The Civil War not only abolished slavery, but also threw the significant challenge of rebuilding a war-torn nation. Although initiated with the best hopes and intentions, the ‘Reconstruction’ of the USA had collapsed miserably for it had failed to establish a nation with equal rights for all. As a consequence, class discrimination and racial injustice had engulfed the American society. Besides having similarities and differences, the struggles for racial justice in the late 19th century and the struggles for economic justice in the Gilded Age are not only reminders of the failed ideology of the reconstruction, but are also evidence which shows us that the upper class of the society in that era were reluctant about the upward mobility of the poor. As the 20th century was nearing, the American obsession with wealth kept increasing, and the poorer class – including the newly freedmen - became the worst sufferers of its effects. To keep up with the rapid global industrialization, it became necessary for businesses to engage in mass production. Since, their largest source of laborers – slavery – had been crushed with the Union’s victory in the Civil War, the rich could only think of bringing back laborers by oppressing the poor through systems such as …show more content…
The radical Republicans of that time were not silent against the racist acts. Their initiatives ultimately led to the Congressional Reconstruction, which gave black men the right to vote. But when it came to establishing labor rights, they were not as vocal since the north was in need of cheap labor as well. Thus, the struggles for economic justice always remained unanswered. Often the laborers were prevented from being part of unions that ensured their wages. Soon, a practice of suppressing labor strikes through armed forces came into
The landowners took advantage of their tenants by overcharging for land and underpaying for the crops. The tenants began falling deeper into debt. They could not leave until they paid off their debt, which was nearly impossible. Although former slaves had been freed, they were still facing many struggles in free life. America’s plan for reconstruction had good intent, but did not give African Americans the equality they deserved.
The charge about the old days of the American economy—the nineteenth century, the “Gilded Age,” the era of the “robber barons”—was that it was always beset by a cycle of boom and bust. Whatever nice runs of expansion and opportunity that did come, they always seemed to be coupled with a pretty cataclysmic depression right around the corner. Boom and bust, boom and bust—this was the necessary pattern of the American economy in its primitive state. In the US, in the modern era, all this was smoothed out.
The years between 1825 to 1850 was a time for society to transform. Society was offering more opportunities to those who were below the white males on the social pyramid; which were women, child, blacks, and immigrants. The statement, “Reform movements in the United States sought to expand democratic ideals,” is a not valid for this time period because the reform movements were to benefit those who were fighting for equality, whereas, the democratic ideals were only benefitting the rich white males in society. Document C shows a picture of a slave chained to the ground with the quote, “Am I not a not a woman and a sister?” This is trying to say that the women were gaining more rights that was building up their social status to the men.
Following the ending of the Civil War in 1865, America was in an era known as the Reconstruction. The Reconstruction lasted until 1877. Citizens were attempting to rebuild our nation following one of the deadliest war in American History. In this time, the Fourteenth Amendment and Fifteenth Amendment to the Constitution were ratified. Although slaves were freed, African Americans still faced intense racial prejudice and discrimination.
The Gilded Age was an age of rapid economic growth. Railroads, factories, and mines were slowly popping up across the country, creating a variety of new opportunities for entrepreneurs and laborers alike. These new inventions and opportunities created “...an unprecedented accumulation of wealth” (GML, 601). But the transition of America from a small farming based nation to a powerful industrial one created a huge rift between social classes. Most people were either filthy rich or dirt poor, with workers being the latter.
Upward mobility is one of the traditional American ideals aspired to by all economic classes. Unfortunately, the idea of climbing the social ladder has become more of a dream than reality for most people. Jacob Hacker, in “Winner Take All Politics,” asserts that “The American Dream portrays the United States as a classless society where anyone can rise to the top, regardless of family background” (29). In this case, Hacker is referring to the class status of all Americans, disregarding race; while I have concluded that this is true for all groups, racism and discrimination add extra layers of difficulty in the attempt to advance economically and close the wealth gap. He then proceeds to explain how the lack of intergenerational mobility is
All things considered, this argument was convincing. In reality, one-third of the South’s population was black, and held an economic weight in society especially because of the emancipation of slaves. If whites ostracized blacks from working in the South, even as meager farmers and industrialist, the southern economy would falter as a
Slavery played a crucial role in the development of the American economy, and the exploitation of African American labor contributed to the accumulation of wealth and power by white Americans. The Jim Crow era and ongoing discrimination against African Americans in the workplace have continued this legacy of exploitation, leading to a significant wealth gap between white and black Americans. Both Block and Jones highlight the importance of understanding the historical context in which capitalism developed and how it has contributed to social and economic inequalities. They argue that capitalism alone is not sufficient for promoting social justice and equality, and that government intervention is necessary to regulate the market and redistribute wealth. Block suggests that the government should have a more active role in promoting social welfare programs, such as education and healthcare, to ensure that all citizens have access to the resources necessary to thrive.
While in "Gilded Age", all levels of government had corruption, graft public money for their own. One of the most notorious New York City Boss Tweed William M. Tweed, his wealth has more than $25 million in 1871, all was dirty money. During the period he served as mayor of New York, the city requires all public officials to report false, false ratio as high as 85%. He presided over the construction of the New York county government office buildings, 40 chairs and 3 tables then discount about $179000, but a thermometer was quoted $7500. According to statistics, in 1860 ~ 1900, American municipal debt by $200 million soared to $1.4 billion, most of them are the City boss and partisans pocketed.
However, Congress did not adequately protect those rights, and the Supreme Court undermined them. Second, the Radicals balked at distributing land to former slaves, which prevented them from becoming economically independent of the landowning planter class. Lastly, the Radicals did not fully realize the extent to which deep-seated racism in society would weakened the changes that Congress had attempted to make Furthermore, state Republican parties could not preserve black and white voter coalitions that would have enabled them to stay in power and continue political reform.
Nevertheless, as opposed to the thesis, the author argues that the new racism regarding African Americans has replaced discrimination with undeserved privileges. It is this fact that gives rise to the fear that income growth and welfare are more serious than racism. This turned out to be worse and more serious than just a black war against a grave crisis. The advancement of this disastrous "struggle against racism" generates a group of black leaders parasitizing on it. The civil rights movement shifted its main vector from democratic to capitalistic, thus turning into an economic industry.
The decade between 1890 and 1900 expressed a crucial time in the United States of America’s history. Many people experienced struggles throughout this time while others prospered. Mark Twain suggested that despite the significant achievements of the United States, Americans experienced poverty. This statement is an accurate description of the lively hood people experienced in their daily lives during the Gilded Age whether it was positive or negative. Many people during this time period focused on the positive outcomes that resulted from the Gilded Age such as new inventions, the gospel of wealth, additions of land to the country, urbanization, and middle-class improvements.
Undoubtedly, America has confronted many adversities throughout its history. Moreover, during the course of these challenges America prevailed, and ultimately formed a nation that has the ability to continuously adapt. There exists a myriad of examples that would support this claim; however, this essay will focus on four major events occurring between the 1860’s and 1920’s. The first event is how the American social status changed before and after Abraham Lincoln’s assassination. The second event is how the Civil War played a role in creating a need for Reconstruction, and how Reconstruction culminated in the Industrial Revolution.
The condition of the working class in the US at the beginning of the 20th century was extremely challenging since workers had to struggle for survival on the daily bases that can be clearly seen from The Jungle by Upton Sinclair. However, in the course of time, the situation did not change in principle because the US did not conduct systematic socioeconomic reforms that would eliminate conditions for the exploitation of a large group of people by a few for the benefit of the few, while the large part of the population remains at the risk of economic disaster. At this point, the recent economic recession is the best evidence of the lack of such reforms. This is why just like a hundred years ago, the US still faces the problem of the social injustice with the severe exploitation of employees, whose only source of income is scarce wages, while a few families concentrate in their hands the lion share of the national wealth and have a considerable and determinant impact not only on the US economy but also politics.
Imagine you as a twelve year old kid living in the streets of Paris, France. As you are slowly dying of starvation the sweet scent of apple pie from a nearby window catches your fancy. While the streets are constantly being watched by guards, you sneak up to the pie and in a flash you steal it while getting caught by a nearby officer. You get sent to prison for 25 years doing hard labor. Do you want to be marginalized by society?