What was the Gilded Age characterized by?

The Gilded Age, spanning from the 1870s to about 1900, is best characterized as a period of rapid economic growth and political corruption. This era saw the United States transform into an industrial powerhouse, with significant advancements in manufacturing, transportation, and communication technologies, which contributed to unprecedented economic expansion. Railroads expanded dramatically, connecting different regions and facilitating trade, while inventions like the telegraph and telephone revolutionized communication.

However, alongside this economic prosperity, the Gilded Age was also marked by substantial political corruption. Political machines, such as Tammany Hall in New York City, exemplified how power concentrated among a few often led to graft and corruption. The close ties between business moguls and government officials resulted in policies that favored industrialists at the expense of laborers and the general population, which fostered widespread inequality and unrest.

While the era is often romanticized for its economic might, the underlying issues of corruption and exploitation signal that it was a complex time of contrasts. These elements combined make the option about economic growth and political corruption the most accurate reflection of the Gilded Age.