Excerpt From "Age of Acquiescence" By Steve Fraser.

8/9/2019 Excerpt From "Age of Acquiescence" By Steve Fraser.

1/37

Copyright © 2015 by Steve Fraser

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Fraser$ Steve.

,he age o ac;%iescence the lie and death o A'erican resistance to

organi1!35? 2. Social conlict>

United States>/istory. 7. 9rotest 'ove'ents>United States>/istory. 3.

Inco'e distrib%tion>United States>/istory. 5. 4lite )Social sciences*>

United States>/istory. #. 9ower )Social sciences*>United States> /istory. ". Ac;%iescence )9sychology*>/istory. 6. Social

psychology>United States>/istory. I. ,itle.

41#!.@6F"7 2015

!"7.!1>dc27 20130203##

10 ! 6 " # 5 3 7 2 1

:-C

9rinted in the United States o A'erica


2/37

Introduction

Occ%py Ball Street$ a 'ove'ent that began as a s'all enca'p'ento yo%ng people in lower anhattan$ beca'e a riveting p%blic spectacle

in the all o 2011. A 'ere 'onth ater the irst sleeping bags were

%nrolled in @%ccotti 9ar&$ a stone(s throw away ro' the ew or& Stoc&

4Dchange on Ball Street$ 'illions o Eocc%piers in a tho%8sand cities

aro%nd the world all on the sa'e day echoed the plaint o those ew

or& rebels that the whole planet had been hiGac&ed and then r%ined by a

inancial elite and its political enablers. E,he !!H who were its victi's

had had eno%gh. othing o this scope and speed had ever happened

beore$ ever. It was testi'ony not only to the 'agical powers o the

internet$ b%t 'ore i'portant to the proo%nd rev%lsion inspired by

instit%tions that G%st a ew short years earlier had co''anded great

a%thority and respect. ow they see'ed illegiti'ate and disgraced.

9eering bac& into the past at a largely orgotten terrain o str%ggle against

Ethe Street and the do'ination o e'powered econo'ic elites o all

sorts$ a historian eels co'pelled to as& a si'ple ;%estion Bhy didn(t

cc%py Ball Street )BS* happen '%ch sooner than it didJ :%ring

those three years ater the global inancial 'eltdown and reat

ecession$ an eerie silence blan&eted the co%ntry. Stories acc%'%lated o

Ball Street greed and arrogance$ astonishing tales o inco'petence and

larceny. 9eople lost their ho'es and Gobs. 9overty reached levels not

seen or a generation. ,he political syste' proved as ban&r%pt as the big ban&s. ipartisan consens%s e'erged$ b%t only aro%nd the eort to save

Etoo big to ail goliaths > not

the legions let destit%te in the wa&e o

their inancial wilding. ,he political class prescribed what people already


3/37

" # e A g e o f A c q u i e s c e n c e

had eno%gh o yet another dose o a%sterity$ pl%s a aith8based belie

in a Erecovery that or the !!H o A'ericans wo%ld never be '%ch'ore than an optical ill%sion. In those years$ the hopes o ordinary

people or a chance at a decent %t%re waned and bitterness set in.

Strangely$ however$ pop%lar resistance was hard to ind. r rather it was

invisible where it had always been 'ost conspic%o%s on the let. ight8wing

pop%lis'$ the ,ea 9arty especially$ lo%rished$ eDcoriating Eli'o%sine

liberals and &now-it-all govern'ent b%rea%crats. 4stablish'ents in both

parties ran ro' or tried to c%rry avor with this %pwelling o hot political

e'otions. %t the ani'%s o the ,ea 9arty was 'ainly ai'ed at biggovern'ent and social liberalis'. ,o be s%re$ it wasn(t ond o inancial

titans collecting hando%ts ro' the Federal eserve. Still$ ,ea 9arty partisans

were waging war on behal o capitalis'$ not against it. ,hat 'ission had

always belonged to the let.

Bhat letJ In the light o A'erican history$ its vanishing$ or at least

its railty and passivity$ was s%rpassingly odd. Fro' decades beore

the ilded Age o the late nineteenth cent%ry thro%gh the reat

:epres8sion$ again and again landed gentry$ slave owners$ ind%strialrobber barons$ 'onopolists$ Ball Street$ the 4stablish'ent$ and

assorted other oligarchs had o%nd the'selves in the crosshairs o an

o%traged citi and even

3


4/37

Introduction

then all the so%nd and %ry spent itsel ;%ic&ly > what else is newJ Arg%8

ably$ A'erica is and always has been a b%siness civili the

rest wo%ld ta&e care o itsel.

ne version o the A'erican story has it that the abrasions o class

ine;%ities get reg%larly soothed away in the bathwater o ab%ndance.

ancoro%s conlicts$ which anybody wo%ld ac&nowledge there have

been plenty o$ are$ in this telling$ 'ore oten abo%t c%lt%ral and social

ani'osities than abo%t Eclass str%ggle.

Class warare$ however > so'ething

that beca'e virt%ally %nspea&8able

d%ring the last generation > was a co''onplace o everyday lie d%ring

what 'ight be called the long nineteenth cent%ry. It was part o o%r ling%a

ranca ro' the days when Leerson and his de'ocratic ol8lowers

deno%nced co%nterrevol%tionary E'oneycrats thro%gh the gri' decade o

the 1!70s$ when Fran&lin oosevelt eDcoriated Eecono'ic royalists$

E,ories o ind%stry$ and pillagers o Eother people(s 'oney.

9residents once elt entirely co'ortable %sing this vocab%lary. Andrew

Lac&son waged war against Ethe onster an& )the second an& o the

United States$ which he and his :e'ocratic 9arty s%pporters drove to

eDtinction$ clai'ing in a it o de'agog%ery that it was an aristocratic

'onopoly o the co%ntry(s credit reso%rces r%n by the politically privileged*.

Abraha' -incoln$ when inor'ed that Ball Street traders in govern'ent

bonds were bearing the 'ar&et$ hoping or Union Ar'y deeats$ s%ggested

these spec%lators be shot. ,heodore oosevelt interdicted E'aleactors o

great wealth in one o his re;%ent 'oods o 'oral high d%dgeon$ not shy

abo%t voicing his disdain or those

5


5/37


pl%tocrats who tho%ght they deserved the deerence o their ellow citi in s%'$ the pathways to econo'ic opport%nity > b%t %sed that

enor'o%s econo'ic throw weight to s%b8vert the de'ocratic instit%tions o

the rep%blic.

Bere these 'en > not

to 'ention F:$ whose ene'ies insin%atedhe was a Co''%nist ellow traveler > closet

arDistsJ ,o thin& so

wo%ld do a disservice to both Marl arD and these presidents. It is

rather their %se o the class8inlected$ e'otionally charged lang%age

o a bygone A'erica that is noteworthy. It is hard to i'agine any

president o the last hal cent%ry or so having resort to s%ch rhetoric.

arD once described high inance as Ethe Natican o capitalis'$ its

di&tat to be obeyed witho%t ;%estion. Several decades have co'e and

gone d%ring which we(ve learned not to 'ention arD in politeco'pany. %r vocab%lary went thro%gh a &ind o ling%istic cleansing$

eDiling s%spect and nasty phrases li&e Eclass warare or Ethe reserve

ar'y o labor or even so'ething as apparently innoc%o%s as Ewor&ing

class. In ti'es past$ however$ s%ch lang%age and the ideas they conG%red

%p str%c& o%r orebears as %se%l$ even so'eti'es as acc%rate depictions

o reality. ,hey %sed the' reg%larly along with words and phrases li&e

Epl%tocracy$ Erobber baron$ and Er%ling class to identiy the so%rces o

econo'ic eDploitation and ine;%ality that oppressed the'$ as well as to

describe the political disenranchise'ent they s%ered and the

s%bversion o de'ocracy they eDperienced. ever beore$ however$ has

the Natican o capitalis' capt%red ;%ite so perectly the speciic nat%re o

the oligarchy that recently ran the co%ntry or a long generation and

ended %p r%nning it into the gro%nd. 4ven political cons%ltant and p%ndit

La'es Carville )no arDist he*$ conessed as '%ch d%ring the Clinton

years$ when he said the bond 'ar&et Einti'idates everybody.1

#


6/37

Introduction

cc%py Ball Street$ even beret o strategy$ progra'$ and speciic

de'ands as 'any la'ented when it was a newborn$ nonethelessopened %p space again or o%r political i'agination by conronting

this ele'en8tal$ deter'ining eat%re o o%r society(s predica'ent. It

rediscovered so'ething that$ beneath thic&ets o political verbiage

abo%t taD this and c%t that$ abo%t end-o -theworld deicits and 8

'issionary8'inded EGob creators$ had been hiding in plain sight

na'ely$ what o%r ancestors once called Ethe street o tor'ents. It

achieved a giant leap bac&ward$ so to spea&$ s%''oning %p a history

o opposition that had 'ysterio%sly withered away.,r%e t%rning points in A'erican political history are rare. ,his 'ight

see' co%nterint%itive once we recogni


7/37


A do%ble 'ystery then is the s%bGect o this boo&. Spea&ing generally$ one

'ight as& why people s%b'it or so long to vario%s or's o eDploitation$oppression$ and do'ination. And then$ e;%ally 'ysterio%s$ why they ever

stop giving in. Bhy ac;%iesceJ Bhy resistJ -oo&ing bac&8ward$ the

indignities and inG%stices$ the hypocrisies and lies$ the corr%ption and cr%elty

'ay see' ins%pportable. et they are tolerated. -oo&ing bac&ward$ the

dangers to lie$ li'b$ and livelihood entailed in rebelling 'ay see' too dire

to conte'plate. et in the teeth o all that$ rebellion happens. ,he world is

%ll o recent and long8ago eDa'ples o both.

A'erica(s history is 'ysterio%s in G%st this way. ,his boo& is anatte'pt to eDplore the enig'a o resistance and ac;%iescence as those

eDperiences %nolded in the late nineteenth and again in the late

twenti8eth cent%ry.

Be have grown acc%sto'ed or so'e years now to reerring to A'erica(s

two gilded ages. ,he irst one was bapti


8/37

Introduction

acco'plish'ent$ especially o st%nning econo'ic growth and techno8

logical transor'ation and the a'assing o st%pendo%s wealth. ,his isthe age o the stea' engine and transcontinental railroads$ o the

'echanical reaper and the telephone$ o cities o 'ore than a 'illion

and steel 'ills larger than any on earth$ o A'erica(s %ll i''ersion

in the Ind%strial evol%tion. A once %nderdeveloped$ inant nation

beca'e a power to be rec&oned with.

For people living bac& then$ however '%ch they were aware o and too&

pride in these 'arvels$ the ilded Age was also a ti'e o proo%nd social

%nease and chronic conrontations. Citi


9/37


'issing were the ins%rrections and all those %topian longings or a world p%t

together dierently so as to escape the ravages o ind%strial capitalis'. Itwas this social che'istry o apocalyptic doo' 'iDed with visionary

eDpectation that had lent the irst ilded Age its distinctive risson. ,he

absence o all that d%ring the second ilded Age$ despite the obvio%s

si'ilarities it shares with the original$ is a re'inder that the past is indeed$ at

least in so'e respects$ a oreign co%ntry. Bhy$ %ntil the s%dden er%ption o 8

BS>a

lare-%p that died down rather ;%ic&ly > was the second ilded

Age one o ac;%iescence rather than resistanceJ

I the irst ilded Age was %ll o so%nd and %ry$ the second see'ed tota&e place in a padded cell. ight that stri&ing contrast originate in the act

that the capitalist society o the ay ineties was nothing li&e the capitalis'

o o%r own ti'eJ r to p%t it another way :id the %tter strangeness o

capitalis' when it was irst ta&ing shape in A'erica > beginning decades

beore the ay ineties > so deeply dist%rb traditional ways o lie that or

several generations it see'ed intolerable to 'any o those violently %prooted

by its onr%shJ :id that shattering eDperience elicit responses$ radical yet

proportionate to the lie-or -death threat to earlier$ cherished ways o lie and

c%sto'ary beliesJ

And on the contrary$ did a society li&e o%r own long ago grow

acc%sto'ed to all the %nda'entals o capitalis'$ not 'erely as a way

o con8d%cting econo'ic aairs$ b%t as a way o being in the worldJ

:id we co'e to treat those %nda'entals as part o the nat%ral order

o things$ beyond real challenge$ li&e the weatherJ Bhat were the

'echanis's at wor& in o%r own distinctive political econo'y$ in the

;%otidian eDperiences o wor& and a'ily lie$ in the interior o o%r

i'aginations$ that prod%ced a sensibility o irony and even cynical

disengage'ent rather than a 'orally charged %niverse o %topian

yearnings and dystopian orebodingsJ

ilded ages are$ by deinition$ hiding so'ethingO what spar&les li&e gold

is not. %t what they(re hiding 'ay dier$ %nda'entally. Ind%s8trial

capitalis' constit%ted the %nderstr%ct%re o the irst ilded Age. ,he second

rested on inance capitalis'. -ate8nineteenth8cent%ry A'erican

10


10/37

Introduction

capitalis' gave birth to the Etr%st and other or's o corporate

consolidation at the eDpense o s'aller b%sinesses. -ate8twentieth8cent%ry capitalis'$ notwithstanding its 'ania or 'ergers and

ac;%isitions$ is &nown or its EleDibility$ 'eaning its penchant or

o8loading corporate %nctions to a world o reelancers$ contractors$

s%bcontractors$ and n%'berless petty enterprises. ,he irst ilded Age$

despite its glaring ine;%ities$ was acco'panied by a grad%al rise in the

standard o livingO the second by a grad%al erosion.

:%ring the irst ilded Age 'illions o ar'ers$ handicrats'en$

shop&eepers$ isher'en$ and other s'all property8owners > not

to 'ention'illions o eD-slaves and dispossessed peasants ro' the steppes and

parched ields o eastern and so%thern 4%rope > beca'e the co%ntry(s

original wor&ing class. ,hey were swept %p$ oten eno%gh against their will

or with little other choice$ into the process o capital acc%'%lation

happening at the orges and o%ndries and engine ho%ses and pac&ing plants

and 'ills and 'ines and bridges and t%nnels and wharves and the actories

in the ields that were transor'ing the ace o A'erica. ,his reprocessing o

h%'an raw 'aterial into wage labor eDtended well beyond the ay ineties

and was still going on when the whole econo'y ell to its &nees in 1!2!. y

the late twentieth cent%ry$ however$ the descendants o these ind%strial

pioneers were being eDpelled ro' that sa'e ind%strial heartland as it

%nderwent a reverse process o disacc%'%lation and deind%striali into

'ar&etable co''odities prod%ced by wage laborers who

had lost or were losing their access to alternative 'eans o staying alive.

9roitability d%ring the second ilded Age relied instead on cannibali everywhere ro'

icarag%a to angladesh > where deep reservoirs o %ntapped labor$ li&e

newly discovered oil reserves$ gave ind%strial

11


11/37


capital acc%'%lation a resh start. 9rosperity$ once driven by cost8

c%tting 'echani


12/37

Introduction

acc%'%lation were or that very reason both psychologically and

politi8cally 'ore eDistentially desperate$ 'ore capable$ and 'orea%dacio%s in envisioning a noncapitalist %t%re than those who had

co'e o age &nowing nothing elseJ

And does the global eDplosion o BS 'ar& the end o the Age o

Ac;%iescenceJ Is it a t%rning point in o%r co%ntry(s historyJ /ave we

reached the li'its o a%to8cannibalis'J Is capitalis' any longer co'patible

with de'ocracyJ Bas it everJ :%ring the irst ilded Age 'illions were

convinced it was not. :%ring the second ilded Age$ conventional wisdo'

had it that they went together li&e love and 'arriage. Indeed$ it beca'e ani'perial boast as the United States ass%'ed the b%rden o t%toring other

nations on how they too 'ight conect this perect %nion. %t then BS

artic%lated what 'any had long since concl%ded that the !!H have or all

practical p%rposes been banned ro' any eective say-so when it co'es to

deter'ining how the reso%rces o the co%ntry are to be deployed and

distrib%ted. Is there then a %t%re or de'ocracy beyond capitalis'J An old

;%estion is being as&ed anew.

,o ta&e the 'eas%re o how we are now entails irst getting a senseo how we once were. 9art I will eDa'ine the Elong nineteenth

cent%ry$ when capitalis' Ered in tooth and claw 'et ierce ene'ies

ro' every wal& o lie. 9art II will probe or the so%rces o o%r

re'ar&able silence in the 'odern era.

,his boo& hardly pretends to be a new history o the United States.

,he A'erican evol%tion$ the Civil Bar$ presidential elections$ wars$

and '%ch else show %p briely$ indirectly$ or not at all. %t it is

nonetheless an atte'pt to say so'ething essential abo%t the nat%re

and evol%tion o A'erican society. /ow well we 'anage the grave

dile''as con8ronting %s now and in the %t%re 'ay depend on how

well we grasp the b%ried tr%ths o o%r past.

17


13/37


14/37

Part I

C'(ss )(rf(re in A*eric(:

"#e +ong,ineteent# Centur-


15/37


16/37

ead bodies hardly in the gro%nd$ 'e'ories o the Civil Bar(scarnage still raw$ 'illions o A'ericans wo&e %p one s%''er(s day in

16"" to discover the nation verging on atal division all over again. In

L%ly o that year a co%ntrywide railroad stri&e > soon

to beco'e ina8

'o%s as the Ereat Uprising > let

co''erce paraly


17/37


aristocracies see'ed now li&e a pre'onition. :read o a second civil war

beca'e a pervasive Go%rnalistic co''onplace$ echoed by pro'inent b%siness'en. In Chicago at the height o the ("" ins%rrection$ the city(s

ind%strial elders > 'en li&e eorge 9%ll'an$ 9hilip Ar'o%r$ and arshall

Field > were

convinced that Ethe co''%nists were in their second heaven$

the canaille was at the very s%''it o its glory$ that li&e 9aris a ew years

earlier d%ring the Co''%ne$ Chicago now was in the hands o Ethe

revol%tionary ele'ent. ,hey lent horses$ wagons$ and atling g%ns to the

police$ or'ed vigilante gro%ps and the -aw and rder -eag%e$ ar'ed or

battle.-ess 'inatory voices$ li&e that o the preacher -y'an Abbott$ noted that

Ethe low growl o th%nder is already to be heard in great cities where the

wor&ing class harbored Ea great discontent in its heart which a great disaster

'ight easily convert into bitter wrath. In the panic that ollowed the

Chicago /ay'ar&et bo'bing in 166#$ the Chicago Tribune and other

'etropolitan papers li&ened the 'o'ent to the iring on Fort S%'ter$

observing that altho%gh the ep%blic see'ed on ir'er o%ndations than it

had been in 16#1$ still the specter o anarchy was E'enacing law$ property$

govern'ent$ the p%lpit$ the ho'e$ and p%blic and private rights. 4. -.

od&in$ o%nder o The Nation 'aga


18/37

Class Warfare in America

o the sheri ro' enorcing oreclos%res$ it was the police who were

cri'inals$ the law that was lawless$ order act%ally disorder$ Ecivili


19/37


entire b%siness o the co%ntry. 4ven the 'ost privileged > the

gilded

E300 > spied

a retro %topian escape hatch. ,hey h%n&ered down insidetheir i'ported castles and rei'agined the'selves as so'e ew Borld

e%dal aristocracy$ rather than the no%vea% riche they really were.7

ac& when the irst ilded Age was G%st pic&ing %p stea' in the late

16"0s$ a wayaring Go%rnalist na'ed /enry eorge prophesied that the great

A'erican rep%blic was headed to hell$ that li&e o'e$ Eso power8%l in

ar's$ so advanced in the arts$ it 'ight too be done in by the orces o

econo'ic and social division and 'oral decline at loose in the land.

Progress and Poverty, eorge(s a'o%s boo&$ was in part inspired by theastonishing railroad ins%rrection o 16"". It electriied the co%ntry )there

were one h%ndred printings in twenty years and it had sold two 'illion

copies by 1!05* and beca'e the bible o a reor' 'ove'ent that lasted or

decades. EStrong as it 'ay see'$ he warned$ Eo%r civili a

single taD on landed wealth > went

down a political dead end$

winding %p as little 'ore than a historical c%riosity. %t it is the

;%estion he as&ed$ not his answer$ that end%res.3

-ong beore /enry eorge entered the scene$ his ;%estion already had. It

was there at the creation o the ep%blic. Ferocio%s arg%'ents between

/a'ilton and Leerson and their legions o ollowers bro&e o%t i''ediately

ater the adoption o the Constit%tion. ,hey didn(t co'e to blows over

ind%strial capitalis'$ which in an %nderdeveloped co%ntry

20


20/37


li&e the United States was at 'ost a aint proposition. %t 9rogress

and what it 'ight entail were very '%ch at iss%e.AleDander /a'ilton envisioned a vigoro%s co''ercial civili


21/37


spawned l%D%ry and c%lt%ral reine'ent$ b%t also poverty$ disease$ beggary$

and cri'e. ,he slavish dependency o people c%t o ro' their own 'eanso sel8s%pport$ de'orali


22/37


ot every year or decade or that 'atter was as ra%ght as 16""$ to be s%re.

%t the epoch that enco'passed the transor'ation o a sliver o coastalvillages$ s'all ar's$ slave plantations$ and a ew port cities into a

transcontinental co''ercial$ agric%lt%ral$ and ind%strial pree'inence was a

wrenching one. For those generations that lived thro%gh it$ it oten called

orth a cri de coe%r$ rec%rring waves o resistance to the ineDorable$ a

st%bborn$ '%ltiario%s insistence that the 'arch o 9rogress was too

spendthrit in h%'an lives$ that there were alternatives. ,hat long nineteenth

cent%ry o class against class cli'aDed in the labor ins%rgency that ollowed

in the wa&e o the syste'(s reat Crash o 1!2!. It see'ed to resolve itsel in the ew :eal. %t the ;%estions it raised have end%red$ res%raced$ and

grown 'ore pressing o late.

4cono'ic and 'oral ;%estions were$ or o%r ilded Age orebears$

Goined at the hip. In o%r own day$ the antiseptic$ 'athe'atical

lang%age o ris& assess'ent and probability analysis 'ade that see'

overly senti'ental. For well 'ore than a cent%ry$ however$ anDio%s

A'ericans as&ed i the panting ater 'oney and social distinction

'ight corr%pt the co%ntry(s so%l. For o%r Nictorian ancestors$Eparasite was both a 'oral category and an econo'ic one. :id

wealth carry with it a 'oral dile''a$ a conrontation with odJ r

was it the royal road to social har'onyJ r was it bothJ Bas

a'assing wealth the to%chstone o 9rogress$ b%t also its atal lawJ

Aristocracy and de'ocracy$ slavery and reedo'$ e;%ality and indi8

vid%alis'$ labor and capital$ god and 'a''on$ progress and poverty these

are the antino'ies that helped deine the conto%rs o the long nineteenth

cent%ry$ and especially the decades between the Civil Bar and the reat

:epression. ,hat is why this boo& begins there.

27


23/37


24/37

1

rogress

)hen the railroad threatened to co'e to -ancaster$ hio$ bac& inthe 'id81630s$ the local school board greeted the prospect as a loo'ing

'oral disaster. ,he board re%sed to 'a&e its b%ilding available to

disc%ss the co'ing o the iron horse. Citi


25/37


or all the other thirteen acres o 'achines ho%sed at achinery /all$

capt%red the 'ost attention. It was 35 eet high$ e;%ipped with two10-oot pistons and a lywheel weighing 5# tons rotating at the

astonish8ing rate o siD ti'es a 'in%te. assive$ silent yet e'anating

an %nearthly orce$ the engine str%c& the writer Billia' :ean /owells

as Ean athlete o steel and iron with not a s%perl%o%s o%nce o 'etal

on it. A Go%rnalist ro' Bisconsin was there when it sprang to lie$

'anned by only a single attendant

in obedience to the si'ple to%ch o a wheel and a lever$ the cross8bea'roc&ed high and lowO the cran& revolvedO the pistons shot in and o%t o

their cylinders$ and nearly eight 'iles o steel shating gave 'otive power

to 17 acres o 'achinery si'%ltaneo%sly A tho%sand dierent noises

assailed the ear$ so'e in short$ staccato notesO others in a d%ll$ draining

h%'O others still in the bris& rattle o '%s&etryO and 'any in a spite%l hiss

and spl%tter. -ong bands o leather writhed and crac&led over ly8wheels

. . . .an(s

power over 'atter never received so co'plete an

eDe'pliication beore. ,he terriic orce adapted by his hand to his will$

the ertility o his inventions$ the delicacy o his to%ch$ and his

ineDha%stible '%sc%larity$ appeared at once in cohesion and in contrast.

eside the engine itsel$ a '%ltit%de o other 'echanical 'arvels da


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Progress

s%'er devices and delicacies were also eDhibited incl%ding rerigerators and

the irst bottles o /ein< &etch%p and /ires root beer./owells$ who wo%ld later go on to beco'e a cor%scating critic o

A'erican ind%strial capitalis'$ was reverential. /e noted the Corliss

engine(s Evast and al'ost silent grande%r$ its E%nerring intelligence.

So'ething i''aterial$ so'ething eDalted$ lodged deep within the ani8

'ated 'ass o energi


27/37


s%ch as the Corliss engine. ,he wonders o scientiic discovery$ the a'a all this was evidence o

so'e 'ore proo%nd tr%th abo%t 'an(s ate.

Faith in econo'ic growth soon enveloped and e'bodied all other

airborne hopes or reedo' and e;%ality. It was not only providential$ b%t

inevitable. ilded Age A'ericans$ a lot o the' anyway$ ervently believed

in econo'ic progress and ab%ndance as the pathway to reedo'O indeed its

cha'pions conlated the 'etaphysics o reedo' with the 'echanics o 'aterial ab%ndance$ believing that was how the ew Borld wo%ld escape

the sorry ate o the ld$ weighed down as it was by those scarcities and

ine;%ities that let it plag%ed with bitter social Gealo%sies$ resent'ents$ and

incipient violence.

4ver since the days o the Corliss engine$ A'erica has worshipped

at the altar o 9rogress and Ab%ndance. At the height o the Cold Bar$

Nice 9resident ichard iDon visited %ssia$ where he aced o

against Soviet pre'ier i&ita Mhr%shchev in what thereater beca'e&nown as the E&itchen debate. Standing in the 'iddle o a 'odel

&itchen on dis8play at the A'erican ational 4Dhibition in oscow$

iDon eDtolled A'erican reedo' and the A'erican way o lie by

pointing to the eDhibit(s array o electric ranges$ washing 'achines$

and television sets. I a bellicose Mhr%shchev had once prophesied

that co''%nis' wo%ld inevitably Eb%ry capitalis'$ the vice

president retorted by pro'ising that an avalanche o A'erican

cons%'ables wo%ld do the sa'e to the Soviet Union. 4ven now this

a'alga' o reedo'$ ree enterprise$ and 'aterial plenty constit%tes

the aDio'atic hard core o the A'erican credo.

et discontent so proo%nd it wo%ld sha&e the o%ndations o A'erican

lie rose %p alongside this 'iracle o 9rogress$ li&e a co%nter'iracle. ,o

grasp how astonishing that was we '%st irst rec&on with G%st how

st%pendo%s were the acco'plish'ents o the A'erican tri%'ph.

26


28/37

Progress

There at the CreationAll this irst too& shape d%ring the ilded Age. o nation in history )now

with the possible eDception o China* ind%striali at least with respect to their 'aterial

s%rro%ndings > than the world their parents grew %p in$ -incoln(s world.

4very era has had its signat%re ind%stry big boD retailing$ inor'a8

tion technology$ and inance today$ cars in the 'id8twentieth cent%ry$steel beore the reat :epression. ailroads irst ass%'ed that

position in postCivil Bar A'erica. ,hey were the engine ho%se o the

econ8o'y$ &nitting together ro' ocean to ocean the irst national

'ar&et8place$ thereby sp%rring the growth o actory8based 'ass

prod%ction$ speeding %p co''%nications and the transer o

inor'ation between ar8l%ng regions$ 'idwiing new towns$

pop%lating the wilderness$ and opening %p its nat%ral reso%rces to

econo'ic eDploitation. o terrain > no 'atter how 'o%ntaino%s$

arid$ or re'ote > and

no weather > no

'atter how hot$ ree co%ld stop the iron horse.

Already in the decades beore the Civil Bar$ the transportation revol%tion

had c%t a trip ro' the 4ast Coast to the hio valley ro' ity days by

wagon to twenty8ive days by stea'boat. ,hirty years later it too& a wee& by

train. y the t%rn o the cent%ry a trip ro' ew or& to San Francisco$

which beore the Civil Bar too& 'onths$ co%ld be

2!


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done in three and a hal days. oreover$ the railroad %eled a nearly

insatiable de'and or the o%tp%t o basic ind%stries li&e coal$ iron$and steel$ as well as 'achine 'a&ing o vario%s sorts. Shipping costs

pl%'8'eted irst$ than&s to canals and then the iron horse$ ro' thirty

to sev8enty cents a ton='ile to seven cents or '%ch less. And this is

not to 'ention the way this transor'ation inspired ancillary

technological innovations and the growth and co'pleDity o trade and

inance. ne observer ro' the 16#0s described the iron horse as Ethe

'ost tre'en8do%s and ar8reaching engine o social revol%tion which

has ever either blessed or c%rsed the earth.7

y 16!1$ the 9ennsylvania ailroad )the U.S. Steel or eneral otors or

Balart o its day* e'ployed 110$000 people$ 'ore than the co'bined

ar'ed services o the United States. Altho%gh A'erica acco%nted or a 'ere

# percent o the earth(s land 'ass )and an even tinier percent8age o its

pop%lation*$ by the end o the cent%ry its rail networ& acco%nted or 32

percent o the world(s total trac&age$ or nearly 200$000 'iles. ,he railroads

e'ployed nearly a 'illion people and spent 'ore than all govern'ents >

local$ state$ and ederal > p%t

together. etween 1660 and 1!00$ reight and

passenger traic nearly ;%adr%pled.

,han&s in part to the i'pet%s provided by the railways$ steel

prod%c8tion eDpanded eDponentially. y 1660 three8o%rths o all steel

'an%8act%red in the United States was cons%'ed by the railroads. A

good portion o the re'ainder o%nd its way into the I bea'

s&yscraper$ steel ships$ steel cable and piping$ and all varieties o

'achinery and ar'a'ents.3

4verywhere one 'ight loo& the iron horse had let its i'print. Along with

the telegraph whose wires paralleled the trac&s$ it beca'e the inor'ation

s%perhighway o the nineteenth cent%ry. It accelerated transactions and 8

co''%nications > irst

co''ercial and then private ones > so

rapidly as to

constit%te a tri%'ph over ti'e and space at least as dra'atic as the one we

now associate with co'p%ters$ the internet$ and the tele8co''%nications

ind%stry. oreover$ the relationship between new ways o traveling and

co''%nicating was sy'biotic the telegraph acil8

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Progress

itated the railroad revol%tion by 'a&ing instantaneo%sly available

inor'ation abo%t train ti'es$ eDpediting the sae ship'ent o prod%cts and people. As a conse;%ence the costs o prod%ction and

transportation or all &inds o goods and services ell dra'atically.

%ral A'erica wo%ld never be the sa'e. ,he railroad co''erciali


31/37


spread over 7 'illion acres s%rro%nded by #00 'iles o barbed wire$

was the largest* and sheepherders Goined grain ar'ers in t%rning theEiddle order > all

that newly opened land west o the

ississippi and north o isso%ri > into

a ood 'achine.

irac%lo%s is a air way to characteri threshers$

binders$ reapers$ harvesters$ the steel plow$ corn h%s&ers$ s%gar 'ills$

cotton presses$ and 'ore > and

witho%t the railroad which connectedthe agric%lt%ral bac&co%ntry to do'estic and worldwide %rban

'ar&ets$ that agrarian 'iracle was inconceivable. So$ or eDa'ple$ one

'an %sing a 'achine to harvest wheat in 1!00 co%ld do the wor& that

not long beore re;%ired twenty. An acre o wheat that in antebell%'

A'erica too& siDty ho%rs to c%ltivate re;%ired only o%r by the end o

the cent%ry. ,he Scott and Chisol' pea sheller co%ld re'ove as 'any

peas ro' a pod as it once too& #00 wor&ers to do by hand. In 1661 a

new 'achine t%rned o%t "0$000 cigarettes every day$ co'pared with

the 7000 a s&illed wor&er co%ld 'anage. ,he telegraph )or Elightening

wire* tri''ed the ti'e to trans'it inor'ation ro' wee&s or

'onths to days or ho%rs. EBhat has beco'e o spaceJ an astonished

New York Herald as&ed.#

S%''oning powers once %ndrea'ed o 'ade all this happen. Fro'

ti'e i''e'orial h%'an and ani'al '%scle$ wind$ the tides$

wateralls$ and wood provided the energy 'a&ing settled society

possible. ew godli&e so%rces o energy s%ddenly changed all that.

Stea'$ coal$ oil$ gas$ and electricity revol%tioni


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Progress

as the s%''a o ind%strial lie EIt speeds the loco'otive across the con8

tinent . . . QandR the 'ighty stea'ship on the seasO it grinds o%r grainO it

weaves o%r clothO it prints o%r boo&sO it orges o%r steel$ and in every

depart'ent o lie it is the %bi;%ito%s$ tireless$ potent agency o o%r civi8

li


33/37


spectac%lar. ,he director o the 16!0 Cens%s esti'ated private

cons%'er debt at 11 trillion$ three h%ndred ti'es 'ore than anyecono'ist or social observer had predicted.!

Bhether or not yo% were a'ong the ort%nate able to aord a phone or

so'e other 'odern gi a greater and aster increase than in any other nation in the world.

%tp%t per capita in 16!! was 250 percent greater than a hal cent%ry earlier.4Dtraordinary prod%ctivity and intense co'8petition lowered prices or all

goods$ agric%lt%ral and ind%strial$ so that real wages i'proved and average

ho%rs o wor& declined ro' eleven a day to nine and a hal.

,ogether with the agric%lt%ral revol%tion$ this 'ade city lie

possible or 'illionsO the co%ntry(s %rban pop%lation tripled between

16"0 and 1!00. 9%blic ed%cation beca'e widely accessible. ,han&s to

i'proved n%trition$ 'odern 'edicine(s assa%lt on bacterial disease$

and innova8tions in p%blic sanitation > especially

as piped water

began to replace cisterns$ and incinerators$ sewers$ and paved roads

beca'e 'ore co'8'on eat%res o %rban living > lie

eDpectancy

rose by siD years as the ilded Age drew to a close.10

Soon eno%gh this corn%copia beca'e the envy o the world and a avorite

A'erican boast. Bhy notJ ,ri%'phalis' li&e this was abetted by the

re'ar&able and growing dierential between the pace o ind%strial progress

in the United States as co'pared with 4%rope(s. Already by 166# A'erica

t%rned o%t 'ore steel than ritainO by the end o the cent%ry its steel o%tp%t

eDceeded that o the United Mingdo' and er'any co'bined. roader

co'parisons were even 'ore stri&ing. ,he val%e o what A'erican

'an%act%rers prod%ced was twice that o the United Mingdo' and hal as

great as that o the whole 4%ropean continent. etween 1650 and 1660

actory o%tp%t in ritain rose by 100 percentO in A'erica by #00 percent.

,here were 'ore 'iles o railroads and tele8

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Progress

graph lines than in all o 4%rope. ,he United States led the world in

the prod%ction o virt%ally every strategic ind%strial co''odity$incl%ding steel$ coal$ gold$ ti'ber$ silver$ oil$ telephone$ telegraph$

electric light8ing$ 'achine tools$ hardware$ and loco'otives. ne

historian s%'s %p this eDtraordinary ascent EA'erican

ind%striali


35/37


private property. eanwhile$ the ederal G%diciary warded o eorts

by local a%thorities to enc%'ber b%siness with r%les and reg%lationsregarding their pricing$ labor$ and co'petitive practices. othing was

allowed to d%ll the appetite or private capital acc%'%lationO the rate

o personal savings and reinvest'ent o co'pany proits was higher

in the United States than anywhere else$ behavior enco%raged by the

govern'ent(s rigid adherence to the gold standard that helped

stabili


36/37

Progress

other$ an ense'ble o %nctions that together created the national 'ar8

&etplace. And they did this in the teeth o a 'ercilessly co'petitiveecono'y that drove 'any o their co''ercial rivals %nder.

,he 'odern corporation$ which e'erged as the econo'y(s do'inant

instit%tion by the end o the ilded Age$ was born o%t o this ierce str%ggle

to s%rvive &illing panics and depressions. S%ch econo'ic disr%ptions

occ%rred every iteen years or so$ beginning in 167" and contin%ing thro%gh

to the end o the cent%ry. For eDa'ple$ Fric& )he o the oten noted riveting

Egrey8eyed ga


37/37


peaceable and 'odest$ 'ethodical$ calc%lating$ and pr%dential > in a word$

%nro'antic to the bone. Its tr%e and only hero is the ac;%isitive individ%al writ

large the b%siness'an as warrior. ,he larger8than8lie inancial titans$ coal and

steel barons$ and railroad apoleons who lit %p the stage o ilded Age

ind%strialis' were the heroes o 'iddle8class society. As the architects o

9rogress$ they absorbed into their otherwise %nprepossessing lives all the

honorari%'s that once attached to the soldier$ the aristocrat$ the &night errant$ the

con;%istador$ the advent%rer$ the eDplorer > the doers who t%rned a society(s

'ost cherished drea'$ its 'ost val%ed val%e$ into reality$ a reality so grand and

transor'ative it ta&es the breath away.

et a ;%estion re'ains. I 9rogress was$ as this acco%nt wo%ld have it$ a

benign o%tco'e o indigeno%s talents and nat%ral endow'ents$ a perect %nion o

te'pera'ent$ instit%tional geni%s$ and elicito%s political invention$ then why allthe deep 'isgivings and %proar it incitedJ Bhere was the devil hiding in the

weeds that wo%ld di' or 'illions the inat%ation with 9rogress everlastingJ

Excerpt From "Age of Acquiescence" By Steve Fraser.

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