Rise of Social Reform (College Board AP® US History)

Summary

Businesses thrived during the Gilded Age due to the United States government’s policy of laissez-faire capitalism, which meant minimal government intervention in the economy. This attitude strengthened the power of the elite and continued to widen the gap between the rich and the poor. As a result, social reformers began standing up in favor of changes to protect and ease the lives of the poor.

Laissez-faire Capitalism & Reformers

Laissez-faire Capitalism     

• The benefits of laissez-faire are:

  • it promotes innovation and competition, as all businesses strive to improve and provide better products

  • it encourages growth in the economy, creating more opportunities for investors

  • greater market efficiency driven by supply and demand

• The cons are:

  • greater financial inequality as the wealthy gain more power

  • the rise of monopolies, where a few powerful companies control entire industries and stifle competition

  • exploited workers with low wages, long hours, and poor working conditions

Reformers

• Social Gospel was a Christian movement that supported the idea of helping those in need

  • It emphasized the importance of social responsibility and charitable organizations

  • Reformers associated with this movement argued that the Church should play an active role in addressing social issues such as:

    • poverty 

    • child labor

    • poor working conditions

Jacob Riis

• Riis was a journalist who brought attention to the harsh living conditions of the poor, particularly those living in tenements in New York City

• In his 1890 book, How the Other Half Lives, he showed stories and photographs of the appalling conditions of working-class families

• His work helped bring public attention to the need for reform

Florence Kelley 

• A social reformer Kelley worked to improve working conditions, especially for women and children

• She advocated for:

  • child labor laws

  • a maximum of a ten-hour workday

  •  state minimum wages

• Kelley played an important role in the development of laws to regulate working conditions in factories

Carrie Nation

• Nation was a radical member of the Women’s Christian Temperance Movement (WCTU)

  • The group promoted prohibition, the elimination of drinking alcohol

  • The WCTU believed that alcohol was destroying families and communities, contributing to social problems like domestic violence, crime, and poverty

• Nation became famous for her use of direct action, such as walking into saloons and smashing bottles with a hatchet as a form of protest