Provides a detailed account of the Gilded Age. Explores the history of Americas post-war industrialization, the wealth it created during the population boom, and its lasting influence on society.

Table of Contents

• Preface
• How to Use This Book
• Research Topics for Defining Moments: The Gilded Age
• NARRATIVE OVERVIEW
• Prologue
• Chapter One: America's Postwar Expansion
• Chapter Two: The Rise of the Robber Barons
• Chapter Three: Captains of Industry
• Chapter Four: Gilded Age Politics, Reformers, and Regulators
• Chapter Five: The Rise of Labor
• Chapter Six: The 1890s: A Decade of Upheaval
• Chapter Seven: Legacy of the Gilded Age
• BIOGRAPHIES
• William Jennings Bryan (1860-1925): Populist Leader and Three-time Democratic Candidate for President
• Andrew Carnegie (1835-1919): Steel Magnate and Philanthropist
• Grover Cleveland (1837-1908): Democratic President of the United States
• Eugene V. Debs (1855-1926): Founder of the American Railway Union and the Socialist Party of America
• Samuel Gompers (1850-1924): Founder and President of the American Federation of Labor
• Jay Gould (1836-1892): Gilded Age Financier and Railroad Owner
• Mary Elizabeth Lease (1853-1933): Reformist Speaker and Politician
• J. P. Morgan (1837-1913): Leading Banker and Financier of the Gilded Age
• Terence V Powderly (1849-1924): Leader of the Knights of Labor
• John D. Rockefeller (1839-1937): Founder of the Standard Oil Company
• PRIMARY SOURCES
• Mark Twain Describes the Get-Rich-Quick Mining Culture
• The Glitter of Gilded Age High Society
• Exposing the Price-Fixing Schemes of the “Lords of Industry”
• An Anarchist Protests His Haymarket Death Sentence
• Andrew Carnegie's “Gospel of Wealth”
• “The Problem of the Children” in New York City
• The Sherman Antitrust Act
• The Populists Articulate Their Principles
• William Jennings Bryan's “Cross of Gold” Speech
• A Second Gilded Age? The Income Gap Says Yes
• A New Gilded Age? Living Standards Say No
• Important People, Places, and Terms
• Chronology
• Sources for Further Study
• Photo and Illustration Credits