The Gilded Age was a period where great wealth and industrialization was presented to the world, but under the surface and away from the eyes of the public lay poverty, crime, racism, and corruption. However, through scrutiny and investigation by “muckrakers” (journalists), these problems became revealed in what was known as the Progressive Era. During this time, reformers worked towards fixing the underlying issues of 19th century society. One major problem of the time was corruption; votes were manipulated, money stolen, and monopolies established on political systems and governments. Many reformers focused on this topic, with different opinions and techniques, and two major ones were Lincoln Steffens and Hiram Johnson.…