The Gilded Age is a period in American society (1870-1900) with rapid economic growth but also characterised by corruption, materialism, monopoly businesses and growing inequality. ... One of the defining elements of the Gilded Age was the railroad industry
In United States history, the Gilded Age was an era that occurred during the late 19th century, from the 1870s to about 1900. The Gilded Age was an era of rapid economic growth, especially in the Northern United States and the Western United States.
Characteristics
The period between 1870 and 1900 in the United States is known as the “Gilded Age” and was characterized by economic and industrial growth, increased political participation, immigration, and social reform.
Elements of the Gilded Age
Positive elements
Local authorities built schools and hospitals.
Towards the end of the ‘Gilded Age’ and early Twentieth Century, wealthy magnates turned philanthropists to fund libraries, schools, and hospitals. It was partly in response to the criticism directed at the monopolists who had become very wealthy.
US infrastructure. The rapid expansion created much of the infrastructure which would serve America throughout the early Twentieth Century, and even into the Twenty-First Century.
Negative elements
Poor industrial conditions. Workers in the industrial sector had little protection, and the rate of industrial accidents was very high. Companies offered little or no insurance for their workers who were caught up in serious accidents.
Social division. The rapid growth came at the cost of growing inequality, with workers seeing a growing divide between owners and workers.
Industrial unrest. Mass unemployment led to protests, such as the Tompkins Square Riot (1874) and the Haymarket massacre of 1886.
