The Gilded Age, an era of extreme economic misfortune in American history, exposed the Federal Government for their refusal to regulate businesses and industries alike. During the Gilded Age, the Federal Government observed a policy, known as laissez-faire, which allowed the government to withdraw from economic affairs and leave such matters unregulated. Because of this, industries and businesses frequently extorted workers and business associates alike: “The work you did fell short of 10,000, a trifle. Let me see -- $9,640 from $20,000 – salary $2,400 added – ah, yes, the balance due the company from yourself and Mr. Sellers is $7,960…” (Mark Twain, from The Gilded Age 3). As Mark Twain famously represented in his book, The Gilded Age, businesses
