What were Economic Issues during the Gilded Age?(U.S. History)?

The Gilded Age is a period of explosive growth in American industry and agriculture. The Gilded Age is often seen as a time of robber barons, corrupt politicians, and a laissez-faire government. It was all of these, but it was also a time of growth for the worker and farmer. The westward movement following the Civil War opened up thousands of farms producing enough to feed everyone in the U.S. and send many farm products overseas. Industrialization and 27 million immigrants gave the new factories an endless supply of workers. Railroads expanded by thousands of miles, steel production, oil product in and car production went beyond anyone wildest dreams. Unions began to shorten workers hours of work, and improved safer working conditions. As the cost of shipping was lowered the prices of goods and services were lowered also. Theodore Roosevelt brought an end to many monopolies that were recorded by muckrakers that exposed terrible working conditions, people's lives generally improved. When Henry Ford started paying 5.00 dollars a day in wages many other industries raised the wages for heir workers.