Although the American economy is improving from the great recession , the middle class is shrinking, a problem for a consumerist based economy where the middle class makes up the consumerists. Every industry has a place in today’s world, however some industries are losing importance while others
From 1865 to 1900 agriculture was at war, shifting from small, individual farms to larger commercialized farms because of the devaluing of currency, competition from corporate farms with more land and better technology, and government policies that proved detrimental to those clinging to old ways of life. To escape debt and seek profit in new lands, many farmers started working westward but so did corporations looking to expand. Because of westward expansion, companies like the union pacific railroad company built railroads that connected lands all across the U.S. and earned 10 miles of land in either direction of the railroad. This land put the railroad in control of many western lands and in control of the prices of land, travel and resource transportation.
Wealth has formed an enormous gap in the society. As a country, the people are as separated as oil and water. “The wealthy class is becoming more wealthy; but the poorer class is becoming more dependent. Social contrasts are becoming sharper” (Doc A), to distinguish the poor from the rich has become extremely effortless.
“Technology Taking Over?”, by Yzzy Gonzalez speaks on how we are transitioning into a technology dependent society. One example Gonzalez uses to fortify her argument is the idea that people become obsessed with using rapid, and more efficient devices to proceed with their daily lives. For reference, she mentions mobile banking and its effects on how people spend their money. For perspective, mobile banking allows for people to transfer money with convenience, which in turn abolishes the need to drive to an ATM. Moreover, Gonzalez utilizes her own morning routine and provides the reader with rhetorical questions—encouraging them to reflect upon their own morning routine, as well as the similarities that could be present.
Following the Civil War, westward migration increased rapidly; this was mainly due to acts such as the Homestead Act, which provided 160 acres of land for anyone who settled on it for a period of five years, the Morrill Act, and the Transcontinental Railroad, which ignited the transportation revolution. Nevertheless, life was difficult for farmers in the west, as they faced droughts, severe weather, and loneliness, leading many to leave their Western homesteads. However, often the greatest difficulty for farmers was competing with industrial farming, large corporations, and the global economy. As production increased and global prices decreased, many farmers fell into poverty, burned with debt they could not pay off due to deflation. As farmers
After the Civil War, the United States as a nation was ready to leave the conflicts of the past behind. The country moved forward quickly into a new age of invention, consumerism, and ingenuity. After years of slavery and fighting, Americans began to shape modern life as it is known today. New inventions - the telephone, the lightbulb, the assembly line - revolutionized the American way of life. However, the Gilded Age is called so for a reason - underneath the shiny gold exterior was a dull, hard existence for those who were not at the top.
From 1865 to 1900, the rise of Industrial America occurred. In this time period, the railroad system was developed, new job opportunities sprung up left and right, and the American dream changed. Although the American society’s economy and standard of living seemed to prosper, it also allowed laborers’ lives to crumble,strikes occurred, children were left uneducated and forced to work in order to help support their families, and forced those families to get accustomed to squalid living conditions and hazardous working environments. The social classes developed.
During the late 19th century, newly introduced methods of thinking and living swept across the households of Americans. These movements and their corresponding facets captivated millions of people, but in doing so, also created corruption and opposition that, many times, brought out countless negative and precarious situations. Advancements in technology, such as steel, electricity, and the telephone, connected more people than ever before. Industrialization and urbanization moved people closer to the cities but also created danger in many living and work places. Despite the positives that appealed to so many, there also existed the downsides, which largely began to appear in the Gilded Age of American politics.
According to the article The Railway Journey, modern transportation “created a definite spatial distance between the places of production and the place of consumption did the goods become uprooted commodities” (40 Railroad Journey). Basically, this means that since the railroad allowed goods to be shipped to further distances at faster rates which resulted in mass productions and shipments of goods which resulted in a stable economy for the United
Railroad companies raised rates for farmers in the west to ship their products
According to the book, there are 6 main points that contribute to wealth inequality: 1. The technological revolution makes education much more valuable, reduce the demand for semi-skilled and unskilled workers. 2. The industry layout shift from goods producing to services, which also require highly educated workers. 3.
Income Inequality Income Inequality or “wage gap” is a big topic for freedom fighters and liberals for the simple fact that it isn’t equal for everyone. Because the wage gap is so prominent it's one of the biggest “facts” that discrimination is still apart of everyday American society. The wage gap from these radical interest groups think the economy is get a dollar take a dollar instead of a free flow economy. This misguided idea of the economy is absolutely not true and isn’t at the fault of the Government, but the people.
Therefore, America’s inequality will continue to grow. The main reason for this report is to outline
After reading “The Dangerous Consequences of Growing Inequality” by Chuck Collins and Felice Yeskel, I found that the article to be very interesting and informative. Prior to reading this article, I did not know that health insurance rose over thirty percent, while people 's earnings only grew by ten percent. In addition to this, the article notes that there has been a rise in personal debt while there has been a decline in personal savings. One thing that distinctively stood out to
The technology of the twentieth century has benefited the world in many ways, but from having benefitted from it there are many consequences that have affected our social and physical worlds. We as a society need to question what the cost of technology has done to the world in general. The world has yet to discover what the underlying consequences are and the deep value behind them are. Capitalism is the key component of the physical and social alterations in the world that has cost us in many ways. With capitalism being introduced throughout the twentieth century it shows how the bourgeoisie and the proletariats have been the main components of the technology being produced.
