myWHRO SIGN IN
Tuesday, February 6, 2018, 9:00-11:00 p.m.
A captivating tapestry that threads together the era of flashy fortune and deep poverty, The Gilded Age is produced and directed by Sarah Colt and executive produced by Mark Samels. The film premieres on American Experience on Tuesday, February 6, 2018, 9:00-11:00 p.m. on PBS.
Three decades after the Civil War, the very fabric of America's identity was altered. It had established itself as an economic powerhouse in the world as its leading producer of food, coal, oil and steel. This alteration, however, left behind a dramatically torn society.
By the end of the 19th century, the richest 4000 families in the country — the society's one percenters — possessed about as much wealth as the other 11.6 million families combined. The stark juxtaposition of the emergence of America's new elite and a struggling working class incited passionate and violent debate over questions, still being asked today, that circumnavigated economy, politics and social unrest.
“We often hear pundits say we’re living in a second Gilded Age,” said Mark Samels, American Experience executive producer. “Once again, people are questioning whether America is fulfilling its promise, if there really is equal opportunity for everyone. Examining the original Gilded Age reminds us that the questions and debates we currently wrestle with are ones that have defined us for over a century.”
From the cities to the countryside, the tensions between the wealthy business owners and the oppressed working class resulted in social uprise and formed new political ideologies. Though the economy rapidly grew, financial markets were wracked by instability.
"During the Gilded Age, capitalism gained greater and greater control of American life," explains historian H.W. Brands. "The essence of democracy is equality. Everybody gets one vote. The essence of capitalism is inequality. Rich people are much more powerful than poor people."
"The question of wealth versus people ballooned in the Gilded Age," concludes historian Nell Irvin Painter. "Do our governments represent wealth or do they represent people? This is a fundamental issue, which is with us today."
