Gilded Age (1878-1889)
 The
growth of industry and a wave of immigrants marked this period in
American history. The production of iron and steel rose dramatically
and western resources like lumber, gold, and silver increased the
demand for improved transportation. Railroad development boomed as
trains moved goods from the resource-rich West to the East.
Steel and oil were in great demand.
All this industry produced a lot of wealth for a number of
businessmen like John D. Rockefeller (in oil) and Andrew Carnegie
(in steel), known as robber barons (people who got rich through
ruthless business deals). The Gilded Age gets its name from the many
great fortunes created during this period and the way of life this
wealth supported.
More Stories from the Gilded Age
|
All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation
License.