David J. Brewer's Speech During The Gilded Age

The Gilded Age, a period from approximately 1869 to 1900, was, in many respects a golden age of advancement for America. The economy boomed, wages rose, and incredible new technologies were created. At the forefront of this progress stood industrial leaders. Their investment capitals helped bolster innovation and their companies improved transportation, communication, and nearly every other aspect of life. The government was partially laissez faire but also willing to step in at times, providing land grants and other incentives, spurring growth. However, technological progress was, perhaps, the most important driver of economic growth. The Bessemer process, for example, allowed for the industrialization of high quality steel production, enabling

Brewer argued in 1893 that a separation of wealth was natural and acceptable. A longtime judge, delivering his speech during a time when judges often favored corporations and the rights to property Brewer argued that “It is the unvarying law, that the wealth of a community will be in the hands of a few.” Brewer was strongly disposed to protect individual rights, and his speech illustrates the position of government during the gilded age. His speech could be analysed and compared to prior governments and justices to look at continuity and change: how did Brewer’s opinions compare to those of, for example, Marshall? By examining the change in the courts, the effect of industrial leaders on the government and vice versa could be discerned. A DBQ writer could also use arguments in the document to argue that industrial leaders were well within their rights to build wealth as they did and that workers had no right to complain. Brewer said “When a thousand laborers gather around a railroad track, and say to those who seek employment that they had better not, and when that advice is supplemented every little while by a terrible assault… it is a proceeding outside of the law, in defiance of the law, and in spirit and effect an attempt to strip from one that has that which of right belongs to him.” His point emphasizes instances of violent protest by workers, potentially laying the groundwork for a powerful argument that these laborers were in fact the main problem with society. If it was discontented laborers try to dissuade the public from getting certain jobs can the industrial leaders really be blamed for poverty? Conversely, the document could be used to argue that the government was complicit in much of the exploitation of the late 19th century. Brewer strongly supports the rights of business owners and is unwilling to take into account the plight of common laborers; his perspective is key to understanding the government’s approach to