Social Differences Of The Gilded Age

What did the gilded age consist of? The gilded age was a time period that took place during the late 19th century and early 20th century and it consisted of economic prosperity for many Americans while for others economic growth was not so prosperous. The industry was expanding significantly and that changed the American society. The American industry boomed; consequently, a division between the workers and the owners grew and that created what is known as a social divide. The social divide was the division of the rich from the poor. While there were people living a luxurious life there was also a group of people living in poverty; even though there were differences amongst them, there were also similarities and the people in poverty also known as “the other half” do not exist today. First and foremost, the link between these two groups exist. It can be said that the wealthy and the poor are polar opposites and do not have anything in common during this time period; however, the truth is they do share various similarities. As the first consideration, both groups of people performed the same activities for their entertainment. Entertainment during this time period was considered a bridge to the different groups of “class, race, and gender” during this time period. One of the most popular activities for entertainment that linked the wealthy and the poor was the attendance to city parks in where they would perform such activities as watch sports and take calm walks. Both class