In the early 1870s, the United States entered a landmark period in American history known as the "Gilded Age". 'gold', which brought about an exceptional transformation due to industrialization and urbanization. . However, the transformation of this era has created little more than a facade for corruption and classism. A divide between the rich and the poor. Many rich people considered the Gilded "golden", but the working poor saw through the shiny exterior and saw the corruption that lurked beneath. There is this constant question of what America's identity is: is it two nations, between the poor and the rich, or one nation where everyone has a chance to succeed? The Gilded Age was plagued with problems to the point that many working members of society began to notice that they were not free citizens of a healthy republic when they struggled to pay their bills or feed their family. The feeling of lack of recognition from the Founding Fathers led to strikes that angered businessmen. The nation grew for better and for worse, as the rich got richer and the poor got poorer. Throughout my essay, I will explain who among the wealthy transformed America economically and socially, how the economic development of the Gilded Age affected American freedom, and how reformers treated industrial society . Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay Many business leaders took control of the Industrial Revolution and wielded extreme economic power. One of them is Andrew Carnegie, an innovative entrepreneur who set out to establish control of transportation, manufacturing and distribution in the steel industry. Carnegie amassed hundreds of millions of dollars. His cutting-edge technology company, Carnegie Brothers & Company, produced more than 60 tons of steel, earning him as much as the average American made in a year. He was living the life of what many considered the American dream, starting from nothing to create an empire. Carnegie ran his companies all the time. The person behind the oil company was John D. Rockefeller. He is known for eliminating rival oil refineries by fighting to control competitors and participating in secret deals with railroad companies, fixing prices and production. From the records, it was noted that 4,000 companies disappeared to become huge corporations that served national markets and controlled the market. In the absence of government regulation, these two businessmen benefited from controlling product prices through monopolies and the existence of a corrupt government also benefited the businessmen when they bribed the legislators to turn elections into fraudulent practices. This resulted in social and political injustices towards lower class citizens. By the 1880s, John D. Rockefeller controlled 90 percent of the nation's oil drilling, refining, storage, and distribution activities. Similar to Carnegie who gave money to philanthropies and public libraries in cities and other parts of the country, Rockefeller invested his money in foundations aimed at promoting education and medical research. Rockefeller also mercilessly destroyed all unions organized by his employees. The working poor witnessed the corruption of the Gilded Age. THE.