Week Two - Robber Barons, The Farmer’s Revolt, and Capital versus Labor
Share an idea or two from this week's reading. What was most interesting to you? What was most strange? How does the reading this week fit into issues and discussions we have had in this class?
I found the idea that the freedmen going back to work for former slave owners was highly ironic, but interesting. However, the most interesting part was how the former slave owners felt, not being able to view the freedman as property anymore and having to pay them for their work instead of making them work for free.
From Progress and Poverty: It is as though an immense wedge were being forced, not underneath society, but through society. Those who were above the point of separation are elevated, but those who are below are crushed down.
I was most interested in the fact that, while productivity and technological advancements were occurring often, people who were previously in less than desirable conditions tended to stay in place. I found that, in relation to my previous point, that some things will not change. That isn't to say the disparity in present day is better or worse than the time frame that we're presently covering but it is a sobering thought. While time has gone by, we are unfortunately progressing faster in technology than we are as people.
Gospel of wealth, what I found interesting is that back in the day there was a little difference between the rich and the poor. It's strange because today, there is a huge difference between being wealthy and poor. It fits with the discussion in class because even with all the laws in place, a person with a lot of wealth can be viewed differently as opposed to a person with little to no wealth.
In the Gospel of Wealth, I really thought the quote "The man who dies thus rich dies disgraced." was very interesting. To me this is heartbreaking. That a man let his riches get in the way of his morals. Instead of the man giving all his riches away to charity or giving them away for the better, he decided that all his riches are his and nobody else's. The man thinks that when he dies he will somehow get to take his riches with him, when that is not the case at all. If you are blessed to be rich in your life, then when you die you should give to a charity, family, or someone in desperate need so that you can leave the Earth in peace and not in bitterness.
The reading on Classes, express the division between different social classes as a major problem within the world. Social class division has been existing for so long that it’s hard to find the root of the issue and a solution. The most interesting portion of the reading are the rhetorical questions which make the readers think about real world issues, creating deeper thought as these issues evolve and how to about solve them. The title emphasizes how each class needs another class for their own personal gain. This connects to the class discussion about the Crop Lien System, which was based upon power, the Caucasian landowners were superior due to their class and land ownership. The landowners gained money and crops, meanwhile the farmers gained nothing as they didn’t profit from the work due to unpaid debt.
Of the readings, I found the Gospel of Wealth to be the most interesting. The opening line, "The problem of our age is the proper administration of wealth", is as prevalent today as it was in 1889. While there have been many advances in society, the gap between the rich and poor has done nothing but increase. My favorite line of this piece is "The 'good old times' were not the good old times." We tend to have a nostalgic view of history instead of focusing on the injustices of that time. This relates to the class discussions of today because many of the injustices people faced years ago, such as racism and wealth gaps, are resurfacing today.
I completely agree with the fact that we look back at the division of rich and poor as though it is an issue that doesn't exist anymore but in reality, it is a problem that is still prevalent today.
I really enjoyed the Gospel of Wealth because he discusses why communism didn't work. He goes onto discuss three ways a wealthy man's money would take action upon his death. First, talking about how it can be detrimental to his family if they have lived a life of comfort without having any learning experience in money or the world outside their posh bubble. Second, he argues that when money is donated to the public upon death, it is used as a pardon for the man. If publicly recognized, it instills a thought of kindness to those affected, regardless of he was a good man or not. Plus, the taxation of estates left to public use was rising. Those reasons alone should drive the wealthy man towards tending to his estate and using it for good before he dies.
Out of all the readings, I found Gospel of Wealth to be the most interesting. While reading it there was one quote that really stuck out to me, "But weather the change be good or ill, it is upon us, beyond our power to alter, and therefore to be accepted and made the best of. It is a waste of time to criticize the inevitable." To me, this quote is saying that whatever the changes are good or bad it is beyond the power of the people and needs to be accepted because change is inevitable. This relates to the class discussions because it was easy to see all the change that happened during the Civil War and slavery and how it changed good and bad throughout its time.
From reading off Henry George's "Progress and Poverty", I speculated that those that were wealthy would expand their development of crops and other popular material by converting from labor to the use of machinery was interesting. The strange, but not actually surprising, part is that those who are wealthy continue to grow money-wise from the use of these machines while those who have been working in labor decrease in the ability to live. The lower class would perish under the wealthy men's success. Most, but not all, of the reading fits with the discussion we had in class dealing with the Reconstruction and moves after the civil war. Basically, it’s explaining how previous owners continued to gain riches from the labor of their former slaves. By the Crop Lien system, allowing the freemen to use their machines and material, that would result in more money coming in for the owner, leaving the ones who worked for it with nothing. Close to all the free slaves did not have any financial stability to help themselves live
From "Progress and Poverty", I found this quote to be the most interesting: "It is in the older countries-that is to say, the countries where material progress has reached later stages-that widespread destitution is found in the midst of the greatest abundance." I really think this is still true today, especially in America. We are considered to be one of the richest countries in the world. But yet, we also have so many that live in poverty. I feel like back then, the poverty was more in plain sight. Today, I feel like it is so much easier to avoid seeing those that are living in poverty. Back then, you would see them on the streets in public places. Whereas, nowadays, there are neighborhoods and areas where homeless people aren't even allowed.
I found the Populist Party Platform very interesting. It was interesting to see that a party for the people was created in order to gain demands for the "common folk." I found it somewhat strange that the people had to go to such lengths just to gain recognition for the fact that their rights were important too. But seeing as how this was the common theme during the time, it is not completely surprising. Our discussions dealt with how the common people's rights were taken and how they were mistreated. This platform deals with the problems they had and how they wanted it addressed, so I think both are quite similar.
I found these readings a bit more wordy than last week, but the Progress and Poverty reading really stood out because it is a problem we are still facing today but on a different level. It seems America still hasn't worked out the kinks to our advancement. In Progress and Poverty, he talks about the advancement of our technology. While we advance in technology and "labor-saving machinery," we drive a wedge between our social classes. I remember all through middle school, people began to worry that America will be through with the middle class altogether, and the worry hasn't calmed. In today's workforce you have to adapt quickly and effectively or someone younger, smarter, and better can and will take your place. There is a high demand for degrees today because in the past they fixed the kinks with the little jobs. They made machines for the factories and they perfected assembly lines so production was faster. So now what do we have left to improve? Factories are not our main focus anymore, we are out of that industrial age and we need to move forward technically and those who can't keep up might not have that comfort of middle class forever. I took from the reading that, while we are advancing technically, we are not advancing as humans. There are more stresses, more evil and greed, and a bigger separation between the classes.
In the first reading Gospel of Wealth, I found this quote " what were luxuries have become the necessaries of life," to be the most impactful since it is still relevant today except instead of the transition into the industrial age we are in the technological age. What many people especally in our society today claim is needed is really a luxury. Perfume, lavish meals and even multiple pairs of shoes are examples of luxury items we claim to need. These items not only display the evolution of society as a whole but the amount of wealth an individual has. Our social classes today are based on the luxuries we posses and the social class in which were raised leaves an impact on the social class we wish/ have to remain in. The Gospel of Wealth described why communism was not ideal but it also pointed out the flaws of being a capitalist society. In the other readings the many disadvantages of a industrialization and the accumulation of wealth were presented. In realizing the similarities to the newly industrialized world and today I began to think about our class system which does partly resemble a caste system. Both times are not entirely different and not much has changed in the case of rich and poor people. How do we give equal opportunity to people born in the classes so that their own work can determine their social class? As well as how do you movitvate people without using money or luxuries? And is allowing people to be in poverty really the best policy or just the only way that has been successful so far? If so why do we allow history to repeat itself?
Out of all the readings from this week, I personally found Gospel of Wealth to intrigue and interest me throughout the whole piece. I found it interesting how Carnegie was able to describe his personal view on how North America has been able to shape into the civilization it has grown to be. I found the quote, "...and while the law may be sometimes hard for the individual, it is best for the race, because it insures the survival of the fittest in every department." to be the most impactful. Since humans have grown to create and invent more and more ways to survive easily, those inventions have consequences that not everyone will agree with individually. And although the law may attempt to make every person and every race equal in their own right, prejudice still exists whether law makers like to admit it or not.
What do the Classes Owe to One Another: This reading was most interesting to me because some people do think that people in different classes owe them. For example, they my feel like one religion owe another or one race owe another, one country owes another and so on. This conflict is not based off society but property, liberty, exchange and goodwill is. People often feel victimized because some people feel like they owe them something. We are all individuals and we do not owe anybody anything. One of our country's laws is Freedom, no group is obligated or forced to serve another.
I found " The Gospel of Wealth" intriguing because of how Carnegie believed in using wealth to improve society. It teaches how the wealthy should handle their riches responsibly and not in a way that encourages "the slothful, the drunken, the unworthy". To give instead of thinking of ones self-indulgence, Carnegie argues against wasteful uses of wealth and encourages reducing the stratification between rich and poor.
I really enjoyed " What do the Classes Owe to One Another". It had many ideas that really play into today's environment. One of which is the distribution of wealth. The reading talks about whose duty it is to help the lower of the classes, and the people who are less well off. I like that it talks about the higher class helping those who are suffering, or if not they would be suffering with them. Another interesting idea this reading talks about is the idea of classes in general. It goes into the question of who made the classes, and who gave the right of one class to be above the other. I think this question comes up often today.
I found the gospel of wealth by Andrew Carnegie particularly intriguing. His belief that wealthy men should redistribute their earned money back into the community rather than sit on the money until they die seemed rather interesting. He was not a man who believed in lavish spending. In “Wealth” Carnegie states, “By taxing estates heavily at death the state marks its condemnation of the selfish millionaire's unworthy life,” meaning rich men who waste their fortunes on luxurious material items such as large mansions were foolish, wasteful, and selfish. He seemed like a man who was greatly concerned for those less fortunate than he, which I think is very honorable. Overall, I believe his main point is that with wealth comes the morally responsibility of modesty and the expectation to give back to the community from which the money came. My favorite line in the reading was “The man who dies thus rich dies disgraced.” I feel as though the rich men of today could take a note from Carnegie. Too often people today get absorbed into the search for the finer things, we often forget about those who are not as privileged as us. Carnegie stressed that the line between the rich and poor should be very thin, however, today it seems as though that line is constantly widening.
I found the concept of foreign labor in the United States as portrayed in the article ‘We Chinese Are Viewed Like Thieves and Enemies’: Pin Chi Appeals to Congress to Protect the Rights of Chinese, ca. 1860’ as ironic. During the 1870’s in the United States, the country encouraged the Chinese workers to enter the country to provide labor. However, once Chinese people entered the country, they were treated as less than citizens and were withheld from their civil rights, despite being a key importance in the state of California’s workforce. This is similar to the theme involving black slaves.
In the reading "What Social Classes Owe..." by William sumner, he agrees that America has and needs classes. On pages 12-14 sumner speaks about classes having roles given by god or nature's conditions. This reading was interesting to me because we still have social classes. Citizens rise or fall in the social class depending on the reactions he/she makes from situations set by god or nature. The readings last week included the "We Chinese are viewed..."and "Chief Joseph Speaks" articles. The two races relate to the treatment of African Americans and former slaves during reconstruction. Even though they were granted freedom and the right to do what they wanted as citizens, the Chinese, Native and African Americans were not being treated properly as citizens. Chinese miners were bullied, stolen from and murdered while Native Americans were repeatedly stolen from, killed and fought as well. While during reconstruction, former slaves and African Americans were not given fair rights and treatment, being harassed constantly.
It's interesting to me to think about the differences in social, or economic classes. In the "Gospel of Wealth", it explains that the differences of people in different economic classes were minimal compared to today's time. Today you have people struggling to survive, while you have other people that are worth millions. Long ago, the top earning people were in an isolated, small group. Today, opportunities have made it possible for many people to obtain large amounts of wealth. Today, society is much more spread out. It's amazing to me how much the United States has changed and progressed in many ways. Economically, the country has soared past the most wildest dreams of the people back then. It's just hard for us to share their perspective since we actually live in today's time. I feel like that's the biggest thing I took away from the readings. Connor Hawkins
The reading that most caught my attention was The Gospel about Wealth. The way the economy changes all the time and with that change the way we live life and what we do change as well. It states that the change it takes depends on us if we want to take it in a positive or negative way. I feel like that's the same with every situation the way we take it in and respond is what defends who we are. There are people who have more money than they could ever need and use in their lives and then again we have others that have nothing and are struggling to stay alive. We are always showing so much hate instead of helping one another. It is mentioned that wealth doesn't really defined who you are, the way you were raised shows who you really are where you come from and who you will be. This really catches my attention because people always think money is everything when in reality it is not. The most strange thing that caught my attention was the reading about "The Problem". The way that people thought that new inventions would put behind poverty. This is so strange because poverty will never end that will never change because we will always have people that can not and will not better their selves. The people were willing to work together to make everything better.
Out of all of the readings, I found “Progress and Poverty,” by Henry George the most intriguing. It was the most intriguing because social class division has been such an important part of our society in the past and remains an important part in our society today. As we can see from the readings and in-class discussions, social class division has been the cause of many different occurrences within society, such as the creation of the Populist Party to represent the common folk and the mistreatment of the Chinese immigrants by the government due to social inequality. I find it interesting that the author questioned what a man of the last century imagined what the world would be like nowadays. That’s interesting to think about because with a society that is constantly changing and evolving, class division is the one thing that mankind has been unable to get rid of. Therefore, how will the world look in a century from now?
I found “Progress and Poverty” to be quite insightful. One particular sentence caught my attention: “Where the conditions to which material progress everywhere tends are most fully realized that is to say, where population is densest, wealth greatest, and the machinery of production and exchange most highly developed-we find the deepest poverty, the sharpest struggle for existence, and the most of enforced idleness.” I find it astonishing that in the most well developed and sophisticated areas, one can still find this unthinkable quality of life. I had never really thought that innovation could actually be a bed thing, however after reading this article my perspective has changed. I now see now ones persons invention can destroy the livelihood of many.
In the reading, Progress and Poverty, the point on the division between the wealthy and the poor, and the wedge driven between social classes really caught my eye. In the time period in which the reading was written, technology and production was being developed at a pace that some of society could not keep up with, which in turn created a wide gap between the rich and the poor. Whats interesting to me about this is that in some of the lower developed countries, this situation is still very relevant.
The most insightful reading to me was Carnegie's Gospel of Wealth. He tells us how the wealthy should use their money for the general good of the public and the benefits that come from it. He explains to us the futility of just using ones wealth for their own self and then just giving it to their children when they die. Whats gripping about this article is how it was written such a long time ago in a world that was much different from ours today but is still relevant.
I found the idea that the freedmen going back to work for former slave owners was highly ironic, but interesting. However, the most interesting part was how the former slave owners felt, not being able to view the freedman as property anymore and having to pay them for their work instead of making them work for free.
ReplyDeleteFrom Progress and Poverty: It is as though an immense wedge were being forced, not underneath society, but through society. Those who were above the point of separation are elevated, but those who are below are crushed down.
ReplyDeleteI was most interested in the fact that, while productivity and technological advancements were occurring often, people who were previously in less than desirable conditions tended to stay in place. I found that, in relation to my previous point, that some things will not change. That isn't to say the disparity in present day is better or worse than the time frame that we're presently covering but it is a sobering thought. While time has gone by, we are unfortunately progressing faster in technology than we are as people.
Posted by Caleb Harvey ^^
DeleteGospel of wealth, what I found interesting is that back in the day there was a little difference between the rich and the poor. It's strange because today, there is a huge difference between being wealthy and poor. It fits with the discussion in class because even with all the laws in place, a person with a lot of wealth can be viewed differently as opposed to a person with little to no wealth.
ReplyDeleteIn the Gospel of Wealth, I really thought the quote "The man who dies thus rich dies disgraced." was very interesting. To me this is heartbreaking. That a man let his riches get in the way of his morals. Instead of the man giving all his riches away to charity or giving them away for the better, he decided that all his riches are his and nobody else's. The man thinks that when he dies he will somehow get to take his riches with him, when that is not the case at all. If you are blessed to be rich in your life, then when you die you should give to a charity, family, or someone in desperate need so that you can leave the Earth in peace and not in bitterness.
ReplyDeleteThe reading on Classes, express the division between different social classes as a major problem within the world. Social class division has been existing for so long that it’s hard to find the root of the issue and a solution. The most interesting portion of the reading are the rhetorical questions which make the readers think about real world issues, creating deeper thought as these issues evolve and how to about solve them. The title emphasizes how each class needs another class for their own personal gain. This connects to the class discussion about the Crop Lien System, which was based upon power, the Caucasian landowners were superior due to their class and land ownership. The landowners gained money and crops, meanwhile the farmers gained nothing as they didn’t profit from the work due to unpaid debt.
ReplyDeleteOf the readings, I found the Gospel of Wealth to be the most interesting. The opening line, "The problem of our age is the proper administration of wealth", is as prevalent today as it was in 1889. While there have been many advances in society, the gap between the rich and poor has done nothing but increase. My favorite line of this piece is "The 'good old times' were not the good old times." We tend to have a nostalgic view of history instead of focusing on the injustices of that time. This relates to the class discussions of today because many of the injustices people faced years ago, such as racism and wealth gaps, are resurfacing today.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with the fact that we look back at the division of rich and poor as though it is an issue that doesn't exist anymore but in reality, it is a problem that is still prevalent today.
DeleteI really enjoyed the Gospel of Wealth because he discusses why communism didn't work. He goes onto discuss three ways a wealthy man's money would take action upon his death. First, talking about how it can be detrimental to his family if they have lived a life of comfort without having any learning experience in money or the world outside their posh bubble. Second, he argues that when money is donated to the public upon death, it is used as a pardon for the man. If publicly recognized, it instills a thought of kindness to those affected, regardless of he was a good man or not. Plus, the taxation of estates left to public use was rising. Those reasons alone should drive the wealthy man towards tending to his estate and using it for good before he dies.
ReplyDeleteOut of all the readings, I found Gospel of Wealth to be the most interesting. While reading it there was one quote that really stuck out to me, "But weather the change be good or ill, it is upon us, beyond our power to alter, and therefore to be accepted and made the best of. It is a waste of time to criticize the inevitable." To me, this quote is saying that whatever the changes are good or bad it is beyond the power of the people and needs to be accepted because change is inevitable. This relates to the class discussions because it was easy to see all the change that happened during the Civil War and slavery and how it changed good and bad throughout its time.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteFrom reading off Henry George's "Progress and Poverty", I speculated that those that were wealthy would expand their development of crops and other popular material by converting from labor to the use of machinery was interesting. The strange, but not actually surprising, part is that those who are wealthy continue to grow money-wise from the use of these machines while those who have been working in labor decrease in the ability to live. The lower class would perish under the wealthy men's success. Most, but not all, of the reading fits with the discussion we had in class dealing with the Reconstruction and moves after the civil war. Basically, it’s explaining how previous owners continued to gain riches from the labor of their former slaves. By the Crop Lien system, allowing the freemen to use their machines and material, that would result in more money coming in for the owner, leaving the ones who worked for it with nothing. Close to all the free slaves did not have any financial stability to help themselves live
ReplyDeleteFrom "Progress and Poverty", I found this quote to be the most interesting: "It is in the older countries-that is to say, the countries where material progress has reached later stages-that widespread destitution is found in the midst of the greatest abundance." I really think this is still true today, especially in America. We are considered to be one of the richest countries in the world. But yet, we also have so many that live in poverty. I feel like back then, the poverty was more in plain sight. Today, I feel like it is so much easier to avoid seeing those that are living in poverty. Back then, you would see them on the streets in public places. Whereas, nowadays, there are neighborhoods and areas where homeless people aren't even allowed.
ReplyDeleteI found the Populist Party Platform very interesting. It was interesting to see that a party for the people was created in order to gain demands for the "common folk." I found it somewhat strange that the people had to go to such lengths just to gain recognition for the fact that their rights were important too. But seeing as how this was the common theme during the time, it is not completely surprising. Our discussions dealt with how the common people's rights were taken and how they were mistreated. This platform deals with the problems they had and how they wanted it addressed, so I think both are quite similar.
ReplyDeleteI found these readings a bit more wordy than last week, but the Progress and Poverty reading really stood out because it is a problem we are still facing today but on a different level. It seems America still hasn't worked out the kinks to our advancement. In Progress and Poverty, he talks about the advancement of our technology. While we advance in technology and "labor-saving machinery," we drive a wedge between our social classes. I remember all through middle school, people began to worry that America will be through with the middle class altogether, and the worry hasn't calmed. In today's workforce you have to adapt quickly and effectively or someone younger, smarter, and better can and will take your place. There is a high demand for degrees today because in the past they fixed the kinks with the little jobs. They made machines for the factories and they perfected assembly lines so production was faster. So now what do we have left to improve? Factories are not our main focus anymore, we are out of that industrial age and we need to move forward technically and those who can't keep up might not have that comfort of middle class forever. I took from the reading that, while we are advancing technically, we are not advancing as humans. There are more stresses, more evil and greed, and a bigger separation between the classes.
ReplyDeleteIn the first reading Gospel of Wealth, I found this quote " what were luxuries have become the necessaries of life," to be the most impactful since it is still relevant today except instead of the transition into the industrial age we are in the technological age. What many people especally in our society today claim is needed is really a luxury. Perfume, lavish meals and even multiple pairs of shoes are examples of luxury items we claim to need. These items not only display the evolution of society as a whole but the amount of wealth an individual has. Our social classes today are based on the luxuries we posses and the social class in which were raised leaves an impact on the social class we wish/ have to remain in.
ReplyDeleteThe Gospel of Wealth described why communism was not ideal but it also pointed out the flaws of being a capitalist society. In the other readings the many disadvantages of a industrialization and the accumulation of wealth were presented. In realizing the similarities to the newly industrialized world and today I began to think about our class system which does partly resemble a caste system. Both times are not entirely different and not much has changed in the case of rich and poor people. How do we give equal opportunity to people born in the classes so that their own work can determine their social class? As well as how do you movitvate people without using money or luxuries? And is allowing people to be in poverty really the best policy or just the only way that has been successful so far? If so why do we allow history to repeat itself?
Out of all the readings from this week, I personally found Gospel of Wealth to intrigue and interest me throughout the whole piece. I found it interesting how Carnegie was able to describe his personal view on how North America has been able to shape into the civilization it has grown to be. I found the quote, "...and while the law may be sometimes hard for the individual, it is best for the race, because it insures the survival of the fittest in every department." to be the most impactful. Since humans have grown to create and invent more and more ways to survive easily, those inventions have consequences that not everyone will agree with individually. And although the law may attempt to make every person and every race equal in their own right, prejudice still exists whether law makers like to admit it or not.
ReplyDeleteWhat do the Classes Owe to One Another: This reading was most interesting to me because some people do think that people in different classes owe them. For example, they my feel like one religion owe another or one race owe another, one country owes another and so on. This conflict is not based off society but property, liberty, exchange and goodwill is. People often feel victimized because some people feel like they owe them something. We are all individuals and we do not owe anybody anything. One of our country's laws is Freedom, no group is obligated or forced to serve another.
ReplyDeleteSydnee' Williams
U00513318
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI found " The Gospel of Wealth" intriguing because of how Carnegie believed in using wealth to improve society. It teaches how the wealthy should handle their riches responsibly and not in a way that encourages "the slothful, the drunken, the unworthy". To give instead of thinking of ones self-indulgence, Carnegie argues against wasteful uses of wealth and encourages reducing the stratification between rich and poor.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed " What do the Classes Owe to One Another". It had many ideas that really play into today's environment. One of which is the distribution of wealth. The reading talks about whose duty it is to help the lower of the classes, and the people who are less well off. I like that it talks about the higher class helping those who are suffering, or if not they would be suffering with them. Another interesting idea this reading talks about is the idea of classes in general. It goes into the question of who made the classes, and who gave the right of one class to be above the other. I think this question comes up often today.
ReplyDeleteI found the gospel of wealth by Andrew Carnegie particularly intriguing. His belief that wealthy men should redistribute their earned money back into the community rather than sit on the money until they die seemed rather interesting. He was not a man who believed in lavish spending. In “Wealth” Carnegie states, “By taxing estates heavily at death the state marks its condemnation of the selfish millionaire's unworthy life,” meaning rich men who waste their fortunes on luxurious material items such as large mansions were foolish, wasteful, and selfish. He seemed like a man who was greatly concerned for those less fortunate than he, which I think is very honorable. Overall, I believe his main point is that with wealth comes the morally responsibility of modesty and the expectation to give back to the community from which the money came. My favorite line in the reading was “The man who dies thus rich dies disgraced.” I feel as though the rich men of today could take a note from Carnegie. Too often people today get absorbed into the search for the finer things, we often forget about those who are not as privileged as us. Carnegie stressed that the line between the rich and poor should be very thin, however, today it seems as though that line is constantly widening.
ReplyDeleteI found the concept of foreign labor in the United States as portrayed in the article ‘We Chinese Are Viewed Like Thieves and Enemies’: Pin Chi Appeals to Congress to Protect the Rights of Chinese, ca. 1860’ as ironic. During the 1870’s in the United States, the country encouraged the Chinese workers to enter the country to provide labor. However, once Chinese people entered the country, they were treated as less than citizens and were withheld from their civil rights, despite being a key importance in the state of California’s workforce. This is similar to the theme involving black slaves.
ReplyDeleteIn the reading "What Social Classes Owe..." by William sumner, he agrees that America has and needs classes. On pages 12-14 sumner speaks about classes having roles given by god or nature's conditions. This reading was interesting to me because we still have social classes. Citizens rise or fall in the social class depending on the reactions he/she makes from situations set by god or nature.
ReplyDeleteThe readings last week included the "We Chinese are viewed..."and "Chief Joseph Speaks" articles. The two races relate to the treatment of African Americans and former slaves during reconstruction. Even though they were granted freedom and the right to do what they wanted as citizens, the Chinese, Native and African Americans were not being treated properly as citizens. Chinese miners were bullied, stolen from and murdered while Native Americans were repeatedly stolen from, killed and fought as well. While during reconstruction, former slaves and African Americans were not given fair rights and treatment, being harassed constantly.
It's interesting to me to think about the differences in social, or economic classes. In the "Gospel of Wealth", it explains that the differences of people in different economic classes were minimal compared to today's time. Today you have people struggling to survive, while you have other people that are worth millions. Long ago, the top earning people were in an isolated, small group. Today, opportunities have made it possible for many people to obtain large amounts of wealth. Today, society is much more spread out. It's amazing to me how much the United States has changed and progressed in many ways. Economically, the country has soared past the most wildest dreams of the people back then. It's just hard for us to share their perspective since we actually live in today's time. I feel like that's the biggest thing I took away from the readings.
ReplyDeleteConnor Hawkins
The reading that most caught my attention was The Gospel about Wealth. The way the economy changes all the time and with that change the way we live life and what we do change as well. It states that the change it takes depends on us if we want to take it in a positive or negative way. I feel like that's the same with every situation the way we take it in and respond is what defends who we are. There are people who have more money than they could ever need and use in their lives and then again we have others that have nothing and are struggling to stay alive. We are always showing so much hate instead of helping one another. It is mentioned that wealth doesn't really defined who you are, the way you were raised shows who you really are where you come from and who you will be. This really catches my attention because people always think money is everything when in reality it is not.
ReplyDeleteThe most strange thing that caught my attention was the reading about "The Problem". The way that people thought that new inventions would put behind poverty. This is so strange because poverty will never end that will never change because we will always have people that can not and will not better their selves. The people were willing to work together to make everything better.
Out of all of the readings, I found “Progress and Poverty,” by Henry George the most intriguing. It was the most intriguing because social class division has been such an important part of our society in the past and remains an important part in our society today. As we can see from the readings and in-class discussions, social class division has been the cause of many different occurrences within society, such as the creation of the Populist Party to represent the common folk and the mistreatment of the Chinese immigrants by the government due to social inequality. I find it interesting that the author questioned what a man of the last century imagined what the world would be like nowadays. That’s interesting to think about because with a society that is constantly changing and evolving, class division is the one thing that mankind has been unable to get rid of. Therefore, how will the world look in a century from now?
ReplyDeleteI found “Progress and Poverty” to be quite insightful. One particular sentence caught my attention: “Where the conditions to which material progress everywhere tends are most fully realized that is to say, where population is densest, wealth greatest, and the machinery of production and exchange most highly developed-we find the deepest poverty, the sharpest struggle for existence, and the most of enforced idleness.” I find it astonishing that in the most well developed and sophisticated areas, one can still find this unthinkable quality of life. I had never really thought that innovation could actually be a bed thing, however after reading this article my perspective has changed. I now see now ones persons invention can destroy the livelihood of many.
ReplyDeleteIn the reading, Progress and Poverty, the point on the division between the wealthy and the poor, and the wedge driven between social classes really caught my eye. In the time period in which the reading was written, technology and production was being developed at a pace that some of society could not keep up with, which in turn created a wide gap between the rich and the poor. Whats interesting to me about this is that in some of the lower developed countries, this situation is still very relevant.
ReplyDeleteThe most insightful reading to me was Carnegie's Gospel of Wealth. He tells us how the wealthy should use their money for the general good of the public and the benefits that come from it. He explains to us the futility of just using ones wealth for their own self and then just giving it to their children when they die. Whats gripping about this article is how it was written such a long time ago in a world that was much different from ours today but is still relevant.
ReplyDelete