America experienced a great amount of change in the late 19th century which strained not only the nation's traditional social arrangements, but its political institutions as well. Economic growth brought progress and disorder, and it was to government, gradually, that Americans began to look for leadership in their search for stability. The American political system for nearly two decades after the end of Reconstruction was locked in a rigid stalemate - watching the remarkable changes that were occurring in the nation and doing little to affect them. The result was a set of problems and grievances that festered and grew without any natural outlet.

Our fantastic site is a brief, yet detailed summarization of the most important topics of Chapter 19: From Stalemate to Crisis. It covers the most important events that span the period before the stalemate and crisis occur, known as the Gilded Age, until the year 1900.