire through ‘honest graft’. These machines also provided services to the poor people and immigrants. Due to the expansion of the industrial market, there was an immigration influx of Europeans in the country. This was also an opportunity used by the machines to stay in power by creating jobs and earning popularity. This period also highlighted the start of labor unions as an effect of the rise of workforce coming in the United States.
Challenges to Order: Immigration: This cartoon is showing immigrants and Uncle Sam on the podium. During the Gilded Age, immigration influx occurred due to the development of railroads, steel, and the industrial industry. The demand for workers became higher in order to support the need for production. Looking at the image closely, there is also a highlight of the places where these immigrants came from, Russian Anarchist, German Socialist, Polish Vagabond, English Convicts and Irish Paupers. Going back in history, from the foundation of the New World which is now America, the immigrating people from England were poor white men looking for opportunities to succeed and own property. Based on the illustration, most of the immigrating people were also poor and are men. Immigration brought laborers in the United States which constituted in making the rapid growth of industrialization possible. Most of the immigrants that came in took jobs in factories and agriculture. Until today, many industrial workers and farmers are made up of immigrants. Most of the popular infrastructures like the Rockefeller Center, were claimed to be built by Irish immigrants.
I believe that this image promotes a strong political statement on the description of our country that was ‘built on immigrants’. Because first, our country was a land of opportunity for Europeans in the early 1600’s and continues to be one today. With the help of immigrants, our country revolutionized and evolved to become one of the strongest industrialized country in the world. What also makes the United States stand out among other nations is because of diversity and the collaboration of people from different cultures.
If this image will be used today, looking at current events on our country’s immigration issues, I believe that this image will provide a strong statement to show how our country started and evolved. Even with the surplus of manpower, it has created faster production, railroads were built which helped with trade from coast-to-coast. Because of these the United States economy grew and became an industrial superpower.
Challenge to Whiteness: Response to Immigration: One of the reasons Europeans immigrated to the United States is to seek refuge and to find better opportunities. It was a give and take situation when it came to that matter in this country. Immigrants find home – companies get workers. The second image depicts working immigrants and also immigrants coming in the country. It was showing immigrants building a wall and on the bricks they were carrying, the words “un-American”, “competition”, “jealousy”, “anti-low wages”, and “law against race” were written. These words represent the challenges immigrants were facing during the Gilded Age. Because of the growing corruption, business owners see the influx of immigration as an opportunity to maximize the manpower these people can offer but at the same time, immigrant workers were treated poorly. Unlike today, migrant workers in the Gilded Era were not compensated well because most of them were unskilled and undocumented laborers. Thomas Hobbes, an English philosopher described these experiences as “bed life in nature as poor, solitary, nasty, brutish, short—and for many workers that was the case.”
In connection to today’s modern politics, this cartoon speaks well of what is going on in the United States. With the new immigration policies and how immigrants are criticized and criminalized for simply being immigrants. I believe that this image will create a strong stance in what is going on today. There is a parallel connection in current immigrant situation and the Gilded Age. Let us debunk and connect the words written on the image and compare them to the current time.
Un-American – or un-Constitutional these are words that we can hear politicians use a lot these days. What does it mean to be American in the first place? Basing this phrase “American” based on my outlook means diversity and the respect for the Constitution. Giving “We the People” and opportunity. Protecting citizens and being a nation that is welcoming because America is a nation of immigrants.
Competition – a high competition when it comes to jobs. During the Gilded Age, there is also a strong competition when it comes to finding jobs, like today. Before the migrant workers that are coming in the country were unskilled laborers, however, some are educated – some are not. These days, you need to have an experience and an educational degree in order to find a job.
Jealousy – how can we see jealousy in today’s society? Jealousy over who gets the jobs. I have heard during the recent elections the phrase “immigrants take the jobs of Americans”. I believe that immigrants came in this country also because of the country’s need for people to work in farms and factories. As an immigrant myself, I cannot bear to hear this phrase simply because of the fact that we also work hard to get to where we are now. Nothing is being handed in a silver platter. On the contrary, immigrants are still not treated the same as white American employees. Starting from equal wage, and equal benefits. There is no equality when it comes to these matters.
Anti-Low Wages – everyone deserves to be compensated correctly – these are how modern society thinks, however, during the Gilded Age, “labor was seen as a commodity” and follows the economy’s supply and demand. David Ricardo’s theory “The Iron Law of Wages” stated “If wages are raised, more children will be produced; they will go into the market place and reduce the value of labor. The result will be that fewer children will be born, wages will rise, and the cycle will repeat. Thus wages always work toward minimum level” thus the idea of social Darwinism emerged. During this period, people work in order to survive day by day and to make ends meet this is what social Darwinism is about, the survival of the fittest. Because of the oppression and unjust treatment migrant workers experienced, the Labor Unions were organized in order to have a voice and be heard. These movements carried on until today and many American workers benefit from having a union that represents them and have their voices heard.
Law Against Race – there was racial segregation during the Gilded Age. Since the Civil War just ended, many African Americans fled from the South and went North to find jobs and to escape poverty because people were characterized by their race and color during this period. In 1882, a ban of Chinese Immigrants was passed because of the influx of Chinese laborers after the Gold Rush. The Executive Order 9066 signed in 1942 an order that placed all Japanese citizens and people with Japanese ancestry living in the United States in internment camps as a result of the bombing of the Pearl Harbor. 2017, the Executive Order 13769 Protecting the Nation from Foreign Terrorist Entry into the United States or simply known as the “Muslim Ban” was signed by Donald Trump bans entry from Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, and Yemen
I believe that what makes the United States great is the diverse cultures surrounding this country, and I think that this is what unites us.
These images contained meaningful messages of what helped build and make the United States a powerful nation. The immigration in the United States should not be looked at negatively but should be seen as a strength of this country. Overall, compared to the other sets of cartoon editorials, these two images go hand in hand. They are the cause and effect images of immigration in our country. Dealing with the current situation targeting immigrant families today, it feels like our country has forgotten how this nation was built. It was also mentioned on a research that “immigrants – including the poor, uneducated ones coming from south of the border — have a big positive impact on the economy over the long run, bolstering the profitability of American firms, reducing the prices of some products and services by providing employers with a new labor source and creating more opportunities for investment and jobs”.
In conclusion, immigrants helped boost the United States economy by being in the forefront of the workforce system. It was estimated by economist Giovani Perri that “the wave of immigrants that entered the United States from 1990 to 2007 increased national income per worker by about $5,400 a year on average, in 2007 dollars. He also concluded that the wave had a small positive impact on the average wage of American workers, by lifting the overall economy. If immigrants hurt anyone, it was the previous cohort of immigrants, with whom they most directly compete in the labor market.” Immigrants are not taking away jobs; they are filling the jobs American citizens left.