New spirits : Americans in the gilded age : 1865-1905

New Spirits: Americans in the Gilded Age, 1865-1905 provides a fascinating look at one of the most crucial chapters in U.S. history. Rejecting the stereotype of a "Gilded Age" dominated by "robber barons," author Rebecca Edwards invites us to look more closely at the period when the United States became a modern industrial nation and asserted its place as a leader on the world stage. Employing a concise, engaging narrative, Edwards recounts the contradictions of the era, including stories of tragedy and injustice alongside tales of humor, endurance, and triumph. She offers a balanced perspective that considers a number of different viewpoints, including those of native-born Anglos, Native Americans, African Americans, and an array of Asian, Mexican, and European immigrants. Beginning with Emancipation and ending with the first deployment of U.S. troops overseas, New Spirits traces the roots of today's diverse and conflicted nation. Organized around major themes, the text consists of three parts. Opening with the legacies of the Civil War, Part I focuses on the era's political and economic transformations. Part II explores upheavals in family life, scientific thought, and religious faith. Part III follows the depression of the 1890s and its aftermath. The book reveals a world of hopeful immigrants and striving professionals; generations in conflict with one another; a new West and South; and religious, political, intellectual, and sexual experimentation. Offering a fresh, sweeping narrative, New Spirits is ideal for readers seeking an introduction to this critical epoch, and for undergraduate and graduate courses on the Gilded Age, the Progressive Era, and 20th-century U.S. history. New Spirits: Americans in the Gilded Age, 1865-1905 provides a fascinating look at one of the most crucial chapters in U.S. history. Rejecting the stereotype of a "Gilded Age" dominated by "robber barons," author Rebecca Edwards invites us to look more closely at the period when the United States became a modern industrial nation and asserted its place as a leader on the world stage. Employing a concise, engaging narrative, Edwards recounts the contradictions of the era, including stories of tragedy and injustice alongisde tales of humor, endurance, and triumph. She offers a balanced perspective that considers a number of different viewpoints, including those of native-born Anglos, Native Americans, African Americans, and an array of Asian, Mexican, and European immigrants. Beginning with Emancipation and ending with the first deployment of U.S. troops overseas, New Spirits traces the roots of today's diverse and conflicted nation. The book reveals a world of hopeful immigrants and striving professionals; generations in conflict with one another; a new West and South; and religious, political, intellectual, and sexual experimentation. Offering a fresh, sweeping narrative, New Spirits is ideal for readers seeking an introduction to this critical epoch, and for undergraduate and graduate courses on the Gilded Age, the Progressive Era, and twentieth-century U.S. history. Table of Contents Introduction: Democratic Vistas Part I: The Wedge 1 An Uneasy Peace NEW GOVERNMENT POWERS THE STRUGGLE FOR CONTROL OF THE SOUTH FREEDMEN AND THE POSTWAR ECONOMY FOR FURTHER READING 2 Reach PALEOTECHNOLOGY REDEFINING SPACE AND TIME FOR FURTHER READING 3 Work BLUE COLLARS AND APRONS WHITE COLLARS AND SHIRTWAISTS FOR FURTHER READING 4 Money WALL STREET AND WASHINGTON CONSUMER APPETITES THE PROBLEM OF PECUNIARY STANDARDS FOR FURTHER READING Part II: The Exchange 5 Youth OUTSIDERS INSIDERS A MODERN YOUTH CULTURE FOR FURTHER READING 6 Sex WIVES AND HUSBANDS BACHELORS AND INDEPENDENT WOMEN FOR FURTHER READING 7 Science EVOLUTION TECHNOLOGY AND CORPORATE CAPITALISM THE PROMISE OF MEDICINE PROGRESS OR APOCALYPSE? FOR FURTHER READING 8 Faith GLOBAL MISSIONS ROOTS OF FUNDAMENTALISM AND LIBERALISM NATURE AND FAITH FOR FURTHER READING Part III: The Fires 9 A State of War INCORPORATION IN THE WEST LABOR, RACE, AND VIOLENCE FOR FURTHER READING 10 Cooperative Dreams THE OTHER HALF THE THIRD EARTHQUAKE FOR FURTHER READING 11 Executive Powers IMPERIAL CLAIMS GLOBAL LEVIATHANS FOR FURTHER READING Epilogue: The Partridges and the Hippopotamus FOR FURTHER READING Questions for Discussion Index During the Gilded Age, as the later 19th century in America has become known, the former rural republic had become an industrialized nation and a power in the world. 'New Spirits' describes a pivotal era in the history of the United States