americasproblems

America's Problems during the Gilded Age The time between the Civil War and the early 1900s is often called the Gilded Age. The Gilded Age is named after gilded jewelry. Gilded jewelry is made from cheap metal, like bronze, and then covered with a very thin layer of an expensive metal, like gold. The jewelry looks nice, but it's actually really cheap. During the Gilded Age many wealthy people were doing well, but there weren't many of them; they represent the thin gold covering. Most people were poor and suffering; they represent the cheap metal on the inside. The rich people made American society look good, but in reality most people were suffering, and the United States had many, many problems. Today, you are going to look at some of the problems and decide how you would have solved them if you were alive during the Gilded Age. First read the stories by clicking on one of the links below, and answer the questions in the chart. Then answer the questions on the back.

1. Troy Banks

2. John D. Rockefeller

3. Patrick O'Conway

4. Paul Corleone

5. Christopher O'Flannigan