CULTURAL LIFE IN THE GUILDED AGE

There are several literary sources written in the era that expressed strong opinions about the economic changes taking place in society. The Horatio Alger stories published in the era promised that hard work and honesty would oftentimes lead to economic success. Henry George’s 1879 book Progress and Property was a huge seller; in this book the author advocates a single land tax as a method of greatly improving America by redistributing the wealth.

Several other books present a more critical view of America. Looking Backward (1888) by Edward Bellamy was also a very popular book. This book looks ahead to Boston in 2000: In Bellamy’s view everyone works hard in efficient factories. A difference, however, was that in Bellamy’s view of the future, cooperation between the workers and the bosses has replaced the ruthless capitalism that existed in Bellamy’s time.

In 1890 Jacob Riis published How the Other Half Lives, a documentary account of slum life in New Y'ork City, This book was especially powerful because it also contained photographs he had taken of immigrants and the conditions they lived in. Finally, The Jungle (1906) by Upton Sinclair was written as an exposé of the meatpacking industry.