Since the founding of the United States, the meaning of liberty has changed to respond to changing attitudes. Throughout our nation's history, there have been significant periods of racial, economic, and civil rights inequality. There are different meanings for the freedoms that have been established throughout the historical period of the United States. During this modern era, the United States has experienced certain periods that have lived up to the ideals of freedom, such as the Gilded Age. In contrast, the United States has also experienced periods when our ideals of freedom failed to meet the demands of our nation, a prime example being the late 1940s when the United States entered the war cold and led to the anti-communist period of McCarthyism which ultimately restricted freedoms. Historic moments like these have brought monumental changes to our nation's history and altered our fundamental ideals of freedom. In the late 1870s, the nation experienced a pivotal period known as the Gilded Age. It was an era that brought many economic freedoms to a variety of industries and was considered the second industrial revolution that catapulted the United States onto the global stage of mass production of goods. During this period, many empires and business ideals were created. Ranging from Carnegie, Rockefeller, JP Morgan and Vanderbilt. These famous entrepreneurs became titans of their industries and controlled vast areas of railroads, oil, banking, and steel. The meaning of freedom during this period was more that of industrial freedom and the freedom for these business owners to create and grow. This period transformed the United States from a rural society to an urban society (Conference 04/09/2013). Businesses have created opportunities for low-income workers and for them...... middle of paper ... this nation. During these eras, ideals of freedom shaped certain periods while oppressing those same freedoms in times when the nation felt it was crucial to national security. As Foner says: “The price of freedom is eternal vigilance” (Foner, xxv). During this “vigilance,” the nation can still prosper, but only at the expense of realistic and accessible freedoms. Without the long struggle of nations to achieve equal freedom for all, our country would not be as prosperous and prosperous as it is today. Works Cited Foner, Eric. Give me freedom! : An American story. New York: WW Norton, 2012. Print. Heller, Darryl “The Gilded Age” History of Modern America. University of Illinois at Chicago. October 4. 2013. Conference. Heller, Darryl “The Cold War” History of Modern America. University of Illinois at Chicago. November 4. 2013. Conference.