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Development of the MIDDLE CLASS [APUSH Review Unit 6 Topic 10] Period 6: 1865-1898
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Development of the MIDDLE CLASS [APUSH Review Unit 6 Topic 10] Period 6: 1865-1898

The Rise of the Middle Class in America

Overview of Industrialization and Immigration Effects

  • The video discusses the social effects of industrialization and immigration during Unit 6 of the AP U.S. History curriculum, focusing on the emergence of a new middle class in America.

Changes in Business Structure During the Gilded Age

  • The Gilded Age saw significant changes in business practices, particularly with large corporations adopting a three-layer structure: executives at the top, laborers at the bottom, and a new managerial layer in between.
  • Middle managers became known as white-collar workers due to their professional attire and lack of manual labor involvement. This growth led to an increase in support roles such as accountants and clerical workers.

Women's Roles in the Workforce

  • The introduction of the typewriter allowed many women to enter the workforce as typists, contributing to their growing presence in clerical jobs. Additionally, women were increasingly hired as teachers during this period.

Characteristics of the New Middle Class

  • The emerging middle class earned enough income to rise above working-class status but not enough to be considered part of the elite upper class. Their wages increased more sharply than those of lower classes, leading to shorter workdays.
  • With excess time and money, middle-class individuals engaged more in leisure activities; notable developments included Coney Island's amusement parks and rising popularity for spectator sports like baseball and American football.

Philanthropy and Social Responsibility

Andrew Carnegie’s Gospel of Wealth

  • Philanthropy among wealthy individuals was influenced by Andrew Carnegie's "Gospel of Wealth," which argued that rich individuals had a duty to reinvest their wealth into society rather than passing it down through generations.
  • Carnegie believed that hard work leads to wealth; thus, he focused on creating opportunities for self-improvement rather than providing direct handouts.

Impact on Society

  • Carnegie invested his fortune into cultural institutions such as public libraries and universities aimed at reducing societal gaps between rich and poor.

Other Philanthropists

Playlists: APUSH Review Unit 6
Video description

GET FOLLOW-ALONG NOTEGUIDES for this video: https://bit.ly/3NUwwmj AP HEIMLER REVIEW GUIDE (formerly known as the Ultimate Review Packet): +APUSH Heimler Review Guide: https://bit.ly/44p4pRL +AP Essay CRAM Course (DBQ, LEQ, SAQ Help): https://bit.ly/3XuwaWN +Bundle Heimler Review Guide and Essay CRAM Course: https://bit.ly/46tjbZo HEIMLER’S HISTORY MERCH! https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_bOoi0e3L3SJ1xx5TZWHPw/store Instagram: @heimlers_history For more videos on APUSH Unit 6, check out the playlist: https://bit.ly/2XjdoTP In this video Heimler takes you through Unit 6 Topic 10 of the AP U.S. History curriculum which is set in period 6 (1865-1898). During the Gilded Age, the rapid expansion of industry meant a new hierarchy for large corporations. Between the owners and the laborers, and new class of middle management workers, known as white collar workers, kept everything organized and running. Along with them came a flurry of new administrative and supportive roles, some of which offered women an expanded role in the workplace. The expansion of middle management (along with other factors) led to the rise of the middle class in America. And these folks had enough discretionary income to insert themselves into a leisure culture, a desire met by theme parks like Coney Island and P.T. Barnum's traveling circus. But the elite also played a role in the rise of the middle class. Wealthy men and women like Andrew Carnegie and Phoebe Apperson Hearst complied with the dictates of the Gospel of Wealth and provided society with institutions by which the poor could better themselves and, perhaps, rise into the middle class. If you have any questions, leave them below and Heimler shall answer forthwithly. This video is aligned with the AP U.S. History Curriculum and Exam Description for Unit 6 Topic 10, and all the key concepts thereunto appertaining.