The Gilded Age and Progressive Era are periods of time that played an important role in the development of American society. The Gilded Age is a period in American history between 1870 and 1900. This term was coined by Mark Twain in the late 1800s. By this he meant that this period was glittering on the surface but corrupt underneath ("Learn about the 'golden age'). The Gilded Age is well known for its political scandals and extravagant displays of wealth. At the same time, this was an era of great achievements in industry and economics, which significantly changed the lives of Americans. The Gilded Age was followed by the Progressive Era which lasted from 1890 to the 1920s. The Progressive Era is well known for its economic, political, social reforms, and technological inventions. In my opinion, the Gilded Age had a more significant impact on the United States than the Progressive Era because it gave rise to new industries, created transportation and communications networks that provided the infrastructure for the further development of technology in the Progressive Era. The most important achievements of the Gilded Age were the creation of a network of railroads including the transcontinental railroad, which connected the United States from New York to California, facilitating transportation across the continent. During the Gilded Age the length of all railroads combined increased threefold ("Second Industrial Revolution"). This was significant not only because it reduced travel time from eastern to western parts of the United States and back from months to weeks and allowed people to settle in the central United States, but it also opened up new areas for agriculture commercial and gave an economic boost. to steel...... middle of paper...... .4. Hyser, Raymond, et al., eds. American anthem. 2004. Print. “Discover the Golden Age.” Digital history. Np, 3 January 2010. Web. 27 February 2010. .5. Perry, Elisabeth Israels and Karen Manners Smith. The Gilded Age and the Progressive Era: A Study Companion. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2006. Print.6. "Phonograph." The Edison papers. Np, nd Web. 15 February 2010. .7. Sawinksi, Christine, Diane Sawinski and Julie L Carnagie. American decades. Ill. Dean Delfinais. Comp. and trad. Evi Seoud. Ed. Elizabeth Anderson. Np: Thomson Gale, 2003. Print.8. “Second industrial revolution”. Wapedia. Np, nd Web. 27 February. 2010. .