Ascent Of Money

Money— sweeter than honey but oh so destructive. It facilitates a man’s life, while a lack of it imprisons him in the streets of penury. It raises his social status, while an absence of it leaves him unnoticed. It gives him an aura of superiority and importance among others, while a deficiency of it makes him worthless in society’s eyes. Considering these two roads, most do not take more than a second to decide to chase riches.

In the article “Money: The Real Truth about Money” by Gregg Easterbrook published In Time Magazine (2005), the author compares two different generation’s attitudes towards money, and how it affects their happiness. The author’s standing qualifies him to write and appeal this issue, he’s a contributing editor of The Atlantic and The Washington Monthly, and he also writes the Tuesday Morning Quarterback column for ESPN.com. Easterbrook’s primary audience appears to be middle class Americans however he draws a wider secondary audience’s attention. The author succeeded in convincing his readers through his rhetorical appeals, credible sources and his clever use of language.

In the book Money and Class in America written by Lewis Lapham, the way Americans look at money is exposed. It compares other nations view on monetary value against that of the Americans. It is a fact that we place more value on money than anything else. This book illustrates the corruptness of the “American Dream” as it focuses money as the “currency of the soul” and through the dream, men remain free to rise or fall. Their life is the product of the effort and the decisions put forth by them.

Throughout our lives, we have moments that may impact us negatively and/or positively. In the short story “the money” by Junot Diaz we see his mother saving money to send to her parents in the Dominican Republic but his family is already in a struggle to survive. Then there was a turning point for the whole family, they were robbed. Diaz’s mother was enraged by the event “she cursed the neighborhood, she cursed the country, she cursed [his] father, and of course, she cursed [the] kids,” assuming that one of Diaz’s friends or his siblings’ friends had something to do with it (Diaz 3). Diaz suspected one of his friends and he was right. So, he then took it into his own hands and went to steal the money back. Once Diaz retrieved the money, he

Following his discussion of religion and morality, Washington briefly touched upon “a very important source of strength and security”: public credit. Washington warned against incurring too much debt, but also warned that sometimes a smaller expenditure to prepare for danger prevents a much larger expenditure

In the book Hamilton’s Blessing, Gordon uses economic history and theory to explore the start, rise and decline of the United States debt. Gordon opens his book by stating that this country was born in debt, and this debt has become so high that concerned individuals no longer think of it. Throughout the book, he traces the history of the national debt dating back from 1791, when the central bank of the United States was created, up to modern days. The intellectual architect of this creation was Alexander Hamilton, the first Treasury Secretary as well as a central figure who had a deep impact on the economic development of the United States. The title of the book clearly recalls Hamilton's statement that a national debt, "if not excessive,

Bridgeford-Smith, Jan. "MONEY, MORALITY and MADNESS." ["America's Civil War"]. America's Civil War, vol. 28, no. 4, Sept. 2015, pp. 46-53. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=khh&AN=103267901&site=hrc-live. Accessed 13 March 2017

From 1865 to 1900, a surge in industry and business began to come into effect. Railroads, oil, steel, and various inventions enabled the rise of these businesses. As time went on, the leaders of the businesses would become more eager to achieve wealth. Some historians have described these people as ‘robber barons’ or people who use extreme methods to control and maintain their wealth and power. Others would chastise that belief, declaring that it is an unjust conclusion to draw. Despite the oppositions fervent belief, the undeniable evidence supports the belief that many of the businessmen in the late 19th century were ‘robber barons’. These men had a blatant disregard for human lives and an unquenchable urge to assume control over citizens’ lives that instilled corruption and greed in them.

During the Jacksonian period of 1824-1848, America had great economic development that played a role in making this period known as the “common man,” live up to its expectations. The Bank War was one of Andrew Jackson's many attempts to lower the power of the federal government. The Bank of the United States was ran by Nicholas Biddle, and issued federal deposits, credit and bank notes. However, the main issue was that it restrained the power of state banks. The soft-money and hard-money were two groups, that opposed the Bank. The

In “On the Want of Money”, a 19th century text, William Hazzlit presents a strong position on the role of currency in society and the ironic relationship between man and his status through use of rhetoric; such as but not limited to syntax, repetition, and imagery. In doing so, Hazzlit strengthens his argument and gives more weight to his claims that support the idea that in possession of money and lack thereof man is miserable in his ways. Ownership leaves man alienated from friends and family, to be commemorated by a lonely, seldom frequented monument of massive proportions. Austerity dictates lives, limiting those in pursuit of wealth to a constant, consuming search. In summation, the concept of money is hopeless

Smith, Adam. An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations. Edwin Cannan, ed. 1904. Library of Economics and Liberty. Retrieved October 26, 2014 from the World Wide Web: http://www.econlib.org/library/Smith/smWN.html

Many historians today admire the great strides of economic and geopolitical advancements led forth by men such as Andrew Carnegie, John Rockefeller, and Cornelius Vanderbilt. But in reality, these businessmen cared for little more beyond their profits and personal riches. They rewrote the doctrines of American society to justify the deposition of everything that stood in the way of profits, from fair wages and workers' safety to islanders' rights to self determination and free trade – all for their personal

In his article “Wealth”, Andrew Carnegie argues for the wealth to give back their wealth to the community by providing “public institutions of various kinds … [to] improve the general condition of the people” (Foner 30). Carnegie uses this article to promote his Gospel of Wealth idea and provide his interpretation of the changing America. Carnegie’s Gospel of Wealth stated that “those who accumulated money had an obligation to use it to promote the advancement of society” (Foner 28). Carnegie’s articles focuses on the themes of Capitalism and Inequality, which continue to shape society.

Briefly explain the rise and fall of LTCM. What was the moral hazard issue the fed was worried about? How did they try and get around the moral hazard issue? What specifically was the Fed's role in the bailout? What roles specifically did Bear play and not play in the LTCM's life and death?

This quote ties in with the theme of Money=Power. Although the quote contrasts the meaning of the theme, the rich whites who donate to the school really do hold the power. Bledsoe, in this quote, believes that he is living the narrator’s grandfather’s advice and supplicating the whites but in reality, he would have no power without them. If the rich white people halted their funding of the college, both Bledsoe and the institution would fall.