Poverty and prosperity in early twentieth-century America

American History

The underside of affluence

The period is in the early years of the twentieth century. America is now experiencing economic and political expansion as it became the model of an imperial superpower for all nations, both in the Western and Eastern regions. Economic growth spurred as a result of the industrial revolution, while political structures strengthened due to the numerous successful conquests of the Americans to colonize nations in the Asian and southern American regions.

However, despite the affluence that American society had experienced during this period, a considerable half of the American population is suffering from poverty. With the rise of urbanization, many people flocked to the cities in search of a high-paying job and steady source of income as factory workers. However, the rapid incidence of migration to the cities made them crowded with people, hence, living conditions began to deteriorate, which includes the lack of sufficient space to live in, lack of food to eat, and high incidence of deaths and illnesses due to poor sanitation in the cities. Apart from these poor living conditions, poor people suffered from long hours of work in factories, yet received low pay, worked in a dangerous working environment, and faced the uncertainty of losing a job due to the availability of workers who are willing to work under these (enumerated) conditions. All of these realities happened when America was experiencing material progress as a result of its colonial exploits and pursuit of the industrial and capitalist economic system. This is the underside of affluence, the other half of American society who did not share the wealth of the owners of manufacturing businesses that thrived during the period.

The Kennedy Mystique

In the 1960s, American society is characterized by the expansion and mobility of the middle class and the prevalence of consumerism. Both phenomena were the results of the economic growth that had increased after the Cold War. There had been numerous incidences wherein America had full employment, experienced greater socio-economic opportunities, and government had increased spending, which all became catalysts for the development of new technologies movements that helped bring forth modernization in American society for the 20th century.

It is in this social context that American society witnessed the invention and popularity of the television and the rise of John F. Kennedy as the 35th president of the United States. Kennedy's success in winning the presidential elections is mainly credited for the invention of the television, which broadcasted the presidential debate between Kennedy and Nixon. It is evident that the "Kennedy mystique" -- the popularity and well-known charisma of Kennedy to the public -- was developed from his close relationship with and constant exposure in the television (and media, in general), giving him access to the American public and becoming more visible to his constituents. His "mystique" further increased when America became witnessed to the somewhat 'dramatic' and interesting life of Kennedy, from his rumored affair with the popular starlet Marilyn Monroe to the Cuban Missile Crisis, until his documented assassination at Dallas, Texas in November 1963. Evidently, the "Kennedy mystique" was brought about by the development and introduction of the mass media, particularly the television, as he became the president of the country.

Civil Rights, 1964-1965

America after the Second World War was characterized, as earlier discussed, by economic prosperity and social mobility as a result of the expansion of the middle class and satisfactory economic conditions. However, these privileges experienced by the American society were not shared by the black Americans, the marginalized sector in society that continues to experience prejudice and discrimination by the dominantly white American society. Thus, because of this apparent display of inequality in the society that the black Americans formed the civil rights movement, which gained popularity and strength during the 1960s. Primarily, the movement advocates for equality and abolishment of discrimination in the American society and the continued practice of segregation in the South.

The civil rights movement gave rise to the popularity and influence of black American leaders like Martin Luther King, Jr., Malcolm X, and Stokely Carmichael, among others. Apart from the protest against racial discrimination, the civil rights movement in the 1960s also served as the catalyst for new movements to emerge among other marginalized sectors in American society. This includes the rise of the women's rights movement, the environmental movement, and even the youth movement, all of which advocate for equality in a society that is dominated by the patriarchal, white American society. The emergence of these movements in the twentieth century gave birth to new ideologies and socio-political thoughts, such as feminism and environmentalism. These fights also led to the formulation of the Equal Rights Amendment and the right of black Americans to participate and vote in the elections.

Closed and failing farms

The development of the Great Depression in the United States in the 1920s was determined by the overproduction of agricultural products despite the low demand for these goods in both the foreign and domestic markets. The failure of agriculture to spur growth in the American economy served as the catalyst that eventually led to the crash of the stock market, high rates of both unemployment and inflation.

However, it is important to look at the precursors that led to the overproduction and decline of growth in the agricultural sector. As the country entered the twentieth century, the agricultural sector was encouraged to expand its productivity due to the increased economic prosperity that the country had experienced. After the war, American farmers began cultivating once again farm lands, and the increasing value of these farm lands had encouraged farmers to further invest in agriculture, buying tools and machineries that were needed to increase production of agricultural goods. However, with the end of the war and the gradual decline in demand for agricultural crops and goods, prices increased at the same time overproduction had also increased. What resulted, then, is the crash of the agricultural sector. The occurrence of the Great Depression, however, further worsened the condition of the agricultural sector in the country. The economic downfall also resulted to the occurrence of draught in Kansas, Oklahoma, New Mexico, and Texas, where the destruction of agricultural crops and lack of maintenance of these farms turned these states into what was termed as the "Dust Bowl" of America, increasing not only the incidence of unemployment, but also of famine.

Synthesis

These essays on important events in the history of the United States demonstrate the vital role that changes in the economic structures of the country ultimately led to changes in the social and political structures as well. These changes in the economy of the country also determined the degree of conservatism or liberalism adopted by the American society and government -- that is, a downfall in the economy resulted to the adoption of a conservative stance while a relatively prosperous economic condition in the country led the country to adopt liberal policies and changes in the socio-political structures of society. Looking into the five (5) issues discussed in the preceding essays, it is evident that the emergence of the 20th century resulted to a shift from conservatism to liberalism in the government's policies when it comes to providing economic opportunities and social services and privileges in the civil society. As the country entered the twentieth century, especially during and after the Great Depression, America adopted conservative measures to ensure that the country would no longer plunge into a great economic downturn and poverty that it had experienced. However, after the Great Depression, the Second World War, and the Cold War, material progress and the rise of imperialism of America in the world led to the cultivation and encouragement of liberal policies concerning issues of economic and socio-political concerns. Thus, the rise of the American middle-class, prevalence of new technological inventions such as the television and popularity of the mass media, and the civil rights movement are manifestations of the liberalism of America, a social change that occurred and continued to prevail as the country continued to prosper politically and economically in the 21st century.