From the invention of the phonograph in 1877, to several wars in the 1900's, the United States has faced many triumphs and many hardships. The late 1800's to the early 1900's was a significant moment in American history that helped to shape the country into what it is today. During this time period, the United States did a lot of changing socially, economically, and internationally. Although there is still a fair amount of changes that America is struggling with, the country has changed for the better. After the Civil War, America went through a period where the country was being rebuilt, this period was called the Reconstruction Era. This Era was meant to unite the country, but many of the southern states resented it because they felt that land was being stolen from them. Towards the end of Reconstruction, there was a debatable presidential election between Republican Rutherford B. Hayes and Democrat …show more content…
The Gilded Age was a time of transformation in America for the government, as well as socially and economically. In addition to the transformations, this period was known for mass immigration, major city expansion, and technological inventions such as the telephone, refrigerator, electric lightbulb, electric motor, car, and skyscraper. The difficulty that this period had was the racism that was faced. Referred to as the "nadir of American race relations," the Gilded Age is considered to be the worst when it comes to racism. The majority of discrimination fell on African Americans and Native Americans, with the destruction of the Plains Indians, segregation, and the African Americans found themselves losing many of the rights that they had gained during reconstruction. The segregation with African Americans became something that was enforced as Jim Crow laws. "Separate but equal" was commonly used to describe these laws which included separate schools, bathrooms, water fountains, basically separate