The Gilded Age
By Lisa Fabrizio
July 2, 2009
Page 2 of 2
The Vanderbilts, whose empire grew on the heels of the Industrial Revolution, ushered in what was known as America's Gilded Age; the period from the end of the Civil War to the onset of the 20th Century. Great fortunes were made by men who took chances and worked hard; men who enjoyed the money that they earned and were not ashamed of it, building their mansions large and furnishing them expansively, as if to show the rest of the world what could be accomplished by these upstart Americans.
Of course some things never change. Men like Vanderbilt, Rockefeller, Andrew Carnegie and J.P. Morgan were derided in their time as 'robber barons' and worse. Yet, by the end of the Gilded Age, the nation experienced an explosion of wealth never witnessed in human history, and real prosperity was starting to spread to all classes of Americans.
And this would have been impossible without men like the Vanderbilts who built the railroads that employed thousands directly and enabled millions to share in the American dream they carried in their freight cars and steamships.
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Lisa Fabrizio is a columnist who hails from Connecticut. You may write her at mailbox@lisafab.com.
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Note -- The opinions expressed in this column are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions, views, and/or philosophy of GOPUSA. >> Back -- Page 1 2
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