Historical Analysis of the Gilded Age: A Detailed Examination

This essay provides a comprehensive analysis of the Gilded Age in the United States, spanning from 1870 to 1900. It examines the era's economic growth, industrialization, and urbanization, highlighting the concept of Manifest Destiny and its impact. The essay delves into the Dawes Act of 1887 and its consequences for Native Americans, emphasizing the social issues masked by the period's economic progress. It explores mining, trade, and the exploitation of natural resources that fueled the economic boom, as well as the challenges of overpopulation and health issues in rapidly developing cities. The essay concludes that while the Gilded Age saw significant advancements, it was also marked by underlying problems, accurately captured by Mark Twain's term, with references to relevant historical sources.

Running head: THE GILDED AGE
The Gilded Age
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Author Note:

1THE GILDED AGE
In the United States the period that followed the Civil War and the Reconstruction
was termed as the Gilded Age. This era occurred during the end of the 19th century, between
the years of 1870 and 1900. However, the term ‘Gilded’ was later applied in the 1920s and
the 1930s. This term was sourced from Mark Twain’s and Charles Dudley Warner’s work
The Gilded Age: A Tale of Today. The focal point of this discussion is to analyze the Gilded
Age and the events that comprised this historical era.
The term ‘gilded’ indicates that even though the occurrences of the era seemed to be
progressing, there were a hoard of problems hiding underneath it. One of the major
occurrences in this period was the Dawes Act of 1887 that allowed the federal government to
segregate the existing tribal lands of the Native Americans by sectioning them into individual
plots (Otis, 2014). This act was specifically assembled to undermine the tribal equality of the
Native American population. Not only did it exterminate tribal land ownership but it also
transferred the control of the land to the white settlers (Nichols, 2014). Thus, even though
there was rapid economic growth and development, beneath this progress was the violation of
basic rights and liberties.
Moreover, with the advent of the Gilded Age, the practice of mining and trading
emerged. This led to industrialization and a consequent exploitation of natural resources on a
humongous scale (Fink, 2014). Through mining and the various trade activities that were
carried out majorly in the west, the economic state of the United States progressed
excessively. Furthermore, the Gilded Age can also be identified as the golden age of trade.
However, this rapid urbanization led to overpopulation and even major health issues that
resulted due to the unsatisfactory crowded conditions. Thus, even though there was a
recognizable development in the economy, the degrading conditions of the city were masked
under the glittering economic success.

2THE GILDED AGE
Another critical feature of the Gilded Age was the onset and development of the
concept of Manifest Destiny. Manifest Destiny referred to the philosophy that Americans
were destined to rule the entirety of the North American continent (Joy, 2014). As the
citizens began to pursue this idea diligently, there was massive American territorial
expansion. Also, this westward movement witnessed colossal economic growth. Even though
there were major advantages of Manifest Destiny, it cannot be denied that there were some
issues that were suppressed beneath it. Due to the usurpation of land, Native Americans were
forced to hand over their territory (Isenberg & Richards, 2017). Thus, even though the
concept of Manifest Destiny was beneficial, there were many regressive effects of it as well.
Hence, it can be deciphered that the events of the Gilded Age were not all
constructive. Even though the positive effects seemed to overshadow the negative ones, the
problems that remained beneath the surface resurfaced as time progressed. The greatest
contribution of the Gilded Age can be recognized as urbanization. Thus, it can be concluded
that Mark Twain’s term has accurately and precisely summed up the nuance of the Gilded
Age.

3THE GILDED AGE
References
Fink, L. (2014). The long Gilded Age: American capitalism and the lessons of a new world
order. University of Pennsylvania Press.
Isenberg, A. C., & Richards, T. (2017). Alternative Wests: Rethinking Manifest
Destiny. Pacific Historical Review, 86(1), 4-17.
Joy, M. (2014). American Expansionism, 1783-1860: A Manifest Destiny?. Routledge.
Nichols, R. L. (Ed.). (2014). The American Indian: Past and Present. University of
Oklahoma Press.
Otis, D. S. (2014). The Dawes Act and the allotment of Indian lands (Vol. 123). University of
Oklahoma Press.