Gilded Age
The Gilded Age is the name given to the period of economic prosperity in the USA that followed the War of Secession. The term Gilded Age was coined by Mark Twain and refers to the fact that this period was outwardly a time of economic prosperity and technological advancement. It refers to the fact that while this period was outwardly a time of economic boom and technological progress, it was also associated with great poverty, especially in the cities, and political corruption at all levels.
The beginning and end of the Gilded Age are fuzzy. The 1870s are considered the beginning of the period; often the end of Reconstruction after the War of Secession, marked by the withdrawal of Northern occupation forces from the Southern states in 1877, is taken as the starting point. The end of the period is considered to be the turn of the 20th century, when new political and social issues came to the fore. This period, until the U.S. entry into World War I in 1917, is referred to as the Progressive Era ("Progressive Era").
The Gilded Age was characterized by a large number of inventions. Between 1860 and 1890, over 500,000 new patents were filed, for example, for the telephone. This was ten times as many as in the previous 70 years.
Railroads replaced riverboats as the primary means of transportation, and the first transcontinental railroad opened in 1869.
The Gilded Age also saw the rise of Andrew Carnegie (steel industry), John D. Rockefeller (oil industry), Cornelius Vanderbilt (railroad companies), and John Pierpont Morgan (investment banking) as the wealthiest and most influential entrepreneurs ("tycoons") in the United States.
During this period, immigration to the United States took place by the millions. Between 1865 and 1890, for example, more than 10 million immigrants arrived, primarily from northern and western Europe, and between 1890 and 1920, about 16 million arrived, mostly from eastern Europe. Immigration and internal migration (not least from the impoverished South) created poor neighborhoods such as the Five Points in New York City.
Political corruption was enormous at all levels, and the political parties were seen primarily as machines for distributing sinecures. This began as early as Grant's presidency, which was overshadowed by corruption scandals, and continued in the decades that followed. A flagrant and still well-known example of political corruption at the local level is the circle around Tammany Hall in New York.
Beginning with the electoral victory of Rutherford B. Hayes in 1877, which was based on political horse-trading (the Compromise of 1877), the presidents were meaningless figures who were unable to set any political impulses and were not in office for more than one period (the only exception, Grover Cleveland, was the only president to date who did not serve two terms in immediate succession). A new style was brought only by the presidencies of McKinley and especially T. Roosevelt.
In Central Europe, this period corresponds to the Gründerzeit, which, however, can be dated somewhat earlier.
The stately summer residence of The Breakers in Newport, Rhode Island, was built during the Gilded Age.
Questions and Answers
Q: What is the Gilded Age?
A: The Gilded Age is a period in the history of the USA that lasted from the end of the American Civil War until the late 19th century.
Q: When did the Gilded Age begin and end?
A: The Gilded Age began at the end of the American Civil War and ended in the late 19th century.
Q: What was the British era that corresponds to the Gilded Age?
A: The latter part of the British Victorian era corresponds to the Gilded Age.
Q: Who first used the term Gilded Age and in which work?
A: Writer Mark Twain was the first person to use the term Gilded Age in his work, The Gilded Age: A Tale of Today (1873).
Q: What were some of the advancements made during the Gilded Age?
A: The Gilded Age saw rapid progress in technology, railroad expansions, and industrialization.
Q: How did the Gilded Age affect immigration to the United States?
A: The Gilded Age saw the arrival of millions of immigrants to the United States.
Q: What were some of the major political issues during the Gilded Age?
A: Some of the major political issues during the Gilded Age included disputes over currency, tariffs, political corruption and patronage, railroads, and business trusts.
