The Gilded-Age, Reconstruction Era and the Age of Imperialism were periods of time that affected the first half of the American 20th century, changing the face of American identity. The American Identity shows a sense of duty by wanting to show everyone else the way to live. America as well wanting to benefit in a financial way also the pride in every single American that lives in America and America itself. The American identity is a sense of pride; the pride that you were born in the best and most successful country in the world. Wanting to spread our ideas that has changed over the years by cultures and the way the world is seen through times like slavery, poverty and expansion.
The Gilded Age was caused by industrialization. The people in the one percent like J.P. Morgan, John P. Rockefeller, and Andrew Carnegie were the ones running and controlling others to benefit from them. People like them were the ones getting all the money. Industrialization did open up jobs for people but yet there was poverty everywhere. Factory workers worked up to 16 hours a day, 6 days a week. They basically worked there whole life to be able to survive. The robber barons lived completely differently than the rest of the population in the U.S. While they had their mansions and lived comfortably, many Americans lived in a company town. Like in Statement from the Pullman Strikers, everything in their lives was controlled, "when we went to tell him our grievances, he said we were all his children." This shows how they had no individuality. What America really cared about during this time was wealth, even though there clearly was wealth inequality. As it was said in The Omaha Platform of the People's Party of America, "Corruption dominates the ballot-box." Even though a lot of bad things came from this, there were also positive things like the national economy going up, progression and high technology.
