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Anti-Progressivism

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Submitted By letterkillsm1114
Words 1381
Pages 6
Steve Confortini
Professor John W. Szablewicz
US History II
11/13/12
Anti-Progressivism Laissez-faire is defined by Merriam Webster as, “a doctrine opposing governmental interference in economic affairs beyond the minimum necessary for the maintenance of peace and property rights” (Merriam-Webster.com 1). By this, they mean Laissez-faire supports smaller government. I myself am a conservative who is a strong believer in Laissez-faire politics. But many people today disagree with my views. A large majority of people now support liberalism, which is another word for progressivism. Progressivism is defined by Dictionary.com as “favoring or promoting political or social reform through government action, or even revolution, to improve the lot of the majority” (Dictionary.com 3). This basically means that the government is larger, to protect the people. The main parts that will be focused on are the major events of the early 1900’s up until the 1950’s. There is a major importance to both of these styles of political ideology. They both helped us to obtain what we have today, the good and the bad things. Progressivism is a very important aspect of American culture and has helped carve America into the place that it is today. The progressivism movement started around the 1890’s and gained popularity especially during the Great Depression. During the early 1900’s conditions in the workplace were rough and the pay was low. People figured out that as a single person they had very little power or say in anything about these conditions. They figured out that if they got together as one and collectively fought for better conditions and pay that they could win what they wanted and deserved. This is how unions first came to be. Unions, like the American Federation of Labor, had 138,000 members in 1886 and the Knights of Labor had 730,000. With numbers like this Americans could talk to the businesses and use their sheer size and scare tactics of strikes to obtain what they wanted. With progressivism you also have the government helping you to obtain fair working conditions and pay. With progressivism American’s were able to obtain safer work environments at higher wages. This helps to protect the workers from unfair labor practices. For example, people make such little wages that children have to also go to work as soon as they can to help put food on the table. On page 687 in our text it shows a picture of children working in a mine and the oldest child is just seven years old. This is exactly the kind of thing progressivism was looking to end and it did. It also helped to reduce a miners workday hours from 12 hour to 10 hours. Laissez-faire is pretty much the opposite. Laissez-faire supports capitalism and business. It also supports the idea that if someone works hard and makes something of themself that they can be quite successful and powerful. With Laissez-faire government American’s were able to achieve great things and many influential names came about from this style of government. Some of those names are Cornelius Vanderbilt, Andrew Carnegie, John D. Rockefeller, and John Pierpont Morgan. Cornelius Vanderbilt, John D. Rockefeller and Andrew Carnegie were self made millionaires and rose from nothing. Andrew Carnegie came to be by starting off as a telegraph messenger and worked his way up from there. He had a mentor, Thomas Scott, his boss at the Pennsylvania Railroad Company, and with him he moved up and Scott was with him the whole time and even helped him with his first investments. With these investments and even more so, his hard work, he was able to become the success that he was. With progressivism, the government does not get in the way of business. Now having explained these two ways of government, they both have their pros and cons and there is as a time and a place for everything. In the short term progressivism was what was best during the early 20th century, a time when big business was trampling all over the “little guy.” This is what was necessary to get things done, without it I have no idea where we would be today. Regardless of how great progressivism was at certain times, it is also necessary not to have these businesses destroyed. They need to remain very profitable because when this happens everyone makes out, as long as this is balanced. After World War II and before the great depression America had a busy economy. During this time most do well financially. The more money changes hands the better. When you have a capitalist driven economy with little government involvement people tend to spend more money because they are not being taxed as much. The same goes for business but with this people also have less regulation, which also means less “resistance” for the business. This is a win-win situation for both businesses, because of less friction, and the employee, because of more work and less unemployment. One main reason why people do not like this system is because when they have a small government they have less aid and less regulation, which means people, can be taken advantage of, and people have to be responsible. Laissez-faire is defined in French as meaning “let it be” or in other words leave the economy alone and let businesses and citizens control it. The government needs to be there and act as a referee does during a sporting event. By they need to be on the sidelines and not intervene unless absolutely necessary. This helps the markets grow because there is no government holding them back like we have today. The roles of Laissez-faire are defined by Lawrence Reed of Mackinac.org as:
1) respect for private property; 2) freedom to start and own a business; 3) free markets in trade (that is, no government price controls or excessive intervention); and a government limited to a "night watchman" function, which means essentially making sure through its police and courts that contracts are not broken, disputes are peaceably settled, everyone's rights are upheld, and that society is defended against lawbreakers internally and aggressive enemies from abroad. (Reed 1)
This quote is very important and made some very valid points, this has ties to the idea that the government should play the role as the referee. With this system people are rewarded for hard work which drives many to work harder. These people are working for themselves, not the government, which is the way it should be.
In my opinion smaller government makes for a better system, hence my support for Laissez-faire government. But not to where there is no government regulation. People need the government to regulate to some degree to keep the businesses from taking total advantage over their employees. This is sort of a checks and balances system because each of them has what the other wants. In the short term during the early 1900’s up until the 1950’s this is what we needed in order for employees to gain the rights and power they needed. Now in modern times we find ourselves tied down by the government. Our government is spending more money each year and we are now 16.27 trillion in debt (usdebtclock.org 1). This is one way that proves to American’s that the government spending is much higher than it should be. With money brings power. In the short term, my belief is that progressivism was necessary, but in order to keep the American dream going and in order to maintain America as the great nation that it is, industrially, America needs Laissez-faire.

Works Cited
"Laissez-faire." Merriam-Webster. Merriam-Webster, n.d. Web. 20 Nov. 2012. <http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/laissez-faire>.
"Progressivism." Dictionary.com. Dictionary.com, 2009. Web. 16 Nov. 2012. <http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/progressivism>.
Reed, Lawrence. "Laissez Faire and Economic Growth." Mackinac Center. Mackinac Center, 12 June 2001. Web. 20 Nov. 2012. <http://www.mackinac.org/3479>.
"U.S. National Debt Clock : Real Time." U.S. National Debt Clock : Real Time. Http://www.usdebtclock.org/, 18 Nov. 2012. Web. 18 Nov. 2012. <http://www.usdebtclock.org/>.

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