What was "The Gilded Age" and why was it called that?
960739
Where the term, Gilded Age came from was American author Mark Twain.  He used the term to describe the culture of the newly rich, lacking tradition, the wealthy became showy as their counterparts in upper-class Europe.  This was the age when enormous mansions imitated European palaces.  The mansions were filled with works of art, antiques, rare books and very gaudy decor.  These wealthy Americans spent their leisure time attending operas, relaxing at luxurious resorts because they believed they were signs of refinement.  \n\nThe average Americans enjoyed fairs that exhibited industrial machines, the latest inventions and other American progress.  The fairs included the Philadelphia Centennial Exposition of 1876, and the Chicago World's Columbian Exposition of 1893.  Americans attended circuses, vaudeville shows and sporting events.  Baseball becamse so popular after 1900, it became a term we use today," national pastime".  \n\nAmerica exploded with playing popular songs from sheet music on parlor pianos, played records on phonographs, and bought inexpensive books that emphasized adventure and the value of hard work and courage.
984977
19th century? Hmm, a lot of stuff went down during the 1800s, the most important and impacting of which being the abolishment of slavery in the USA (1864). If this is a competition, I'm betting that A LOT of other people are already going to be presenting slavery abolishment.\n\nSo, for other ideas, there's the enormous Industrial Revolution (1830 and beyond), the Louisiana Purchase, the Civil War (what led up to abolishment), the Gold Rush (I think that one was around 1845), Washington D.C. becoming the new national capital, the release of the 'Star-Spangled Banner'. Also, almost 30 new states became part of the USA during the 19th century, so maybe you could report on each (or almost each) one and state its impact on and significance in the development of America as a whole. Good luck in the competition!
821133
I believe this "jewel in the crown" is a refrence to India under the British rule.  India was Britain's colony during the Victorian Era and it provided much wealth and resources to the British hence the jewel.  It was in the crown because it was considered part of the British Royal Empire or the crown.
143703
Actually, there WAS a lot of industry.  The civil war had ended, slaves were emancipated (but still very poor and discriminated against).  Most states in the West weren't states yet, just territories with no proper government.  Things were pretty busy in large cities and in Industrial New England and New York and Pennsylvania, but if there wasn't a railroad nearby, you had to take a horse or boat or just walk, so people didn't move very far away if they could help it.  I don't think there were labor usions in those times, so work conditions were pretty bad, and since medical science was pretty scarce compared to today, people died fairly young of diseases like smallpox, typhoid, cholera, etc.
78757
The term "third world" was coined to reference the "third estate" during the French Revolution, which was composed of everyone but the clergy and nobility. They were the power behind the revolution.
834344
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gilded_Age gives some great info...  Hope it helps!
92741
*Chuckling for I like the term "naught" or "naughtie" decade* It hasn't been set in stone yet but this is from wikipedia...\n\nIn contrast to the decades from 1920 to 1999, which are called "The Twenties", "The Nineties", and the like; the '00s have had no generally-accepted name. The term "The Two Thousands" is fairly common, but many still find its use awkward and incorrect for a number of reasons, notably the fact that formally, the "Two Thousands" will last for a thousand years and not just the ten years of the "00" decade.\n\nIt is occasionally termed, in historical contexts, the "turn of the millennium" or "turn of the century" (or "turn of the new century," since the idea of 1900 being the "turn of the century" is still fresh in people's minds). This terminology would probably seem silly, however, if used in an informal context.\n\nLooking for a name that has the same "feel" as 'The Nineties' or 'The Fifties', several proposals have come forth. Ultimately, none have caught on and achieved anything approaching universal acceptance. However, one of the more talked-about names has been "The Naughties". Often misunderstood to be a referenced to the supposed "naughtiness" of the decade, the name was actually just a play on the word "naught", an old term for the number zero. Along the same line is the suggestion to call the decade "The Naughts", something that might be more easily understood in Britain than in the United States. "The Naughts," much like "The Naughties" would prove a problimatic name in the U.S. where the word "Naught" is strongly associated with naughty; thus this term would imply the 00s to be a naughty decade. Time Magazine published a suggestion called "The Ozies", presumably pronounced with a long "o" (/o:/) sound. A more easily understood, yet stylistically different, suggestion, was the "Double-O's". The rapper Q-Tip of the rap group A Tribe Called Quest coined the term "The 2000 Decade" on their 1991 song "Verses from the Abstract."\n\nThe "Turbulent Two-Thousands" is also a nickname for the decade. This name appears to keep in line with the "Roaring Nineties" and "Greedy Eighties", and is favored by those who wish the 00s to be seen as a decade of economic, political, and social uncertainty around the world.\n\nOverall the most commonly accepted names are the "Zeros" and "Two-Thousands" with the acronyms '00s or 2000s being used.
1019928
Are you referring to the 'New Deal'. \n\nThe New Deal was a wonderful set of policies that we still use today. It is what brought the country out of the Great Depression. \n\nIt consist of everything from social security benefits to taxes on luxury items. Try a few searches on the New Deal and you can learn a lot about our history and why we have some of the things we have today.
567992
It was called the Enlightenment.
450471
A gold rush is a period of feverish migration of workers into the area of a dramatic discovery of commercial quantities of gold. In the history of the United States and Canada, several gold rushes took place throughout the 19th century, first in the Appalachians, and later in the Sierra Nevada, the Fraser Canyon, the Cariboo district and other parts of British Columbia, and the Rocky Mountains. Gold rushes helped spur permanent population of new regions and define a significant part of the culture of the North American frontier. Similar gold rushes took place during the 19th century in Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa\n\nGold rushes were typically marked by a general buoyant feeling of a "free for all" in income mobility, in which any single individual might become abundantly wealthy almost instantly. The significance of gold rushes in history have given a longer life to the term, and it is now applied generally to capitalism to denote any economic activity in the participants aspire to race each other in common pursuit of a new and apparently highly lucrative market, often precipitated by an advance in technology.
997080
It stood for Works Progress Administration. And it was implemented in the '30s. My Grampa worked for the WPA for a short  while in Emerson, Nebraska.  The project built city auditoriums and public swimming pools and other public buildings in the area,  what ever the town needed.  Mom was just a little girl at the time and doesn't remember much, just that it was a very bad time, and everyone depended a lot on gardens and sharing food.  \n\nThanks for the question.  Found out a little more about my family history.  Heard lots of stories about the Depression, but I never knew my grandfather worked for the WPA.
121338
Sompe people who check this category have extensive knowledge of it, or can find it online, but you should be more specific. Is there anything in particular that interests you?\nEnlightment was a period where new ideas affected areas as diverse as literature and clothing. Do you need the socio-economic aspects? The political climate? The attitude to marriage? Sorry, that topic is too broad.
213664
This really depends on where and what societal class you are talking about. However in Europe, society was basically divided into three sections, known as the First, Second, and Third Estate. The First Estate consisted of the nobility. The nobility were extremely rich and had enormous political power. They oversaw the elections and appiontments of the clergy, the Second Estate. The Second Estate were also relativly wealthy but not as wealthy as the First Estate. They also had less political power and the power they did have, they vested into bidding the will of the First Estate in order to retain their power. Lastly, the Third Estate consisted of merchants, artisans, and esstentially the commoners. They were substantially less wealthy but consisted of largest portion of the population. They had little political power despite their vast numbers. Unlike the First or Second Estate, the Third Estate was subject to the most taxes and worked the longest hours.\n\nAs for life in North America, the United States had recently won their independence (1776) and the citizens were eager to assert their independence. Like in Europe, large social divisions marked the American society. At the top of society were the wealthy plantation owners. These people mainly lived in the south because thats where the most profitable crops (cotton and tobacco) grew readily. The middle class mainly lived in the North which in the early 19th century, was relativly undeveloped. At the bottom of the social order were the slaves. They had little or no independence. However, in the mid-19th, tensions between pro-slavery states in the south and anti-slavery states in the north exploded into the Civil War. During the war, the north became more and more industrialized, giving the north a comparative advantage in the war. At the end of the war, slaves were granted their freedom, but that did not mean that they moved up socially. Towards the end of the 19th centruy, the industrial revolution drastically changed the landscape of the American society. Workers were able to produce more in less time. More and more blue-collar workers began moving to the more industrialized north. They worked long tiresome hours. Minimum wage was nonexistant was were any work regulations. Child labor was heavily prevelant. However, women were not accepted into the workplace on a large scale until later in the 20th century.
140730
You mean "mercantilism" - now you can Google it or ask your reference librarian for help.
287234
Well it was basically a decade of the rise of republicanism. It was where not much progress happened. IT kinda stagnated. It was dominated by scandals as well such as the teapot dome scandal. At the end, it was when the depression started.
432362
1932 maybe, i believe it was during the great depression. I think FDR created it. Maybe?
381218
it mostly criticized the consumerism of the society\nwriters were fitzgerald and scott\nbooks like the great gatsby\nbut im not sure of the significance or changes it caused