... and prosperous. One might ask, how did wealth become so important in our society? Also, where did this wealth come from? For the answers to these questions we must go back into the times of the industrial revolution and the period known as the Gilded Age. To put things simply, during this period America had almost no middle class. There were the very, very ... affluent people, (known as Robber Barons) and the very, very poor people living in slums. In order to understand why and how this wealth was created ... one must put themselves into the mindset of the different classes during the...

• Word Count: 1718
• Approx Pages: 7
• Grade Level: High School

... nations, and is destined soon to outdistance all others in the race. In population, in wealth, in annual savings, and in public credit; in freedom from debt, in agriculture, and in manufactures, America already leads the civilized world" (Grob & Billias 28). Here Andrew Carnegie, a famous steel industry tycoon of the Gilded Age, suggests industrial growth and the accumulation of wealth would begin the process ... have to worry about regulation from state governments. After the Civil War the US experienced a shift from light manufacturing to heavy industry (steel, oil, machinery) during th...

• Word Count: 1703
• Approx Pages: 7
• Grade Level: Undergraduate