The document summarizes key developments during the Gilded Age in the United States from 1865-1900. Some of the major events and trends discussed include: 1) The completion of the transcontinental railroad in 1869 which connected the country and accelerated industrialization. 2) The rise of large trusts like Standard Oil and U.S. Steel which came to dominate entire industries through consolidation and integration. 3) Technological innovations in areas like electricity, steel production, and oil refining that powered the Second Industrial Revolution and made the U.S. the most powerful economy in the world by 1900. 4) However, this period also saw the rise of corporate power, inequality, and exploitation of workers