Heimler’s History: The Rise of the Middle Class during the Gilded Age

Introduction

• Focus on Unit 6 of the AP U.S. History curriculum
• Previous videos discussed social effects of industrialization and immigration
• Current topic: Development of the middle class in America during the Gilded Age

Business Innovations and Middle Class Emergence

• Business Structure Changes:
  • Large corporations divided into three layers:
    • Executives (top)
    • Middle Managers (middle, known as white-collar workers)
    • Laborers (bottom)
• Growth of White-Collar Jobs:
  • Managerial roles increased
  • Supporting roles like accountants, legal services, healthcare grew
  • Clerical jobs expanded, with a significant number of women entering workforce
  • Introduction of typewriter facilitated women in clerical roles
  • Women also hired as teachers

Rise of the Middle Class

• Economic Status:
  • Not wealthy enough to be elite, nor poor enough to be working class
  • Middle class wages increased more than working class
  • Shorter working days
• Leisure Activities:
  • Increase in leisure time and disposable income
  • Development of amusement parks, e.g., Coney Island
  • Popularity of P.T. Barnum’s circuses, baseball, and American football

Philanthropy and the Gospel of Wealth

• Andrew Carnegie’s Influence:
  • Belief in reinvesting wealth into society
  • Aim to reduce gap between rich and poor
  • Hard work as a path to wealth
  • Investments in cultural institutions like libraries, universities, concert halls
• Impact on Society:
  • Opportunities for lower classes to move into middle class
• Other Philanthropists:
  • Phoebe Apperson Hearst:
    • Supported women’s suffrage movement
    • Advocated for equal education opportunities across classes
    • Established schools for educating the poor at the same level as the elite

Conclusion

• Summary of Unit 6 Topic 10
• Encouragement to subscribe for more help in AP US History exam preparation
• Sign-off: "Heimler out."