In order to know if a country is in its golden age, you need to know about its future, specifically whether or not it will perform worse than it currently does.
C) New settlers arrived at a steady rate and the population increased gradually
South Carolina
South Carolina seceded from the Union after the announcement of Lincoln winning the 1860 election.
South Carolina believed Lincoln as president was dire and seceded from the Union first. South Carolina took Fort Sumter being within their border. Lincoln viewed this as a hostile action and would be considered the first battle of the Civil War.
Privatization of state industries, autarky (self-sufficiency), and tariffs on imports were some thing Hitler implemented in Nazi Germany. This helped raise wages significantly at the time.