The Gilded Age

   The period from the end of the Cvil War (1865) to the year 1900 has been give the name 'The Gilded Age', a phrase originally coined by Mark Twain, meaning an object covered in a thin layer of gold. Gilded can also apply to something that is attractive on the surface but has a deceptive underlying face. Historians granted this title to this time period due to the vast expansion and popularity of factories which produced astonishing amounts of varied products in record time as a result of the start of the industrial age. This rapid growth took on an appealing guise to the citizens of America and people of the world. The industrial boom was also the main motivation for immigration causing opportunists and those looking for a better way of living to pursue it. However, once they arrived on American soil they were met with discrimination, funneled into poorly built and over populated tenements, and overworked. For some, however, the willingness to work hard for a better life did afford them the opportunity to live the American dream. They also laid the ground work for the success of future generations.