Episode 5 - The Gilded Age

On the fifth episode of American History Too! we dive into a time period that, economic history aside, often gets lost in historical discussion – The Gilded Age. We parse out the main issues of the era such as the end of Reconstruction and the establishment of segregation in both North and South, the prevailing culture of corruption, and the inexorable rise of big business. We encounter colourful characters along the way, including Boss Tweed and the Molly Maguires, while Malcolm reveals his distaste for one of the Gilded Age’s shining lights (terrible pun intended), Thomas Edison. In case you were wondering who invented the modern world – it was all down to the Serbian Nikola Tesla. Also, find out what presidential election, according to Mark, featured the best named combatants in American History. All this and much more on this week’s American History Too! We hope you enjoy the podcast and we will be back in two weeks with a Christmas special. Remember to get in touch at @ahtoopodcast, @contestedground and @markmclay1985 Cheers, Mark and Malcolm Reading List Kevin Kenny, ‘The Molly Maguires in Popular Culture’, Journal of American Ethnic History, 14:4 (Summer, 1995), pp. 27-46 Richard Schneirov, ‘Thoughts on Periodizing the Gilded Age: Capital Accumulation, Society, and Politics, 1873-1898,’ Journal of the Gilded Age and Progressive Era 5:3 (July 2006) Nicolas Barreyre, ‘The Politics of Economic Crises: The Panic of 1873, the End of Reconstruction, and the Realignment of American Politics,’ The Journal of the Gilded Age and Progressive Era, 10:4 (Oct. 2011) Kenneth D. Ackerman, Boss Tweed: The Corrupt Pol Who Conceived the Soul of Modern New York (Carroll & Graf, 2005) Podcast Recommendation In Our Time on Social Darwinism - http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b03vgq1q