"Gilded" refers to a veneer placed over something cheap, or in the social sense, corrupt. The last three decades of the American nineteenth century was a time of industrial and technological achievement, immigration, social unrest, escalating racism, and huge wealth disparity. It was also a period of revolutionay invention, art, and culture, during which the United States transformed inot an economic force and imperial power on the world stage. This class will examine these major shifts, and discuss the many aspects that made it the prelude to the modern America we know today. Instructor: Josh Dubbert