The period between 1877 and the early 1900s was the post-Reconstruction period characterized by a rapidly expanding economy and the emergence of plutocratic ideals, or rule of the rich, within the society known as the Gilded Age. This period also saw the continuation and ultimately progress of the women's suffrage movement, but unfortunately did not end with an amendment giving them the right to vote: it would take another twenty years for this to happen . These years were very important for the United States economy and without them, America would probably not be called a global superpower or have the massive economy that it has today. Say no to plagiarism. Get a Custom Essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”?Get the original essayThe Gilded Age led to an improved quality of life and an increase in leisure time for many families across the United States. The Gilded Age was a term created by Mark Twain and Charles Dudley Warner in a satirical novel called The Gilded Age A Tale of Today in which they criticized the corruption of the government and members of Congress during that era. Mark Twain despised Congress because of its corruption; he even said, “Suppose you are an idiot and suppose you are a congressman.” But I repeat myself (Mark). » Even though Mark Twain criticized the government on grounds of corruption, the government was important because it laid the foundation for the beginning of the Gilded Age. Several acts of Congress paved the way for the beginning of the Gilded Age; they included: the Railroad Enabling Act of 1866, the Desert Land Grant Act of 1877, and the Stone and Timber Land Act of 1878. These laws gave millions of acres of land and underground resources to farmers. These laws, combined with the expansion of the railroad and the cessation of native resistance, opened the lands west of the Mississippi River to settlement and commerce. The Supreme Court also helped by limiting interstate commerce laws that attempted to stop federal regulation. New innovations and demographic changes also contributed greatly to the economy of this era. New inventions such as Bell's telephone, the Bessemer converter, and the telegraph were very important to the economy because they fundamentally reinvented the way things were done. The Bessemer converter was very important in the steel industry, while the telephone and telegraph reinvented the means of communication. New modes of transportation have also contributed to urbanization by concentrating manufacturing in urban areas. The demographics during this era changed dramatically as there was a lot of immigration which led to population growth, which in turn led to even more urbanization and industrialization. About 62 million people lived in America in 1890, almost double what it was in 1860. Many immigrants worked for very low wages, which meant more money for employers. The quality of life has also improved significantly, which has also increased the U.S. population. People were beginning to realize that America was becoming a powerful country through innovations and economic growth. The Gilded Age also saw the start of many types of businesses and corporations that also contributed to massive economic growth, including: mass marketing companies, mail order companies, department stores, chain stores and franchises. Department stores required people to go through manykilometers to go to large shopping centers instead of going to stores close to home. They appeared in America around the same time as in France and England. The emergence of department stores displays a wide variety of products in one place. This revolutionized the consumer market because people could now go to one place to get everything they needed. The department stores of that era were much like those of today because they bought a lot of products from manufacturers and resold them at a lower price; they also offered refunds.They also legitimized the appearance of women in public, which was revolutionary at the time due to the ideas of the Cult of the Maid which we will discuss later. Mail order stores are similar to department stores because they sell a very wide variety of items but they provide convenience to people living in rural areas rather than urban areas. The first mail order company was founded by Montgomery Ward in 1872, although the most famous was founded by Richard W. Sears and A.C. Roebuck in Minneapolis in 1893, it was called Sears, Roebuck and Co. but its name common is simply Sears. The emergence of these two types of businesses (department stores and mail order companies) created competition that would be expected in a free market economy. Local businesses would encourage people to take their catalogs into their stores and burn them. In response, mail order companies sent their catalogs to local businesses in unmarked packages. These new businesses allowed people to purchase a very wide variety of products from one place; this increased convenience and expanded the economy. People were greatly affected by the Gilded Age for many different reasons, including the expansion of leisure during this time. Due to the vast expansion of the economy due to new innovations in technology and transportation, people were making more money than ever before, allowing them to purchase luxury items. New types of stores allowed them to purchase these luxury items without having to go to separate stores. The quality of life has improved and this can be proven with the rapid growth in the United States, people were not dying as quickly. The new circulation of money probably also contributed to new medical breakthroughs that kept people alive and increased the average age. This new lifestyle has allowed more people to relax and increase their life expectancy. Although the Golden Age brought many improvements, there were also widespread negative aspects. One of the most prevalent negatives was the corruption mentioned by Mark Twain in his book. One of the major scandals that ruined the Grant administration was the Crédit Mobilier scandal. This scandal began in 1864 when Thomas C. Durant purchased the Pennsylvania Fiscal Agency which was renamed Crédit Mobilier. Its goal as a construction company was to build the Union Pacific Railroad. The government first became involved when Oliver and Oakes Ames, the latter a Massachusetts representative in Congress, purchased stock in this company, thus indirectly purchasing the Union Pacific Railroad. The government paid large sums of money to this company to help build the railway. The problem arose when Oliver Ames replaced Durant as owner of the company; This gave the impression that Oakes was benefiting from the money the government was paying for the construction of the road...