Overview
The Gilded Age was an era in the United States History that involved enormous industrial growth and the Rise of Big Business. Some famous tycoons in the industry were John D. Rockefeller, Andrew Carnegie, and Cornelius Vanderbilt. They had a tremendous influence on politics and were able to control a great amount of the government's actions.
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Because of the rapid growth of industry, labor was also very dangerous during this time period, and employees were not always treated fairly by their employers. As a result, labor unions were formed in order to gain more rights and safer working conditions for the workers. Some famous examples were the American Federation of Labor and the Knights of Labor. They hosted a variety of strikes and revolts against the employers.
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A final important aspect of the Gilded Age was the United States involvement in the Spanish-American War. It was fought against Spain and allowed the USA to gain Cuba, Puerto Rico, and a few other Spanish territories. One of the most famous war heroes was Theodore Roosevelt who later became president in 1900.
Created By: Nicolas Rohrich AP US History Project