Essay On Tycoons During The Gilded Age

“All That Glitters Isn’t Gold” The term “Gilded Age” was created by Mark Twain to describe American society during the late decades of the 1890s and 1900s. America had several shining and significant achievements during this time, but Twain still characterized American civilization as cheap and flawed. I fully agree with Mark Twain’s definition of American civilization at this time. During the Gilded age the American economy grew at an exponential rate and vast levels of wealth were acquired. Many new inventions were created, and the Railroad and telephone lines crossed the country getting business leaders new opportunities for growth. This wealth covered the fact that many workers remained poor and lived in terrible conditions. Wages for …show more content…
People like Andrew Carnegie, John D. Rockefeller, and J.P. Morgan became rich and controlled industry during this time. Carnegie got rich by a process called vertical integration, which is where you cut out the middle man in business. Vertical immigration was when these tycoons control all phases of a process, from getting raw materials to the finished product. John D. Rockefeller also used vertical immigration as well as horizontal immigration to get rich. Horizontal immigration is when you control all of one step of a process. These Tycoons were also known as robber barons. These tycoons also inspired immigrants to come to America because of their rags to riches story such as Andrew Carnegie. The “Gilded Age” propelled America forward into a world power, but at a cost for many Americans. Many Americans died from diseases such as smallpox, typhoid, malaria, yellow fever, cholera, and tuberculosis that ran rampant through tenement building during the “Gilded age”. All of these reasons support my opinion on why Mark Twain’s assertions of the “Gilded Age” being cheap and flawed at its core. Overall the “Gilded Age” did help propel the U.S. forward, but harmed many individuals and families while doing

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