The term "Gilded Age" refers to the post-Reconstruction era in the late 1800's. The phrase originally began with Mark Twain. Gilded means "covered with a thin layer of gold," and so the Gilded Age implied that while this time period seemed to be a prosperous one for America, only a thin layer of prosperity covered the poverty and corruption of the time period. While many labels have been used to describe the time period, the "…showed first 75 words of 528 total…

…showed last 75 words of 528 total…Due to the fact that the major source of money in cities were the big business moguls and corrupt politicians, very little social reform occurred in the Gilded Age. Primary characteristics of the Gilded Age were political corruption, economic monopoly, and social decline of cities. Due to the high amount of dishonesty that was prevalent during this time period, with only an elite few actually profiting, the term "Gilded Age" is the most appropriate phrase.;