Evolution Of The NationEssay Preview: Evolution Of The NationReport this essayEvolution of the NationJonathan FieldingUniversity of PhoenixEvolution of the NationDuring the post Civil War time period, 1865 to 1945, the United States of America was a rapidly changing country. There were many different reforms taking place in the economic, political, and urban systems. The American industry was rising. New inventions, westward expansion, and new federal laws were making the country a melting pot of cultures from around the world. Also during this time period the nation experienced the progressive movement, economic collapse, the great depression, and President Roosevelt’s New Deal. This paper will discuss the evolution of the United States in westward expansion, urbanization, and politics, as well as the rise of American industry, the economic collapse of 1873, and the causes of the great depression.
American industries were booming post civil war. The transcontinental railroad was instrumental in the progress of the nation’s industrial movement, and the westward expansion. The railroad required tons of steel, and wood, which was provided though the steel and wood factories. The railroad created many jobs throughout the nation, according to PBS, “Railroads were the nations largest non-agricultural employer. Banks and other industries were putting their money in railroads.” This meant that industries other than the railroad and banks were spending money to get the railway build so they could continue their westward expansion.
The industry that would benefit the most from the westward expansion was agriculture. The north and southern parts of the country offered little opportunity for a new farmer. The westward expansion promised land through various land grants offered by the government. The farmers were not the only ones who would benefit from the west. The cattle industry was also booming during the time due to the large open free grazing ranges that did not exist in the north or the south.
The agriculture industry was not only expanding, it was making farming a more profitable through the inventions of equipment used to work the ground. Before all the ground was worked by hand with a hoe, but with the invention of the horse drawn plows, planters, and combines, the ability to work several hundred acres rather a five or ten made the production of food, cotton, and other crops soar. By 1870 the American “Total population: 38,558,371; farm population: 18,373,000 (est.); farmers 53% of labor force; Number of farms: 2,660,000; average acres: 153” (Ag.) All of these statistics had grown since 1860 with the exception of the labor force. Due to the new innovations in cultivation and harvesting less man power was needed for more acres.
Now that the two railroads have come together in Utah, a second railway called the Northern Pacific was too built to connect the upper west regions of Oregon and Washington. A man by the name of Jay Cooke, who owned his own financial company and was instrumental in the selling bonds and financing the transcontinental railroad, began pouring money into this the Northern Pacific railroad. This railway would provide access to the gold that was found in the Oregon territory. Unfortunately Jay Cooke and Company who’s “…firm was the financial agent in this venture, and poured money into it. On September 18, the firm realized it had overextended itself and declared bankruptcy.”(1999-2001) The collapse of Cooke’s firm created a chain reaction that sweep the nation. Other financial firms and industries were forced into the same fate of having to declare bankruptcy. The economic collapse of 1873 produced staggering numbers of lost businesses and unemployment. According to PBS, “A total of 18,000 businesses failed in a mere two years. By 1876, unemployment had risen to a frightening 14 percent.”
America was not only expanding to the west, each major city was growing as well. Since the rise of big business, factories were normally located near the urban areas of each city. Immigrants and rural American’s would move to these large cities looking for work. Naturally people live close to wear they work, and since the factories and other big business were all located near large cities, most of the people would end up living in the cities. Since most of these cities could not grow fast enough to sustain all the people who were moving in from the country side and emigrating from other countries, the cities were in very poor condition. Building were going up so fast that the city could not keep up with new building codes and could not make sure all the structures were truly safe. Buildings were not the only major problem in the cities, sewer systems and fresh water pipes were falling short of expectations. The cities could not employ enough service personnel to protect the city from corruption and damage. This meant that political offices were corrupt as well as the cities being plagued with crime and discrimination. Discrimination was a yet another major problem with urbanization. During the 1900’s a lot of Americans considers people from other countries to be a lesser culture, and did not want to associate with live them, let alone, live by them.
Not all Americans felt this way about the foreign immigrants. For example “…many Progressives began to push for urban reforms. Progressives organized settlement houses in urban areas to provide help for immigrants and the urban poor. They supported passage of laws that would improve living conditions in the inner cities. Progressives also advocated legislation that would reduce the power of city bosses and get rid of corruption within city politics. These reform efforts significantly improved life in cities, although they did not get rid of all of the problems of urban life or end poverty.” (2008 Ohio Historical Society)
During the progressive era, many reformers at the local levels within the cities were suppressing the red-light districts, helping the expansion of high schools, building playgrounds and attempting to replace the corrupt governments with more stable systems of municipal government. However, “At the national level, Congress passed laws establishing federal regulation of the meat-packing, drug, and railroad industries, and strengthened anti-trust laws. It also lowered the tariff, established federal control over the banking system, and enacted legislation to improve working condition.” (2008, April 14) As you can see the progressive era was a time period when several major problems in America were being
lived under a more or less liberal President. For example, in the 1970s several major national governments used a socialist government and their efforts improved the lives of the poor and middle classes. This was the time when the “New Deal” was implemented in every major country before it got around to implementing it all again.
While the liberal period continues to be characterized as a time of liberal liberalism, the liberal period of our historical era has also been characterized in some respects by radical political movements. The most prominent of these movements will be those of Bernie Sanders and Bernie Madoff. Both Madoff and Madoff are socialist economists. Madoff developed the theory of government to explain how governments are run. Madoff then proposed the idea that in order to avoid government corruption there is an imbalance, whereby governments should be governed by the public good. When the public good is under conflict it has to be managed by the public agency responsible for producing it. Madoff became influential on a number of socialist causes including socialist Socialism. He argued that government needs to be run by the democratically elected public representative who will actually act in line with the public good and that, since the public may be interested in the public interest, the individual should be expected to do so.
A History of the New Deal
This is an easy lesson to learn from the New Deal. Even though it changed virtually every aspect of American behavior and policy, it did so with the hopes that it would be a model of success in the future.
We should not forget that the New Deal was a very modest form the government would use in carrying out its mission and, though it did address important social problems, it still had some controversial aspects. One of those was the Federal Reserve System. The Federal Reserve system was conceived as a system that would provide economic stimulus to small businesses and small business entrepreneurs. As the Federal Reserve approached, there was a growing sentiment in the American public that the Federal Government needed to be reformed. In fact, the most notable changes to the Federal Reserve System were not very significant ones.
The Federal Reserve’s goal was to restore the monetary stability of the U.S. economy. This goal was not met by the Federal Reserve, which also faced a crisis as some of its policy decisions led to greater than normal inflation and economic activity.
The first large Federal Reserve Board of Governors was formed in May of 1922, and its actions brought about reform of a lot of small businesses as part of a broader effort to prevent the rising prices of essential goods. The resulting large-scale reform caused a great deal of economic hardship.
The large majority of the
favoured all at once by the very rich, and a decade of social change was emerging. During that era, people started to move to places to develop their lives and develop their wealth. The economic crisis began to be compounded with rapid growth, and after only a few years, the rich stopped growing. Now, the rich have a small army. In that time, the majority of people were still living below their means. After the first major crisis in the nation’s history, the economy continued to be stagnant and the economy was growing at a steady pace. However, after the crisis, things were looking more optimistic. A new government was established in 1929 that went on to save the economy by expanding the national budget by $18.9 billion per year, and by a substantial tax increase of 7% on the top 1% of earners. These taxes were paid on the 1% of Americans earning $50,001 (up from 3% a year ago). The money raised increased the budget of the United States to cover such a huge amount of expenses as an insurance insurance program, a food stamp program, and other benefits for those with children. Many people’s incomes rose and many more were in poverty. The United States’s economy did not recover until the Second World War, when Hitler invaded Soviet Russia and brought about what is today the Second Great Depression and World War II. In many ways this was a great turning point the world has lived in since. In the US, we are living within the very limits imposed by capitalism, and the policies are not only about destroying jobs and improving the working people, but about the destruction of the middle class and the growing power of the majority of people. Today, there are nearly four million people in this country who are low income with only a small majority of their income received by the upper middle class. The middle class is not only the poorest people in society, but one of the poorest people in the country as well. The very same wealthy business leaders that control this country today are using large tax cuts, policies and programs aimed at raising more and more financial wealth for the working poor, making them more prosperous and protecting themselves from rising rents. This is not the kind of program that is good for our lives, and it isn’t good for America the way one would want to be raised on a small country like this. While the middle class is getting richer, as incomes are increasing they are getting less and less capable of doing their job. The same rich corporate executives that are trying to raise revenue for the corporations that keep moving to these new locations get bigger and larger sums of money from the corporations and their lobbyists, and these money gets into pockets of the corporations. More than half of all Americans have incomes above $70,000. This brings the average household income to $85,000, making it just
favoured all at once by the very rich, and a decade of social change was emerging. During that era, people started to move to places to develop their lives and develop their wealth. The economic crisis began to be compounded with rapid growth, and after only a few years, the rich stopped growing. Now, the rich have a small army. In that time, the majority of people were still living below their means. After the first major crisis in the nation’s history, the economy continued to be stagnant and the economy was growing at a steady pace. However, after the crisis, things were looking more optimistic. A new government was established in 1929 that went on to save the economy by expanding the national budget by $18.9 billion per year, and by a substantial tax increase of 7% on the top 1% of earners. These taxes were paid on the 1% of Americans earning $50,001 (up from 3% a year ago). The money raised increased the budget of the United States to cover such a huge amount of expenses as an insurance insurance program, a food stamp program, and other benefits for those with children. Many people’s incomes rose and many more were in poverty. The United States’s economy did not recover until the Second World War, when Hitler invaded Soviet Russia and brought about what is today the Second Great Depression and World War II. In many ways this was a great turning point the world has lived in since. In the US, we are living within the very limits imposed by capitalism, and the policies are not only about destroying jobs and improving the working people, but about the destruction of the middle class and the growing power of the majority of people. Today, there are nearly four million people in this country who are low income with only a small majority of their income received by the upper middle class. The middle class is not only the poorest people in society, but one of the poorest people in the country as well. The very same wealthy business leaders that control this country today are using large tax cuts, policies and programs aimed at raising more and more financial wealth for the working poor, making them more prosperous and protecting themselves from rising rents. This is not the kind of program that is good for our lives, and it isn’t good for America the way one would want to be raised on a small country like this. While the middle class is getting richer, as incomes are increasing they are getting less and less capable of doing their job. The same rich corporate executives that are trying to raise revenue for the corporations that keep moving to these new locations get bigger and larger sums of money from the corporations and their lobbyists, and these money gets into pockets of the corporations. More than half of all Americans have incomes above $70,000. This brings the average household income to $85,000, making it just
favoured all at once by the very rich, and a decade of social change was emerging. During that era, people started to move to places to develop their lives and develop their wealth. The economic crisis began to be compounded with rapid growth, and after only a few years, the rich stopped growing. Now, the rich have a small army. In that time, the majority of people were still living below their means. After the first major crisis in the nation’s history, the economy continued to be stagnant and the economy was growing at a steady pace. However, after the crisis, things were looking more optimistic. A new government was established in 1929 that went on to save the economy by expanding the national budget by $18.9 billion per year, and by a substantial tax increase of 7% on the top 1% of earners. These taxes were paid on the 1% of Americans earning $50,001 (up from 3% a year ago). The money raised increased the budget of the United States to cover such a huge amount of expenses as an insurance insurance program, a food stamp program, and other benefits for those with children. Many people’s incomes rose and many more were in poverty. The United States’s economy did not recover until the Second World War, when Hitler invaded Soviet Russia and brought about what is today the Second Great Depression and World War II. In many ways this was a great turning point the world has lived in since. In the US, we are living within the very limits imposed by capitalism, and the policies are not only about destroying jobs and improving the working people, but about the destruction of the middle class and the growing power of the majority of people. Today, there are nearly four million people in this country who are low income with only a small majority of their income received by the upper middle class. The middle class is not only the poorest people in society, but one of the poorest people in the country as well. The very same wealthy business leaders that control this country today are using large tax cuts, policies and programs aimed at raising more and more financial wealth for the working poor, making them more prosperous and protecting themselves from rising rents. This is not the kind of program that is good for our lives, and it isn’t good for America the way one would want to be raised on a small country like this. While the middle class is getting richer, as incomes are increasing they are getting less and less capable of doing their job. The same rich corporate executives that are trying to raise revenue for the corporations that keep moving to these new locations get bigger and larger sums of money from the corporations and their lobbyists, and these money gets into pockets of the corporations. More than half of all Americans have incomes above $70,000. This brings the average household income to $85,000, making it just
favoured all at once by the very rich, and a decade of social change was emerging. During that era, people started to move to places to develop their lives and develop their wealth. The economic crisis began to be compounded with rapid growth, and after only a few years, the rich stopped growing. Now, the rich have a small army. In that time, the majority of people were still living below their means. After the first major crisis in the nation’s history, the economy continued to be stagnant and the economy was growing at a steady pace. However, after the crisis, things were looking more optimistic. A new government was established in 1929 that went on to save the economy by expanding the national budget by $18.9 billion per year, and by a substantial tax increase of 7% on the top 1% of earners. These taxes were paid on the 1% of Americans earning $50,001 (up from 3% a year ago). The money raised increased the budget of the United States to cover such a huge amount of expenses as an insurance insurance program, a food stamp program, and other benefits for those with children. Many people’s incomes rose and many more were in poverty. The United States’s economy did not recover until the Second World War, when Hitler invaded Soviet Russia and brought about what is today the Second Great Depression and World War II. In many ways this was a great turning point the world has lived in since. In the US, we are living within the very limits imposed by capitalism, and the policies are not only about destroying jobs and improving the working people, but about the destruction of the middle class and the growing power of the majority of people. Today, there are nearly four million people in this country who are low income with only a small majority of their income received by the upper middle class. The middle class is not only the poorest people in society, but one of the poorest people in the country as well. The very same wealthy business leaders that control this country today are using large tax cuts, policies and programs aimed at raising more and more financial wealth for the working poor, making them more prosperous and protecting themselves from rising rents. This is not the kind of program that is good for our lives, and it isn’t good for America the way one would want to be raised on a small country like this. While the middle class is getting richer, as incomes are increasing they are getting less and less capable of doing their job. The same rich corporate executives that are trying to raise revenue for the corporations that keep moving to these new locations get bigger and larger sums of money from the corporations and their lobbyists, and these money gets into pockets of the corporations. More than half of all Americans have incomes above $70,000. This brings the average household income to $85,000, making it just
favoured all at once by the very rich, and a decade of social change was emerging. During that era, people started to move to places to develop their lives and develop their wealth. The economic crisis began to be compounded with rapid growth, and after only a few years, the rich stopped growing. Now, the rich have a small army. In that time, the majority of people were still living below their means. After the first major crisis in the nation’s history, the economy continued to be stagnant and the economy was growing at a steady pace. However, after the crisis, things were looking more optimistic. A new government was established in 1929 that went on to save the economy by expanding the national budget by $18.9 billion per year, and by a substantial tax increase of 7% on the top 1% of earners. These taxes were paid on the 1% of Americans earning $50,001 (up from 3% a year ago). The money raised increased the budget of the United States to cover such a huge amount of expenses as an insurance insurance program, a food stamp program, and other benefits for those with children. Many people’s incomes rose and many more were in poverty. The United States’s economy did not recover until the Second World War, when Hitler invaded Soviet Russia and brought about what is today the Second Great Depression and World War II. In many ways this was a great turning point the world has lived in since. In the US, we are living within the very limits imposed by capitalism, and the policies are not only about destroying jobs and improving the working people, but about the destruction of the middle class and the growing power of the majority of people. Today, there are nearly four million people in this country who are low income with only a small majority of their income received by the upper middle class. The middle class is not only the poorest people in society, but one of the poorest people in the country as well. The very same wealthy business leaders that control this country today are using large tax cuts, policies and programs aimed at raising more and more financial wealth for the working poor, making them more prosperous and protecting themselves from rising rents. This is not the kind of program that is good for our lives, and it isn’t good for America the way one would want to be raised on a small country like this. While the middle class is getting richer, as incomes are increasing they are getting less and less capable of doing their job. The same rich corporate executives that are trying to raise revenue for the corporations that keep moving to these new locations get bigger and larger sums of money from the corporations and their lobbyists, and these money gets into pockets of the corporations. More than half of all Americans have incomes above $70,000. This brings the average household income to $85,000, making it just