Question

activity 2: document analysis
directions: analyze the document below and complete the questions that follow.

in american history, the gilded age refers to the period
between the 1870s - 1900s. something that is \gilded\ is something
that is covered thinly with gold leaf or gold paint, like an elaborate
ceiling, or maybe even a painting’s frame. the reason this era is
called the gilded age is because industrialization caused people
across the nation to become enormously wealthy — creating
billionaires for the first time in history. the names of these
billionaires such as rockefeller, vanderbilt, and jp morgan, and
carnegie still grace many buildings and businesses that still operate
today.

the gilded age was possible thanks to a rapid advancement of
industrialization, which was aided by new technology
invented after the civil war. some of this technology included the
transcontinental railroad, the telephone, the light bulb, the canal
system, electricity, and even cars.

image: a gilded ceiling. the gilded age takes its name from the imagery of such
extravagant displays of wealth, which was visible in the mansions of the time.

1\twhat was the gilded age? when did this era take place?\tanswer:
2\tanalyze the text and the source to determine how the gilded age earned its name.\tanswer:
3\tidentify the types of technology that advanced industrialization during the gilded age.\tanswer:
4\tpredict how these new forms of technology might lead to enormous wealth for business owners in the united states.\tanswer:

Explanation:

Question 1

From the document, the Gilded Age is defined as a period in American history. The time frame is given as between the 1870s - 1900s, and it was an era of great wealth creation due to industrialization.

The term "gilded" means something covered thinly with gold leaf or paint (like an elaborate ceiling or a painting's frame). The era was called the Gilded Age because, similar to a gilded object, there was a display of great wealth (in the mansions of the wealthy and the success of business owners) that was somewhat a "thin covering" - the wealth was prominent but maybe had underlying issues, and the imagery of gilded things (like the gilded ceiling in the image) represented the extravagant displays of wealth during that time.

The document lists the new technologies that aided industrialization after the Civil War during the Gilded Age. We just need to identify those from the text.

Answer:

The Gilded Age was a period in American history (between the 1870s - 1900s) when industrialization led to many people becoming enormously wealthy (with the first billionaires like Rockefeller, Vanderbilt, JP Morgan, and Carnegie), and it took place between the 1870s - 1900s.

Question 2