Industrial & Gilded Ages

The Industrial and Gilded Ages were closely connected, with both roughly spanning the final third of the 19th century and beginning of the 20th. The Second Industrial Revolution was marked by technological advancements in manufacturing and production that, among other things, propelled the expansion of railroad and telegraph networks, facilitating the movement of people and ideas. The Gilded Age, which overlapped and intertwined with the Second Industrial Revolution, often describes the political, social, and economic climate of the time, which saw rapid economic growth and industrialization in the United States.

Explore the topics below to learn more about this period through newspaper articles and clippings.

Ellis Island

What Is Ellis Island? Ellis Island was the main U.S. immigration center between 1892 and 1954, when it closed. It is located in Upper New York Bay, off the shore of New Jersey. During the 62 years it operated, more than 12 million immigrants were processed on the island. Opening of Ellis Island Home to …Read More

RMS Titanic

Titanic Facts and History Overview RMS Titanic was a British luxury passenger ship that sank on April 14-15, 1912, during its maiden voyage. Around 1,500 of the estimated 2,240 passengers and crew perished in the sinking, and the now-famous disaster has become the legendary subject of numerous books and movies. Building of the Titanic The …Read More

Transcontinental Railroad

The First Transcontinental Railroad (also called the Great Transcontinental Railroad, known originally as the “Pacific Railroad” and later as the “Overland Route”) was a 1,912-mile (3,077 km) continuous railroad line constructed between 1863 and 1869 that connected the existing eastern U.S. rail network at Omaha, Nebraska/Council Bluffs, Iowa with the Pacific coast at the Oakland …Read More