Answer: hopefully you already have a thesis so it would be easier for you to construct your own topic sentences. here are some categories.
Step-by-step explanation:
who was able to prosper in the gilded age? entrepreneurs aka industrial capitalists
-they were able to sway govt policies in their favor so their businesses could succeed (bribery) which PROMOTED anti-corruption campaigns and literature to be published
-they brought attention to discrimination, exploitation of the working class, and the horrible working conditions in factories which PROMOTED social reforms ie jane addams, minimum wage law, food and drug acts 1906...
-they did huge acts of philanthropy which brought opportunities primarily to the middle class which PROMOTED education as a means to get better paid jobs + liberal arts to be more well rounded
-they used either vertical or horizontal integration to consolidate their companies and eliminate competition in their sector which PROMOTED antitrust acts and the embracing of small businesses
important events in the gilded age: railroad strike of 1877, haymarket square riot 1887, homestead strike 1892, panic of 1893, plessy vs ferguson 1896, all the elections, especially 1896
-most are connected to the economy, usually in a negative sense