“Is it wicked to be rich?... We all agree that he is a good member of society who works his way up from poverty to wealth, but a
s soon as he has worked his way up we begin to regard him with suspicion, as a dangerous member of society. A newspaper starts the silly fallacy that ‘the rich are rich because the poor are industrious,’ and it is copied from one end of the country to the other as if it were a brilliant apothegm. ’Capital’ is denounced by writers and speakers who have never taken the trouble to find out what capital is, and who use the word in two or three different senses in as many pages… All the denunciations and declamations (of the wealthy and powerful) which have been referred to are made in the interest of ‘the poor man.’ His name never ceases to echo in the halls of legislation, and he is the excuse and reason for all the acts which are passed. He is never forgotten in poetry, sermon, or essay. His interest is invoked to defend every doubtful procedure and every questionable institution. Yet where is he? Who is he? Who ever saw him? When did he ever get the benefit of any of the numberless efforts in his behalf? When, rather, was his name and interest ever invoked, when, upon examination, it did not plainly appear that somebody else was to win—somebody who was far too ‘smart’ ever to be poor, far too lazy ever to be rich by industry and economy?” —William Graham Sumner, from What the Social Classes Owe to Each Other, 1883 a. Briefly explain the point of view about the Gilded Age expressed by the writer. b. Briefly explain how the concept of Social Darwinism relates to the events or views expressed in the document. c. Briefly explain ONE event or idea from the period 1865–1898 that could be used to support or refute the views expressed in the document.
