Download The Rebirth of Reform

The Rebirth
of Reform
Chapter 15 Section 4
Progress and Poverty
• Henry George – published Progress
and Poverty – 1879
– The century had been marked by an
enormous increase in wealth-producing
power
– Poverty should be a thing of the past
• But, it is not!
– Led the way in challenging the ideas of
Social Darwinism and laissez-faire
economics
Reform Darwinism
• Lester Frank Ward published
Dynamic Sociology
– Used the ideas of Social Darwinism to
create Reform Darwinism
– Reform Darwinism – human beings are
different from other animals in nature
b/c they have the ability to think ahead
and make plans to produce the future
outcomes they desire
Reform Darwinism
• People had succeeded in the world
b/c of their ability to cooperate, not
their ability to compete
• Govt. could regulate the economy,
cure poverty, and promote
education more efficiently than
competition in the marketplace
Naturalism
• Social Darwinists and realists
argued that…
– People could control their lives and
make choices to improve their situation
• Naturalism challenged the ideas of
Social Darwinists and realists
– new style of writing
– criticism of industrial society
Naturalism
• Naturalists argued that some
people fail in life b/c they were
caught up in circumstances they
could not control
– Leaving society and the economy
unregulated did not always lead to
the best result
– Sometimes people’s lives were
destroyed through no fault of their
own
The Social Gospel
• Movement from 1870-1920
• Focused on making better
conditions in cities according to the
biblical ideals of charity and justice
• Washington Gladden – minister
and early advocate
– Tried to apply “Christian law” to
society
The Social Gospel
• Walter Rauschenbusch – Baptist
preacher and leader of the
movement
– Either condemn the world and see it
change or tolerate it and conform to it
– B/l that competition was the cause of
many social problems
• Caused good people to behave badly
Settlement House
• Participants b/l it was their Christian
duty to improve living conditions for the
poor
• Jane Adams – reformer
– Established settlement houses in poor
neighborhoods
• Middle class residents lived and helped poor
residents (mostly immigrants)
• This movement helped to shape the
social work profession
Public Education
• Numbers of schools grew b/c
industrialization and urbanization
– There was a need for more workers that were
trained and educated
• Immigrant children learned about
American culture in schools
– Americanization (assimilation)
– Learned English, American History, and
citizenship
• Schools tried to instill discipline and a
strong work ethic