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South Berwick Public Library

South Berwick Public Library

South Berwick Public Library
27 Young Street - South Berwick, ME 03908 - (207) 384-3308
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1870-1895: The Gilded Age

Background Information:

The Gilded Age was an era that occurred from the 1870s to about 1900. It was an era of rapid economic growth, especially in the Northern and Western United States. As American wages grew much higher than those in Europe the period saw an increase of millions of European immigrants. Conversely, the Gilded Age was also an era of abject poverty and inequality, as millions of immigrants, many from impoverished regions, poured into the United States, and the high concentration of wealth became more visible and contentious. Railroads were the major growth industry, with the factory system, mining, and finance increasing in importance. Immigration from Europe, and the eastern states, led to the rapid growth of the West, based on farming, ranching, and mining. Labor unions became increasingly important in the rapidly growing industrial cities. Two major nationwide depressions—the Panics of 1873 and 1893—interrupted growth and caused social and political upheavals. The South, after the Civil War, remained economically devastated; its economy became increasingly tied to commodities, cotton, and tobacco production, which suffered from low prices.

With the end of the Reconstruction era in 1877, African-American people in the South were stripped of
political power and voting rights, and were left economically disadvantaged. The dominant issues were cultural  and economic. With the rapid growth of cities, political machines increasingly took control
of urban politics. In business, powerful nationwide trusts formed in some industries. Unions crusaded for the eight-hour working day, and the abolition of child labor; middle class reformers demanded civil service reform, prohibition of liquor and beer, and women’s suffrage. Local governments across the North and West built public schools chiefly at the elementary level; public high schools started to emerge.

Religious denominations were growing in membership and wealth, with Catholicism becoming the largest. They all expanded their missionary activity to the world arena. Catholics, Lutherans, and Episcopalians set up religious schools and the larger of those set up numerous colleges, hospitals, and charities. Many of the problems faced by society, especially the poor, gave rise to attempted reforms in the subsequent Progressive Era.

The following is a list of the most recognizable works from these years:

Tent Life in Siberia: An Incredible Account of Siberian Adventure, Travel, and Survival by George Kannan (1870)

Tent Life in Siberia: An Incredible Account of Siberian Adventure, Travel, and Survival by George Kennan

What Katy Did by Susan Coolidge (1872)

What Katy Did - Wikipedia

Work: A Story of Experience by Louisa May Alcott (1872)

Work: A Story of Experience by Louisa May Alcott

Ferdinand De Soto, the Discoverer of the Mississippi by John S.C. Abbott (1873)

Ferdinand de Soto. The discoverer of the Mississippi (1873). By: John S. C. Abbott: Soto, Hernando de, ca. 1500-1542, Florida, History Spanish exploration to 1565: Abbott, John S. C.: 9781978247949: Amazon.com: Books

Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain (1884)

Mark Twain, Huckleberry Finn, and how to sell a banned book | Library of America

The Bostonians by Henry James (1886)

The Bostonians by Henry James

Poems by Emily Dickinson (1890)

List of Emily Dickinson poems - Wikiwand

How the Other Half Lives by Jacob Riis (1890)

How the Other Half Lives: Studies Among the Tenements of New York (College Ed., 100+ endnotes): The Definitive College Edition with 100+ Electronic Endnotes - Kindle edition by Riis, Jacob, Cox, Kenyon,

The Red Badge of Courage by Stephen Crane (1895)

The Red Badge of Courage - Wikipedia

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Library Hours

Tuesday 10:00-5:00
Wednesday 10:00-7:00
Friday 1:00-5:00
Saturday 10:00-1:00
Closed Sundays & Mondays & Thursdays

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200 years of Maine! Take a look at the history of books, curated by the Friends of the South Berwick Library

200 Years of Popular Books and Libraries

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Library Hours

Tuesday 10:00-5:00
Wednesday 10:00-7:00
Friday 1:00-5:00
Saturday 10:00-1:00
Closed Sundays & Mondays & Thursdays

Search Our Catalog

Catalog Search

South Berwick Public Library

27 Young Street
South Berwick, ME 03908
(207) 384-3308

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