Primary Sources
Progress and Poverty (1879) by Henry George |
Wealth (1889) by Andrew Carnegie |
Primary Source Analysis
In comparing the Progress and Poverty by Henry George and Wealth by Andrew Carnegie, they both acknowledge the problem of wealth distribution and how the poor are experiencing a wide economic gap between the rich. However, Carnegie puts this distribution more as a beneficiary than a setback, while George puts a more negative perspective on this distribution. These differences could exist because of the different point of views of each author, where Carnegie is a billionaire--he is more likely to put negative aspects of economy in a positive light--while George is an economist that will analyze disparities in the economy with skepticism in the Gilded Age. A possible reason for what accounts these differences is the immense power of monopolies in the economy of the Gilded Age, in which it is creating a wider gap between the poor and the wealthy.
The Progress and Poverty and Wealth tell us about the time period in that there were economic problems that were arising in the creation of monopolies and trusts within the Gilded Age. As such, George and Carnegie had provided vastly different solutions in distributing the wealth of the United States. George proposes that land should be made common property rather than private property as he thinks that "there is but one way to remove all evil--and that is to remove its cause", (George 1879). George believes that private property is the root of trusts and monopolies and should therefore be made public property to offset the monopolies. As such, George says "[t]o extirpate poverty, to make wages what justice commands they should be, the full earnings of the laborer, we must therefore substitute for the individual ownership of land a common ownership," (George 1879). In presenting this solution, George subtly hints in eliminating monopolies by trying to make their land public rather than private.
In contrast, Carnegie proposes an alternative solution that states that the wealthy are agents of the poor and will provide charity through funding of public works projects. Carnegie upholds this claim by stating that the poor are incapable of holding wealth and using it wisely, where the "millionaire will be but a trustee for the poor" (Carnegie 1889). Carnegie believes that "in bestowing charity, the main consideration should be to help those who will help themselves", in effect, saying that the wealth should go to those who are capable of bettering their own economic condition, rather than those who are bound to live in poverty for the rest of their lives (Carnegie 1889). However, this claim is rebuked by George as George exclaims that "[t]o learn to rely on charity is to necessarily lose the self-respect and independence necessary for self-reliance when the struggle is hard," (George 1879). George is saying that reliance on charity makes one lose their self-respect and independence, as they are no longer relying on themselves to go through a struggle, but rather relying on others to provide help.
These differences in perspectives reveal the disregard the rich display toward the poor and in helping their economic condition, while also revealing potential solutions that could be used to narrow the gap between the rich and the poor, mainly from Henry George.
The Progress and Poverty and Wealth tell us about the time period in that there were economic problems that were arising in the creation of monopolies and trusts within the Gilded Age. As such, George and Carnegie had provided vastly different solutions in distributing the wealth of the United States. George proposes that land should be made common property rather than private property as he thinks that "there is but one way to remove all evil--and that is to remove its cause", (George 1879). George believes that private property is the root of trusts and monopolies and should therefore be made public property to offset the monopolies. As such, George says "[t]o extirpate poverty, to make wages what justice commands they should be, the full earnings of the laborer, we must therefore substitute for the individual ownership of land a common ownership," (George 1879). In presenting this solution, George subtly hints in eliminating monopolies by trying to make their land public rather than private.
In contrast, Carnegie proposes an alternative solution that states that the wealthy are agents of the poor and will provide charity through funding of public works projects. Carnegie upholds this claim by stating that the poor are incapable of holding wealth and using it wisely, where the "millionaire will be but a trustee for the poor" (Carnegie 1889). Carnegie believes that "in bestowing charity, the main consideration should be to help those who will help themselves", in effect, saying that the wealth should go to those who are capable of bettering their own economic condition, rather than those who are bound to live in poverty for the rest of their lives (Carnegie 1889). However, this claim is rebuked by George as George exclaims that "[t]o learn to rely on charity is to necessarily lose the self-respect and independence necessary for self-reliance when the struggle is hard," (George 1879). George is saying that reliance on charity makes one lose their self-respect and independence, as they are no longer relying on themselves to go through a struggle, but rather relying on others to provide help.
These differences in perspectives reveal the disregard the rich display toward the poor and in helping their economic condition, while also revealing potential solutions that could be used to narrow the gap between the rich and the poor, mainly from Henry George.
Synthesis Article
The Chinese Exclusion Act in 1882 most resembles that of the Muslim ban Donald Trump had enacted in 2017, where certain ethnic groups were blocked from entering the United States. They both are similar in that they had banned certain ethnic groups, therefore potential workers, from entering the United States. These similarities tell us about the United States of America that racial tensions still persist today in providing economic opportunities to every ethnic group. However, the Muslim ban had covered a wider area than the Chinese Exclusion Act, where people from seven different Muslim countries were banned rather than from just one country. Another difference was the reasoning behind each act. The Chinese Exclusion Act was implemented due to fear of a foreign culture replacing that of the Americans, while the Muslim ban was enacted due to fear of terrorism.
Continuities and Changes
Technology, work, and exchange had changed drastically with the introduction of many innovations that advanced industry, leading to more urbanized cities than rural ones.
Continuities that persisted from the previous eras were the continued use of railroads to provide faster shipment of goods and immigrant labor that provided a cheap source of labor in factories. Railroads still exist within this time period due to its overwhelming benefits in providing faster shipment and connecting urban to rural cities, while immigrant labor remained a source of labor as many immigrants were looking toward the United States as a land of economic opportunity, mainly from eastern Europe.
Changes that occurred from the previous eras are the rise of industry over agriculture, the rise of monopolies, a laissez-faire approach enacted by the government, and the focus shifting from African Americans to the economy in the Gilded Age. The rise of industry over agriculture was largely due to innovations in communication and technology in the Second Industrial Revolution and urban cities outnumbering the rural cities; the rise of monopolies was caused by the laissez-faire approach by the government and absolute control of all levels of production and/or consolidation of other businesses; the laissez-faire approach was caused by the idea of government having little involvement in economy in fear of hindering the economy, therefore hoping the economy prosper on healthy competition; and the focus shifted from African Americans to economy due to waning interest in advocating for African American rights after Reconstruction.
Continuities that persisted from the previous eras were the continued use of railroads to provide faster shipment of goods and immigrant labor that provided a cheap source of labor in factories. Railroads still exist within this time period due to its overwhelming benefits in providing faster shipment and connecting urban to rural cities, while immigrant labor remained a source of labor as many immigrants were looking toward the United States as a land of economic opportunity, mainly from eastern Europe.
Changes that occurred from the previous eras are the rise of industry over agriculture, the rise of monopolies, a laissez-faire approach enacted by the government, and the focus shifting from African Americans to the economy in the Gilded Age. The rise of industry over agriculture was largely due to innovations in communication and technology in the Second Industrial Revolution and urban cities outnumbering the rural cities; the rise of monopolies was caused by the laissez-faire approach by the government and absolute control of all levels of production and/or consolidation of other businesses; the laissez-faire approach was caused by the idea of government having little involvement in economy in fear of hindering the economy, therefore hoping the economy prosper on healthy competition; and the focus shifted from African Americans to economy due to waning interest in advocating for African American rights after Reconstruction.
Picture of the Gilded Age Era
This picture pertains to the theme of work, technology, and exchange in that monopolies had effectively dominated the aspects of life for wage laborers, where the wage laborers were unable to fight monopolies due to ineffective strikes and crippling poverty. This picture best encapsulates the essence of the Gilded Age as monopolies had overwhelming influence in economy and society, where they controlled how wage laborers lived, being that of poverty, by giving them low wages.
Sources Cited
Carnegie, A. (1889). Wealth. In The North American Review (pp. 653-665). Retrieved from http://ebooks.library.cornell.edu/cgi/t/text/text-idx?c=nora;cc=nora;view=toc;subview=short;idno=nora0148-6
George, H. (1879). Progress and poverty; an inquiry into the cause of industrial depressions, and of increase of want with increase of wealth. The remedy. Retrieved from https://archive.org/details/cu31924013685460
Graetz, F. (1883). The tournament of today - a set-to between labor and monopoly [Political Cartoon]. Retrieved from http://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/2012645501/
George, H. (1879). Progress and poverty; an inquiry into the cause of industrial depressions, and of increase of want with increase of wealth. The remedy. Retrieved from https://archive.org/details/cu31924013685460
Graetz, F. (1883). The tournament of today - a set-to between labor and monopoly [Political Cartoon]. Retrieved from http://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/2012645501/