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Social Thought in the Gilded Age

Page history last edited by Mr. Hengsterman 3 years, 1 month ago

The Power of Ideas: Social Thought in the Gilded Age
The power of ideas provide possible solutions to combat the problems associated with industrialization,

immigration, and urbanization by structuring the way society thought about issues.

Ideas structure the way people/you think about issues. Ideas help structure reality and help people see possibilities/options.

Studying IDEAS are confusing WHY?

Different ideas are popular among different sets of people
Big country = lots of people = Multiple ideologies in circulation
The strength of ideas will call forth its opposite- these are responses to the same thing - Industrialization

The power of Ideas – They are shared and plausible responses to the issues of the day.

ADVOCATES FOR UNBRIDLED (unrestrained or uncontrolled) CAPITALISM - Link to Richest men in American History

Andrew Carnegie

William Graham Sumner

Henry George

Edward Bellamy

Economic Individualism

The Social Gospel

Sees the economy as discrete individual units and the individual is the primary actor in the economy

1. An individual given the opportunity will go as far as their abilities will take them

2. Freed slaves should be seen as individuals who can make their own way, NOT as a group of people that need support

3. Labor – work hard and utilize your skills and you will do fine. Look at the workers as an individual vs. Labor unions and the formation of a collective class conscience

Emphasized charity and social responsibility as a means of salvation. This plants the seeds for the Progressive Movement

Biblical mandates for social reform
Religiously inform concern with working conditions and distribution of resources
Focus on life in the city and immigrants

Christian belief as a foundation for social action. Seeing mankind as perfectible and improvable

Herbert Spencer and William Graham Sumner - Social Darwinism "survival of the fittest"
Social Darwinism, originally advocated by Herbert Spencer, was taken over by Yale professor and stated that the survival of the fittest implied that the gov’t should stay out and let the rightful winners take their share. Monopolies = natural accumulation of power.

Andrew Carnegie - The Gospel of Wealth (1889) " Wealth carries moral responsibilities"

According to Carnegie, it was the responsibility of philanthropyby the new upper class of self-made rich. The central thesis of Carnegie's essay was the peril of allowing large sums of money to be passed into the hands of persons or organizations ill-equipped mentally or emotionally to cope with them. As a result, the wealthy entrepreneur must assume the responsibility of distributing his fortune in a way that it will be put to good use, and not wasted on frivolous expenditure. In this he represented a captain of industry who had risen to power by his own hand and refused to worship.

Outside Reading: Laissez Faire Conservatism