Gilded Age
Definition
The Gilded Age (1870s-1900) was a period in US history marked by rapid economic growth, particularly in the North and West. However, it was also characterized by severe social problems, such as inequality and corruption.
Analogy
Think of the Gilded Age like a shiny gold-plated ring. From afar, it looks glamorous and valuable with its rapid industrialization and economic growth. But upon closer inspection, you see that beneath the gilding are serious issues like corruption and social inequality - just like how a gold-plated ring isn't solid gold all the way through.
Related terms
Robber Barons: These were powerful 19th-century American businessmen who used unethical methods to get rich.
Industrial Revolution: This was a period of major industrialization that took place during the late 1700s and early 1800s. It had significant effects on every aspect of life in America.
Progressive Era: This era (1896–1916) was a period of widespread social activism and political reform across the United States that aimed to eliminate problems caused by industrialization, urbanization, immigration, and political corruption.
"Gilded Age" appears in:
Subjects (1)
Study guides (8)
AP US History - 6.2 Westward Expansion: Economic Development
AP US History - 6.7 Labor in the Gilded Age
AP US History - 6.8 Immigration and Migration
AP US History - 6.9 Responses to Immigration
AP US History - 6.10 Development of the Middle Class
AP US History - 6.12 Controversies over the Role of Government
AP US History - 6.14 Continuity and Change in Period 6
AP US History - 7.4 The Progressives
Additional resources (1)
Practice Questions (20+)
The production of goods during the Gilded Age
During the Gilded Age, the United States became a
Robber barons such as ____ became massively rich during the Gilded Age.
What happened to child labor in the Gilded Age?
What happened to the gap between the poor and the rich during the Gilded Age?
Where did the US NOT exert influence during the Gilded Age?
Third parties that appeared during the Gilded Age included
What caused industry to change over the course of the Gilded Age in the United States?
What changed in the Western US over the course of the Gilded Age?
What remained the same in the western US over the course of the Gilded Age?
What was a cause of changes in the attitudes of farmers in the Gilded Age?
What was a result of the change in government between the Gilded Age and Reconstruction in the South?
What was a cause of Gilded Age urban culture?
Why was local labor and commerce steadily replaced by large-scale labor forces during the Gilded Age?
What was a short-lived socioeconomic change in the West during the Gilded Age?
What was a similarity in the West to the time period leading up to the Gilded Age?
What was a primary cause of the growth of the Western population and the Western economy in the Gilded Age?
Why were local labor and commerce steadily replaced by large-scale labor forces during the Gilded Age?
What changed with regards to federal opinions on the "Indian Country" west of the Mississippi during the Gilded Age?
Who were examples of Black reformers during the Gilded Age?
Resources
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