Horatio-Alger Myth: An Analysis

Beginning with the end of the Civil War and the North’s continuing boom in industry and ending with the beginning of Progressivism in the turn of the century, consolidations and business rose while the descent of many citizens became omnipresent . The idea of the “self-made man” from the Horatio-Alger Myth was just that: a myth. Social Darwinism appeared and dictated that the better companies and better/wealthier people would come out on top because the impoverished were somehow undeserving of such benefits. The poor were ignored. Even the Sherman Antitrust Act of 1890 and the follow up case of U.S. v. E.C. Knight Company showed that trusts had the ability to overpower the government and obliterate the competition however they pleased. The idea of monopolization and the extensive dominion of trusts became pervasive in the late 1800s society. Although the incipience of industry may have brought about lower prices and a charitable …show more content…
This, however, is in complete contrast to the industrialization of America in the 1940s and 1950s. The laws for minimum wage, against child labor and for laborer safety paired with the need for the militarization of America during the war pushed many to work in industry and help their country fight. With the industrialization of America, came the ever prevalent car. The car alone allowed for movement to the suburbs-as a longer commute was manageable-and a sense of freedom to escape the loneliness of the countryside or the stress of the city. The gestation of industry may have eventually fostered positive effects for the American society, its advent and primordial stage during the late 1800s only caused loss and poverty for a predominant portion of