history essay

Anthony Dionisi
Period 1
US History H
2/14/07

Changing MIddle Class

From 1865 to 1900 it was a time of major social and economic changes. When this happened there were a lot of advances in technology. There was also a lot of social reform, this lead to a increase in the role of the middle class citizen. The middle class was not all poor and they now had a higher social importance.
In the late 1800 there was a lot of industrial growth which lead to more money in the economy of the US, this lead to a great increase in people's wealth. Andrew Carnegie said "the man of wealth thus becoming the mere agent and trustee for his poorer brethren,..", basically Carnegie is talking the increase in the common mans wealth and that if he is wealth he should share it with his poor counter part. Carnegie is a good example of a lower that middle class man becoming a industrial tycoon. There were many like Andrew Carnegie who gained large amounts of money in a short time. This is were the rags to riches theory comes into play.
Also during this time there was a big social change on the middle class. The upper class really didn't change that much, but a lot of their traditions and manners were used for this kind of way of life called victorian. Victorians believed that humans were on a upward course from barbarian to civilized man. But they thought this could only be achieved by strenuous moral efforts. They believed in sobriety, industriousness, and self restraint. Also they stressed culture, fine manners , uplifting literature, art, and classical music. THe victorian view of the women was to provide genteel, sensitivity, and spiritual influences. Women in the victorian view were to stay at home and not do any work but house work , and sometime not even that is they were rich enough, This way of life had a big effect on the middle class citizens. Many of them might not had followed this view perfectly, but they did do a lot of these things. Many of them had the stay at home wives. This is what happened to the middle class as its average wealth increased.
A lot of things contributed to the social and economic changes in American and the middle class citizens. Many people on the middle class experienced the rags to riches. When this happened the number of rich people grew and many rich people believed the life style of victorians. But all these things contributed to the role of the middle class.