Black Gold: Oil and Power in the Gilded Age
Topic Summary
In the Gilded Age, fortunes are made overnight, and destroyed just as quickly.
Picture this: railroad empires emerge across the country, elites compete for attention in glittering ballrooms, and oil discoveries spark extravagant new wealth. However, beneath all the glamour lies a volatile world driven by ambition, monopoly, and greed. This committee places delegates at the center of that world.
Delegates will step into the roles of railroad tycoons, financiers, oil speculators, and social elites as they navigate the tensions shaping late nineteenth-century America. From labor unrest and market manipulation to social sabotage and society-page scandals, every decision has the potential to shape industry and society.
As competition over railroads, oil, and western expansion intensifies, will the Gilded Age become a golden era of innovation, or collapse into corruption and chaos?
This committee offers delegates the opportunity to explore the historical infamy of the Gilded Age through crisis elements and thematic debate, where they will grapple with questions surrounding workers’ rights, social stratification, corporate monopolies, political corruption, and more.
Esteemed delegates,
I am beyond excited to welcome you to Oil and Power in the Gilded Age!
My name is Maya, and I am a sophomore in Mather House planning to concentrate in Government and Psychology, particularly interested in organizational psychology, authority structures, and game theory. Outside of academics, I work in the Harvard University Consulting Group, and in my free time, I make political cartoons and write slam poetry! You’ll find me drawing and writing at dusk and at dawn, at my desk and under my dining room table, and in the park and in coffee shops. Bonus points if your opening speech is a slam poem.
If you head 45 minutes west of Boston, you’ll run into lots of pine trees, family farms, coyotes, and this one box-store Target trying its best to maintain civilization. That’s where I grew up, and I’m a very proud New Englander. In high school, I competed in and served as President of our Model UN team. In fact, HMUN 2027 will be my fifth time at HMUN, from three-time delegate to director (they really couldn’t get rid of me if they tried). This conference holds an incredibly special place in my heart.
In our committee, we will navigate twists and turns through everything characteristic of the Gilded Age–excess, opulence, power, greed, sabotage, innovation, and more. I’m looking for excitement and creativity that reflects niche knowledge of the topic, and will place equal focus on the back and front room. Arrive on your toes and know that, come January, I’m so pumped to see what industrial-era drama you all stir up!
Warmly,
Maya
Director, Oil and Power and the Gilded Age
gildedage@harvardmun.org
Harvard Model United Nations 2027
Delegates,
Hello and welcome to the latest iteration of Harvard Model United Nations!
My name is August, a junior studying computer science and neuroscience here at Harvard. I originally hail from Chicago, Illinois (go Bears!) and have enjoyed participating in Model UN since my junior year of high school. I’m a member of the Intercollegiate Model UN team, and have staffed our high school and college conferences, both this year and last. Beyond MUN, I serve as a Technology Chair of The Harvard Crimson and delight in long hikes among the mountains of New Hampshire.
I am looking forward to having each one of you in committee. I trust you will bring your oratory and rhetorical genius to bear as you work within the committee to move your arc forward. Your time in committee will be—if our efforts are successful—fun, challenging, and a profound test of your abilities to work with others, inhabit history, and think on your feet.
We’re looking forward to welcoming you! Safe travels.
Best,
August Damiani
Crisis Director, Oil and Power in the Gilded Age
gildedage@harvardmun.org
Harvard Model United Nations 2027
