Not everybody was getting rich. The new wealthy class, although more prominent, larger, and richer than any class in American history, was still rather small. People soon began to ask fundamental questions. How did one get rich in America? Was it because of a combination of hard work and intelligence? Was it because of inheritance? Did education and skill play a role? Or was it simply luck?

By the end of this section, you will be able to:

Explain how the inventions of the late nineteenth century contributed directly to industrial growth in America
Identify the contributions of Andrew Carnegie, John Rockefeller, and J. P. Morgan to the new industrial order emerging in the late nineteenth century
Describe the visions, philosophies, and business methods of the leaders of the new industrial order

Inventors of the Age
From Invention to Industrial Growth
Building Industrial America on the Backs of Labor
A New American Consumer Culture

By the end of this section, you will be able to:

Explain how American writers, both fiction and nonfiction, helped Americans to better understand the changes they faced in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries
Identify some of the influential women and African American writers of the era