Dec 29, 2009

A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court | Historical Context

The Gilded Age
During the last one-third of the nineteenth century, after the end of the Civil War, America experienced a boom in manufacturing that catapulted it into position as one of the world’s economic leaders. From 1870 to 1900, the country’s consumption of bituminous coal, which was the leading source of energy of the time, multiplied tenfold; production of rolled steel was twelve times greater; and, the overall economy grew to approximately six times its former size. The number of people employed in manufacturing tripled during the same time, to 7.6 million....