The Gilded Age Billionaires

During the Gilded Age, industrial leaders like Andrew Carnegie and John D. Rockefeller built vast business empires in steel and oil, transforming the United States into a powerful industrial nation. However, their success also created deep inequality, as workers faced harsh conditions while wealth concentrated in the hands of a few. Though both men later became major philanthropists, their rise sparked lasting debates about capitalism, monopoly power, and economic fairness in America.