Document Title Author and Date Why was this What is the List at least two Was the

t at least two Was the author

document created? Author’s Point? quotes that sympathetic toward
strike you as industrialists or
interesting. reformers?
Henry George It was written in The United States “So long as all the Reformers
1879 response to the has seen a lot of increased wealth
industrial growth, but this which modern
Progress and revolution and the growth cannot be progress brings
Poverty meteoric rise of accurately goes but to build
up great fortunes,
monopolies and portrayed. The to increase luxury
capitalism. growth is based and make sharper
merely on a couple the contrast
of businesses, between the
families, and House of Have
political parties. and the House of
The wealthy Want, progress is
become wealthier, not real and
and nations fall cannot be
just as they have in permanent.”
the past.
“We cannot go
on permitting
men to vote and
forcing them to
tramp. We
cannot go on
educating boys
and girls in our
public schools
and then
refusing them
the right to earn
an honest
living. We
cannot go on
prating of the
 inalienable
rights of man
and then
denying the
inalienable right
to the bounty of
the Creator.”
To show that the Societies must play “What civil Industrialist
William interference of any out in order for liberty does is to
Graham type of government humanity to grow turn the
affair is harmful to and succeed. There competition of
on Social Sumner society. can be no man with man
Darwinism (ca 1880s) from violence and
expansion if the brute force into an
government industrial
interferes with competition under
people’s actions. which men vie
He fought for a with one another
"laissez-faire" for the acquisition
approach, arguing of material goods
for Americans’ by industry,
rights to energy, skill,
industrialize and frugality,
prudence,
capitalize on all.
temperance, and
other industrial
virtues. Under this
changed order of
things the
inequalities are
not done away
with.”
“We shall favor
the survival of
the unfittest, and
we shall
accomplish this
by destroying
liberty.”

Andrew Carnegie To argue that the If there is no goal, then “Much better this Industrialist
 (June 1889) wealth gap was people do not wish to great irregularity
beneficial for achieve it. If everyone than universal
Gospel of society
lives together in squalor. Without
mediocrity and wealth there can be
Wealth poverty, then society no Maecenas. The
suffers. No one can “good old times”
look back at hard were not good old
work if no one has times.”
succeeded from said “But the millionaire
hard work. The will be but a trustee
wealthy must be held for the poor;
responsible for the entrusted for a
wellbeing of the poor season with a part
as those who are more of the increased
fortunate than they. wealth of the
community, but
administering it for
the community far
better than it did, or
would have done, of
itself.”

Many southern “We give the Reformers

A Mississippi To fight for farmers oppress answer: they will
not be allowed a
Colored Farmers’ equality among and even violently free canvass or an
Dispatch Alliance farmers in the resist the black honest count. They
(1889) south farmers in the will be trampled
from a south. They ask under foot by
that the reckless southern
Mississippi government pass
Democrats. Free
Colored fair laws to allow
politics does not
exist at the South.
Farmers’ proper election for Freedom is there a
equal mockery to the
Alliance representatives. black man; suffrage
is a sham to all
Republicans.”
“On the other hand,
what, may we ask,
will not the
southern Democrats
do when the
southern Farmers’
Alliances not only
organize co-
 operative stores, but
also undertake to
elect members of
the Farmers’
Alliances as State
officers and
congressmen?”
The People’s To pursue equal The farmers and ‘Our country finds Reformers
Party (1892) treatment and agriculture itself confronted by
economic reform workers of the conditions for
which there is no
The Omaha for farmers in a United States precedent in the
Platform decreasingly suffered during history of the world;
agricultural society the industrial our annual
revolution. They agricultural
could not keep up productions amount
to billions of dollars
economically, and in value, which
they were not must, within a few
afforded many of weeks or months, be
the same exchanged for
opportunities and billions of dollars’
worth of
blessings that commodities
many others were. consumed in their
They fought for production; the
economic equality existing currency
and reform. They supply is wholly
inadequate to make
issued simple
this exchange; the
requests to help results are falling
them fight to stay prices, the
afloat. formation of
combines and rings,
the impoverishment
of the producing
class. We pledge
ourselves that if
given power we will
labor to correct
these evils by wise
and reasonable
legislation, in
accordance with the
terms of our
platform.”
 “The national power
to create money is
appropriated to
enrich bondholders;
a vast public debt
payable in legal
tender currency has
been funded into
gold-bearing bonds,
thereby adding
millions to the
burdens of the
people.”
Lucy Parsons To fight for social Lucy felt that “Do you think that Reformer
(1905) equality across all women were not they will allow you
to vote them away
boundaries, and to given many of the from them by
fight against same opportunities passing a law and
Women and capitalism and as men. She saying, “Be it
Revolutionary oppression challenged not to enacted that on and
Socialism life women above after a certain day
Mr. Capitalist shall
men, but invited be dispossessed?”
men to join You may, but I do
alongside women not believe it.”
in combating “Nature has been
oppression. She lavish to her
children. She has
argued that with placed in this Earth
this new age, social all the material of
injustice and wealth that is
oppression had necessary to make
risen in new ways, men and women
happy. She has
and she wanted to
given us brains to
lead the way in go into her
combating it. She storehouse and
fought for bring from its
revolutionary recesses all that is
necessary. She has
socialism, and she
given us these two
wanted people to hands and these
act based on brains to
volunteerism and manufacture them
not social on a parallel with all
hierarchies. other civilizations”
Question:

1: Which of the documents listed above did you find the most compelling/ interesting? Why?

Carnegie’s Gospel of Wealth was very interesting because he argued for an established position, but he said that said position must be held

responsible. The wealthy must stay wealthy, and this is healthy for society. Most industrialists would have stopped here, but instead he argues that

they must be held accountable and provide for the rest of society. In fact, it is a great honor to be as successful as they are, and this honor is met with

responsibility. I do not claim to agree nor disagree, but his argument is still compelling.

2: Do you detect any similarities between the sources by authors sympathetic toward industrialists? What were they? What might these similarities
lead you to conclude?
The industrialists seem to be very influenced by Darwin’s works. Social Darwinism had taken a hold of society, and many were convinced that
society cannot progress nor grow with the intervention of a higher authority. Government must stay at a distance in order for people to truly learn,
grow, and progress. It seems that the more fortunate and wealthy fought for social Darwinism, or some cultural version of it, because they were not
held accountable for their wealth and did not have to surrender it. The rich stay rich, and the rich may blame the poor for their own inability to
succeed.
3: Do you detect any similarities between the sources by authors sympathetic toward reformers? What were they? What might these similarities lead
you to conclude?
Most reformers felt the downstream of social inequality and societal hierarchies. It was difficult for the lowly to rise, and it was impossible for the
powerful to fall. This was established largely because of the laws and opportunities granted to those in very specific circumstances. People of other
gender, social background, economic standpoint, race, and even occupation all struggled because the industrial revolution grew at such an alarming
rate without adequate economic planning and preparation. Many that were intentionally or unintentionally outcast before the revolution were left in
the dust after it.