How did the rise of big businesses impact social and political thought in the second half of the
nineteenth century? Consider how it was justified and argued as a social good, how the federal
government responded, at first, to the suggestion that it should intervene to help the poor and
needy, and what kinds of arguments were made against large corporations and the incredibly
rich.
Use the following readings:
“William Graham Sumner and Social Darwinism”
“Andrew Carnegie and the Gospel of Wealth”
“Veto of the Texas Seed Bill”
“Omaha Platform”
“Roosevelt on the New Nationalism”
(Access readings from the internet).
