Therefor Calvin Coolidge Third Source Analysis

In society, many make a living by working for others to get the necessities they need. Workers face many struggles such as wage cuts, horrendous work conditions, an increase in hours, due to these conditions they are labeled ‘wage slaves.’ These individuals have no choice but to work in these conditions. The growth of industry in the United States made corruption easier and made employers richer while the poor stayed poor. The employers justify their actions by arguing that the employees have a choice to go and work for someone else. However, workers do not have the choice to work for others since most employers were using the same method to make a profit. Workers are treated unfairly, but they use many effective techniques such as strikes

Context: Based on the speech, how do you think farmers and workers were feeling about business and industry? Find a quote to support your answer.

In the Gilded Age, big business controlled most aspects of everyday life. As the United States was amid a time of economic growth, big business was growing as well-- contributing to that economic growth, all the while, gaining control and dominance across the nation. With such an influencing power, big business cared less to think about anyone else other than themselves. Due to this corrupt possession of power big business possessed, legislation was passed in their favor with the government wrapped around their fingers. The economy, politics and the lives of most Americans were affected negatively when big business reigned supreme.

Analyst: This Document basically displays the hatred towards these manufacturers during this time period. This is due to the unhappy people during this time period because of either lack of safety or unstable working conditions. This could also be due to the lack of education which led to people becoming attracted to communism. However, there was a new found hatred toward capitalism due to the overworking of these people. Marx and Engels saw this new idea as evil and harmful because of they are hogging all the money. However with our 21st century eyes, we can see that the systems is fair.

In Documents B, C, and F, the contributions of the industrialists were recognized to show the good they did for society with their wealth and power. Document C did a great job of explaining the duty they have to help out the less fortunate by not showing off and offering guidance to the people. Sometimes, though, actions portrayed that were unfair, like a Robber Baron. Many industrial leaders made employees work under conditions not suitable for man only to become wealthy off of it, this was displayed in Document A. Sources A and E showed how people became greedy from wealth and used it for personal enjoyment. Just like in reality, no one will never be perfect and be nice all the

This was even truer in the 1870s-1890s because many big businesses had been successful in removing the skills required to do many jobs in manufacturing, tailoring, and other industries (Source D). Many workers were also forced to sign “yellow-dog contracts” saying they would not associate with or join a union while under their employ (Source E).

Another major idea of freedom was presented in the workplace called “The Miner’s Freedom” (Foner, 607). It was established in the Gilded Age for worker’s economic independence (Foner, 607). “The Miner’s Freedom” was for the trustworthy, skilled workers who did not have to have managerial supervision at all times (Foner, 607, 610). In the progressive-era, there was Fordism. Fordism was a step towards mass production, which fueled the economic system by having more of the same products for the consumers (Foner, 693).

The early 19th century in America saw the rise of industry and a booming economy, however, with industry came businessmen who saw an opportunity for power and profit. Even with help from the government, it would be a long time before the American people saw an improvement in the condition of the laborers and the regulation of corporations. Fast forward to the 21st century; two hundred years have passed and people are still struggling at the hands of a corporation-run economy. Throughout history, American laborers have been at the mercy of an industry controlled by a small few that did not have the best interest of the people in mind.

During the rise of industrialization, the United States had just ended the Civil War and was starting to move on. People had an aspiration at this time to make a more than decent living for themselves, and the economy was at the right spot for this to be possible. This time period in American History is referred to as the Gilded Age, termed by the famous author Mark Twain, which simply means covered in gold; however, Twain did not necessarily mean this in a good way. He believed right under the surface of this gold plating was still problems with the American society that didn’t look so appealing. This essay will discuss how practices during the rise of industrialization during the Gilded Age shaped the American work and labor force.

Thus, slavery pulled white workers down in two ways: one, by direct competition with slave labor in the South, and two, by associating all the industrious efforts of workers with those of the degraded slaves.”

This onslaught of capitalism directly revolutionized modern industrialism as well as the industrial city. Machines morphed the predominately agricultural nation to a herd of factory and corporate workers. Swarms of people, both native and immigrant, flocked to major cities. “The present century has been marked by a prodigious increase in wealth-producing power. The utilization of steam and electricity, the introduction of improved processes and labor saving machinery, the greater subdivision and grander scale of production, the wonderful facilitation of exchanges, have multiplied enormously the effectiveness of labor.”(George, p.20) The major problem with this newfound industrialism was the way in which the workforce was treated. Capitalism was supposed to provide a way out, a way ascend the financial and social staircase, if you worked hard enough. This however was not the case, if you were a loyal, hardworking employee you simply got to keep your job, and if you were in any way injured or incompetent you were fired.

One of the beliefs of the Jacksonian Democrats was that a “common man” president would benefit the people and satisfy their needs. However, issues such as working hours, poverty, and interstate conflicts were buried beneath the surface and troubling Americans. In George Henry Evans’ “The Working Men’s Declaration of Independence”, it is explained how the working man has endured hardships that are violating their rights as citizens of the United States (Document A). As a worker himself receiving low wages for long hours, Evans pointedly uses excerpts from Thomas Jefferson’s “Declaration of Independence” to compare how the workers’ lives under Andrew Jackson are similar to that of the colonists in the 1700s. By mostly addressing those who have the authority to change the rules and regulation, Evans is attempting to get his and other workers’ conditions improved. It is clear

The American work ethic, he claims, has made a large free labor force, which in turn has made capitalism a very powerful force in our society. The post World War II surge in patriotism and

2. Wealth for the worker; wanted the working to have a say in what they want.

The article states about the economic factor in America. It sensitizes on the justice the workers in America should be given. The article talks about how the workers in America are treated with injustice. This is shown well when the article starts by, "If the laws of economics were enforced as strictly as the laws of physics, America would be a workers' paradise." Visit the article in this link: http://www.barbaraehrenreich.com/workersrights.htm.