The Era Of Hardship In The Gilded Age

If someone asks a group of historians their view on whether the Gilded Age is an era of opulence or hardship, that person will regret the question because they will later hear an argument about the great and terrible moments in that era. This is because the Gilded Age had plenty of amazing moments where America discovered new ways to make a business and get rich, but it also underwent plenty of downfalls for the poor. The era was given its name from a novel by Mark Twain and Charles Dudley Warner, and it means “covered with a layer of gold, but it also suggests that the glittering surface covers a core of little real value and is therefore deceptive” (Foner 615). This definition truly exhibits that the Gilded Age has a rich outlook with the

An example of this involves the captains of industry who stepped forth at the time to create a new order of things. These captains include cutthroat rivals who dominate in their industry, and an example is John D. Rockefeller. He is most famous for his his monopoly on oil industry and his company Standard Oil. He is recognized as one of the wealthiest men who have ever lived, and he is also a philanthropist to show the world that he is a good human being. He had to go the extra mile to give back to his community because he is also known for his upping of the price on oil since he is the only company, and he colluded with railroads to eliminate his other competitors in the early stages of his company. Yet, he is not the only captain of industry who has done this. Another example is J.P. Morgan who is recognized as one of the most powerful bankers in his era. He has some good-hearted qualities, and an example is when he is asked how he gave credit to the community and says, “The first thing is character before money or property or anything else” (Ajami 41). In this situation, he is saying that if he gives a loan out to someone he needs to be able to trust the person before he risks a loan on a dreadful idea. However, he is not as amazing as he looks because he has too much power and was accused of manipulating the nation’s financial system for his own gain. All in all, these two men did have some memorable moments in the Gilded Age where they gave the community an organized financial plan with business setups, but they also provided the country with too high of prices and manipulation on the