Conclusion

After completing this WebQuest, you will understand the major concepts and themes of the Gilded Age in American history. Check your understanding of these ideas by considering the following essential questions:

• What conditions existed in the United States which allowed the Industrial Revolution to take root and flourish in America?
• How did laissez-faire capitalism influence the development of business organization in the United States?
• Were the leaders of Big Business "robber barons," or in fact "captains of industry?"
• How did some philosophies serve to support class division during the Gilded Age?
• How did the Industrial Revolution cause urbanization and a dramatic increase in the number of immigrants to the United States?
• What effect did urbanization and immigration have on the United States?
• Why have many historians considered the late 1800's in America to be a Gilded Age; a period which was outwardly showy, but inwardly corrupt?
• How did early reaction to the Gilded Age attempt to correct the abuses of the period?