Students should learn the Gilded Age because it will help them understand people and the society, help them understand change, and help them make informed choices in the future. Once students explore the Gilded Age they will attain a better understanding of people such as immigrants, business owners, and reformers. Students will learn the diverse backgrounds that immigrants had at this time and how that has shaped the diversity that we have today. The cheap labor was vital for the rise of the robber barons/ titans of industry such as John Rockefeller and Andrew Carnegie. The way that these individuals went about business has shaped they way businesses are run today. With the effects of industrialization came social reform. There were individuals that suffered from industrialization and during this time we see the genesis of social reform as a backlash against industrialization.
Not only will the Gilded Age help students understand people and the society, but it will also help them understand change. Perhaps the biggest change that occurred during this time was an economic change. As a result of the Gilded Age, America’s economic system became capitalistic. In order to understand the capitalist economy that we have today, students must understand the origins of our capitalist economy. Another big change that helped America become what it is today is the technological innovations during this time. These innovations include the typewriter, electricity, and the telephone. In addition to the change in technology and economics, students will learn about the change of urbanization. They will analyze what made people move to the city and what the effects were of this change at the time and of today.
Lastly, students should learn about the Gilded Age because it will help make good choices in the future. As students grow into adulthood, they will have to find a job and work. Or, they can create/purchase their own business. By studying the Gilded Age, they will better understand what goes into owning their own business and come to a decision if that is what they would want to do. If they decide to create/purchase their own business they can apply the practice of efficiency that many of the business owners applied to their own businesses in the Gilded Age. On the other hand, students may make choices to change the status quo. Here in the Gilded Age, they will learn about the choices that other people made to challenge the status quo. By helping students understand people and the society, help them understand change, and help them make informed choices today and in the future, students should learn the Gilded Age.
Not only will the Gilded Age help students understand people and the society, but it will also help them understand change. Perhaps the biggest change that occurred during this time was an economic change. As a result of the Gilded Age, America’s economic system became capitalistic. In order to understand the capitalist economy that we have today, students must understand the origins of our capitalist economy. Another big change that helped America become what it is today is the technological innovations during this time. These innovations include the typewriter, electricity, and the telephone. In addition to the change in technology and economics, students will learn about the change of urbanization. They will analyze what made people move to the city and what the effects were of this change at the time and of today.
Lastly, students should learn about the Gilded Age because it will help make good choices in the future. As students grow into adulthood, they will have to find a job and work. Or, they can create/purchase their own business. By studying the Gilded Age, they will better understand what goes into owning their own business and come to a decision if that is what they would want to do. If they decide to create/purchase their own business they can apply the practice of efficiency that many of the business owners applied to their own businesses in the Gilded Age. On the other hand, students may make choices to change the status quo. Here in the Gilded Age, they will learn about the choices that other people made to challenge the status quo. By helping students understand people and the society, help them understand change, and help them make informed choices today and in the future, students should learn the Gilded Age.