1) Discuss the period known as "The Gilded Age." Discuss the factors that made it "gilded" instead of truly "golden." What technological and business innovations drove the period, and what problems manifested themselves because of them? What was the role of the "Robber Barons"? How did men like Andrew Carnegie, John D. Rockefeller, and J. P. Morgan help shape the era?

2) Analyze the description of Reconstruction as "the most disgraceful period in American history." Is this description accurate? Discuss the events of Reconstruction and their impact on American society. How effective was it in reshaping the South or the United States? How and why did it end? Was it truly a "disgraceful" period in American history? Why or why not.

Answer:

1. The gilded age was deemed the gilded age and not the golden age for the huge numbers of workers who were mistreated and forced to work in horrible conditions. The boom in industrialism with new technologies being produced allowed owners to amass a huge profit profiting off lower class workers. Since there were no working regulations in place, upper management could abuse workers rights forcing them to work often 14 hour days on their feet with little breaks and minimal pay . These men such as Carnegie, Rockefeller and Morgan all profited off workers labor. This age was prosperous for the rich seeing huge technical improvements but a horrible time period for the lower class which is why it was deemed the gilded age. 

2. Reconstruction was the most disgraceful period in American History. After emancipation African-Americans thought that they would finally be afforded equal rights to white people, however this was not the case as many laws were put in place degrading African-Americans and their rights. Convict leasing where prisoners could do labor for free was abused to put many African-Americans back into slavery conditions. There was also a ton of corruption with White Sothern's trying their best to demean African-Americans rights. This awful era finally ended in the compromise of 1877 where in exchange for the presidency troops where pulled out of the south ending reconstruction. Reconstruction was immoral in every sense of the word and created a huge gap in civil rights between African-Americans and others.