Gilded Age was a period of social, technological, and industrial change in the United States during the late 1800’s. The growth of industry and commerce brought great wealth to a small number of American families. The word gilded means coated with gold. The phrase Gilded Age thus describes the showy excesses of the era’s newly rich. The era takes its name in part from an 1873 novel by the American author and humorist Mark Twain.
Peace brings prosperity.
The end of the Amerian Civil War (1861-1865) brought economic prosperity to much of the nation. In the West, railroads opened up new markets for gold, silver, and timber. In the East, immigrants and other city dwellers found work in thousands of new factories. A growing middle class found improved opportunities and came to enjoy such inventions as electric lights, phonograph records, and, later, automobiles.
Some Americans found extraordinary success and became millionaires. However, most of the wealth was concentrated among a small number of elites. The industrialist Andrew Carnegie built an enormous fortune in the steel business. John D. Rockefeller created an industrial empire in oil refining. J. P. Morgan amassed great wealth in finance, and Cornelius Vanderbilt did so in railroads. Many of these business leaders eventually drew praise for their philanthropy (promotion of human well-being). However, they also were known for the ruthless ways they stifled their competition.
Cultural changes.
The lifestyles of wealthy Americans captured the nation’s imagination. The newly rich modeled their tastes on the culture of upper-class Europeans. Many built lavish mansions and filled them with showy furnishings and decorations. They wore clothing made from expensive fabrics. They attended such cultural affairs as operas and symphonies.
At the same time, a huge number of people suffered in poverty. They longed for better working and living conditions. People who lived in relative comfort aspired for more. Dishonest or risky business practices became widespread as people sought shortcuts to wealth.
Mark Twain co-wrote the novel The Gilded Age: A Tale of To-day with his friend Charles Dudley Warner. Published in 1873, it was Twain’s first novel. The story follows the central character Laura in a selfish pursuit of fame and fortune, while using satire (mockery and wit) to criticize dishonest government and business practices. Americans came to associate the book with the corruption, greed, and materialism seen in society at that time. Historians later applied the title—a play on the familiar term Golden Age—to the postwar industrial period.
End of the era.
Historians generally close the Gilded Age around the end of the 1800’s. Its end coincides with the start of the Progressive Era, a period of economic, political, and social reform.
