The Concentration of Wealth
Excerpt from "The Concentration of Wealth: Its Economic Justification"
By William Graham Sumner
Written in the 1880s
Reprinted in Social Darwinism: Selected Essays of William Graham Sumner, 1963
William Graham Sumner (1840–1910) was one of the leading social philosophers during the period of the Industrial Revolution known as the Gilded Age, which began in the early 1860s and extended to the turn of the century. The Gilded Age was marked by a rapid growth of industrialism and big business throughout the United States. Many Americans objected to the political and financial power the industrialists and big corporations gained during these years and were concerned that some businessmen were becoming very wealthy while a large number of workers were barely able to live on their wages. By the 1880s citizens were demanding the government regulate big business in order to lessen the influence of the giant corporations and their leaders. Sumner spoke with passion and intelligence against this call for reform. He strongly opposed government intervention in the economy and workplace. He believed that the possible effects of such interference were not understood by those requesting it and could damage the progress of the nation through a lack of understanding of possible consequences.
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