6.10 Reform in the Gilded Age

The rapid economic and social changes of the Gilded Age generated a wide array of reform movements that sought to mitigate the excesses of industrial capitalism. Reformers confronted the growing inequalities of wealth, the corruption of politics, and the degradation of labor. The Social Gospel and settlement house movement embodied the moral response of the middle class to the suffering of the poor. They emphasized social responsibility and the application of Christian ethics to modern industrial society. Jane Addams and other reformers established community centers that provided education and public health programs, laying the foundation for modern social work.