The United States had always been seen as the land of opportunity. From the earliest colonial settlements, America represented a haven of freedom and resources that, if properly cultivated, would lead to success and prosperity. The American Dream, however, took on an entirely new reality during the decades following the Civil War. The Gilded Age was a time of growing prosperity for a newly specialized middle class within the climate of industrialization and urbanization. Rapid progress and ever more modern technology promised the realities of the American Dream in a changing society.
Gilded Age Factors that led to the American Dream
In Meredith Wilson’s “The Music Man,” anxious residents of River City, Iowa sing one of the musical’s most popular songs, “Wells Fargo Wagon.” In the past, the wagon had brought a box of maple sugar, grapefruit from Tampa, and salmon from Seattle, among other things. The song illustrates several aspects of middle class Victorianism. Mobility allowed a greater diffusion of food items, many shipped from distances that were not possible until the national raid road system linked the country.
At the same time, factories were churning out goods that were affordable for the middle class and made life simpler. These goods included everything from new electric clothes washers with attached wringers, typewriters, clothing, and even soap. The first Sears Roebuck and Company catalog appeared in 1893 and contained nearly 1,000 pages of goods.
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