PJ O'Rourke said: “In any case, no drug, not even alcohol, causes the fundamental ills of society. If we are looking for the source of our problems, we should not be testing people for their drugs, but rather for their stupidity, their ignorance, their greed and their love of power. When Mark Twain and Charles Dudley coined the phrase "Gilded Age" to describe what they saw in the late 19th century, I'm sure they would completely agree with Mr. O'Rourke. What does “golden age” mean? Gilt means to cover with a thin layer of gold, which I'm sure almost always covers an inferior product. When we think of America, one of the first thoughts that comes to mind is the American dream. To achieve the impossible, to get out of the quagmire and achieve a level of success and stature that you wouldn't have elsewhere. But how do you determine success? Many think it depends on what one has financially and what one can get. I think Mark Twain, Charles Dudley and PJ O'Rourke say that having money is no good if those who have it don't use it to promote a better way of life for those around them. If America represents a chance to start from nothing and win everything, then why try to cover it up with gold? The late 19th century in America was a time of enormous growth for the country. During this period, the United States economy experienced astonishing growth, generating enormous levels of wealth. Railroads and telephone lines expanded across the country, providing new opportunities for the majority to purchase cheaper goods and for entrepreneurs to pursue wealth. All this grew rapidly for a nation of small farmers and artisans, who now had to deal with a society where the gulf between the haves and the have-nots was great...... middle of paper... ...this is not the case. It doesn't have to be covered in gold or adorned with jewels. The idea can stand alone. Works Cited Trachtenberg, Alan. 1982. The Incorporation of America: Culture and Society in the Gilded Age. New York: Hill and Wang. Goldberg, Jacob C. 2003. A Blow to Labor: The Homestead Strike of 1892. The Concord Review, Inc. Rogers, Donald W. 2011. “New Looks at Workers' Response to Industrialism.” The Journal of the Golden Age and the Progressive Era 10:4 507 – 514Barreyre, Nicolas. 2011. “The Politics of Economic Crises: The Panic of 1873, the End of Reconstruction, and the Realignment of American Politics.” The Journal of the Gilded and Progressive Era 10:4 403 – 423SparkNotes Publishers. “SparkNote on the Gilded Age and Progressive Era (1877-1917). » SparkNotes LLC. 2005. http://www.sparknotes.com/history/american/gildedage/ (accessed October 18, 2011).