Monopolies During The Gilded Age Essay

The time period from 1870 to 1900 was a time of American turmoil. Although the country had been plunged into the shadows of huge corporations which manipulated the government, many spokespeople acted as if all were fine. This corrupted facade is what caused Mark Twain to label the time period as the Gilded Age. During the Gilded Age, monopolies took over business in America, buying out their competitors leaving consumers no choice but to buy their products. The wealthy heads of these monopolies used their money to bribe government official and push for their own gain. The people of America were shoved out of the government’s focus and replaced by sacks of bribe money. Eventually, people began to find voices and an outcry rang across the country. Monopolies were torn apart, corruption was brought into light and the people rallied around powerful leaders as the Progressive Era began. Despite the vast improvements throughout the country, America’s good-standings were not permanent. In the past decades, America has fallen back into the slums …show more content…
Oftentimes these corporations even interfere with the government. In 1862, Thomas Clark Durant tricked Congress into passing the Pacific Railway Act, which gave the Union Pacific Railroad company 10 square miles of land for every mile of track it laid (Credit Mobilier Scandal). Two years later, Durant and his associates formed Credit Mobilier of America which carried out the Union Pacific’s track construction. Credit Mobilier charged the Union Pacific twice as much that the later estimated for Congress. The Union Pacific was driven into debt, and the government sustained financial losses from its investments, the owners of Credit Mobilier from the Union Pacific pocketed millions (Credit Mobilier Scandal). Durant proceeded to bribe Congressmen to prevent any investigations, and the scandal remained in the shadows until 1872. Despite this, Durant went