In “The Protestant Work Ethic: Just Another ‘Urban Legend?’” Jonathan Klemens, the author, states what work ethic is and how it applies in American society. Klemens explained that the work ethic of workers in a company or some type of organization has helped the nation as a whole. That people work hard to achieve “the company or organization’s missions” (122). Not only that, Klemens also explained that people would work hard to gain particular professions they desire instead of just working with no goals. Moreover, the author explains how the American work ethics have some of the values from Protestant work ethics, such as hard-working and dedication toward work. Klemens used Max Weber’s statement as an example to explain what Protestant work …show more content…
Klemens has stated that “the power of a free labor force has made capitalism a very powerful force in our society”(123). The American workers have worked hard to make America better than it was. There were also “intense business competition” that have helped each business to try and work harder to be better than other businesses (123). This aspect of capitalism helps the nation as a whole. People are working harder through competition, which creates the better outcome of products. The competition pressures the workers to work harder and create something new to reach a higher status in life. And these hard works of people, no matter if they are working to reach the high status or for better of society, help the nation as a whole. For example, the companies like Apple, Microsoft, Samsung are all having competition to have higher sale of their products. The workers of the company work hard to create better products then the other companies. Their motives are for the profit issues, but their outcomes from those competition help the nation. The great work ethic in capitalistic society has made America have “fast-growing economy and the image of hard-working-Americans” (123). And these aspects of competition increases the work ethic and are essential to growth of American …show more content…
However, these hard working nature in American institutions have caused some troubles to the lower class. Bruce Weinstein, the author from “The Ethics of Work-Life Balance”, and Courtney E. Martin, the author from “Time Off for the Overworked American”, claimed that the workers can not rest and must work hard to keep their jobs. These two authors explained that the workers are working way too hard to just keep their jobs. However, I believe there hard work will still benefit the whole company, which will help the whole society. There are costs for these kind of hard work ethics, but what is important is that these kinds of work ethics have helped America as a nation to grow as an advanced and better nation and
During the post-Civil War period, an era commonly referred to as the Gilded Age, the United States faced a rapid expansion of industrialization and simultaneous economic growth. Despite the comprehensive surge of economic production, this period was also an era of abject poverty and inequality as wealth became highly concentrated. The development of industry was driven by a small number of capitalists who have been portrayed as either ingenious and industrious leaders who transformed the American economy, or as avaricious and callous businessmen who would neglect the conditions of his/her workers and competitors to accumulate wealth. The labeling of such capitalists as either captains of industry or robber barons, or both, purely mirrors the
In “The Protestant Work Ethic: Just Another ‘Urban Legend?’” Jonathan Klemens states what the work ethic is and how it applies in American society. Klemens explains that the work ethic has helped the nation as a whole. Klemens explains that people work hard to achieve “the company or organization’s missions” (122). Not only that, Klemens also explains that people would work hard to gain the particular professions they desire instead of just working with no goals.
After the Civil War, the United States as a nation was ready to leave the conflicts of the past behind. The country moved forward quickly into a new age of invention, consumerism, and ingenuity. After years of slavery and fighting, Americans began to shape modern life as it is known today. New inventions - the telephone, the lightbulb, the assembly line - revolutionized the American way of life. However, the Gilded Age is called so for a reason - underneath the shiny gold exterior was a dull, hard existence for those who were not at the top.
In accordance to the poems regarding this notion, labor is portrayed in a negative manner where success cannot be won. For example, in “We Did Not Fear the Father,” by Charles Fort, the severity of toil is explored. In “What Work
As industry exponentially grew after the Civil War, the need for labor and materials to power newly-created manufacturing giants caused new social classes to form: the rich corporation owners and the poor laborers. Unfathomably rich Robber Barons, or plutocratic American Capitalists, dominated the economy and industry and profited from the slave-like work of millions of poor laborers during this time period. Moreover, the poor working class and the rich further divided by distribution of wealth. Therefore, exploitation of capitalism widened the gap between the rich and poor classes of America, and both newly-formed classes developed reasons for the change.
It is no surprise that during the Gilded Age (1870-1900), industrial development paved the way for tremendous growth in corporations. During this time, big businesses grew large enough to put the United States into the global economic playing field. These businesses themselves would soon become cutthroat competitors within the American commerce system, eventually becoming formidable companies that would affect the American society. While the growth of these companies eventually led to the formation of new ruthless business tactics, there were many more positives effects on American society stemming from corporate growth. The rise of big businesses led to the creation of early labor unions, along with the promotion of philanthropic ideas and
In a time where America’s economy was at its low, much work was necessary to rebuild the economy. Those times are revolutionary in history because they are crucial to development, during WWI a lot of progress was achieved, most of it at expenses of peoples lives and believes. However, that is not the case of Henry Ford Model T car and overall work practices. It is true that people made great fortune at expense of others misfortune, but I don’t believe that is enough reason for us to generalize.
Some Americans could enjoy the changes since the market revolution whereas others saw it as the end of their liberty. Farmers were happy before the market revolution they had the freedom to be their own boss. However, after the market revolution, they were forced out of their home, breaking up families and the community system, which was a form of support. “Although many Americans welcomed the market revolution, others experienced it as a loss of freedom. Especially in the growing cities of the Northeast, economic growth was accompanied by a significant wondering of the gap between wealthy merchants and industrialists, on the one hand, and impoverished factory workers, unskilled dock workers, and seamstresses laboring at home, on the other.
In the essay “Work Is a Blessing,” by Russel Honore the reader sees a strong argument for why work of any kind is a blessing. Honore begins “My father said “ya know, boy, work is a blessing.” (79) Throughout the story you can see the evolution of Honores belief in his father’s discussion that work is indeed a blessing, in place of a struggle. Living on a farm, Honore consistently helped out working with animals, gardening, etc.
At the beginning of the 20th century, the United States was booming with new industrial innovations because of new technologies, and it was becoming one of the leading economies in the world. This economic boom came to a sharp halt as events such as the Great Depression and the Dust Bowl hit, causing millions of Americans to face economic struggles. “The Strenuous Life,” a speech given by Theodore Roosevelt, displays the ideas of American work ethics that led to economic growth in the early 1900s. These ideals of work ethic not only prompted the cause of the Dust Bowl, but were continued on into the lives of the affected farmers as Americans displaced and in poverty from this event continued to participate in migrant work with awful living
The Industrial Revolution resulted in many huge changes in society, including a growth in capitalism. The social and political effects have produced a great amount of debate. Andrew Ure, Karl Marx, and Adam Smith all had differing views on industrial capitalism and opinions about what its social consequences would be. Ure’s “The Philosophy of Manufactures,” Marx’s “The Communist Manifesto,” and Smith’s “Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations” all portray their perspectives.
Spending their wealth on luxurious items was seen to be disrespectful to God and as a result people expected to pour their earnings into their callings. This has close ties with the capitalist ethic. From this ethic, according to Weber, a system of capitalism emerged that no longer required ascetic values to sustain itself. These became the capitalist spirit. Working hard and worshiping, activities held in high regards by Protestants contributed to what we seen in contemporary society as being the capitalist ethic.
Although many citizens viewed capitalists as “Captains of Industry,” they can also, just as easily, be seen as “Robber Barons.” Even though railroads were beneficial to society, they were not without corruption, as shown by the Credit Mobilier scandal. This was a railroad company that paid itself huge sums of money for small railroad construction. In fact, it received twenty-three million dollars in profit. Moreover, the railroad industry could be seen as completely insincere and dishonest because of its monopoles.
Working is one of the many tasks that most adults have to endure. As for Phil, work was not just a task, but was a life commitment that took valuable time away. Ellen Goodman describes her stance of this issue in the piece, “The Company Man,” by employing repetition of important phrases and by showcasing the irony of Paul’s life. This conveys a sense of sympathy for Paul and his family and disapproval of his actions, who let his work consume his life, leading to his death. To begin, the use of repetition allowed Ellen Goodman to show her critical attitude and pity towards Phil.
One of the most important concepts that defined the capitalist economy is the division of labor. Throughout the years, great philosophers such as Adam Smith, Max Weber, and Karl Marx have discussed theories that have drastically changed and molded the modern labor force. Thus, the ideal of labor division was created. Its purpose is to distribute labor skills amongst groups of people and by doing so it enabled workers to build products quickly. From this ideal, it allowed industries to expand their productivity and create trade on a global scale.