In Andrew Carnegie’s “Triumphant
Democracy,” he expresses his love for the democratic system and how well it
works to enrich the lives of American citizens. Based on Booker T. Washington’s “Atlanta Exposition Address,” I
feel he would support Carnegie’s feelings on this matter. I also believe the Knights of
Labor would
have responded positively towards Carnegie’s views.
Booker
T. Washington welcomes the idea of the industrial progress brought on by
democracy. He feels this gives the
black population a better chance at establishing themselves and moving towards
equality. The better the economy, the
more success blacks can have at advancing in
society. In “Triumphant Democracy,” Carnegie talks about all the advances
in many fields the United States has made and how far they have come compared
to other countries. Washington would be
pleased with these accomplishments, as they would provide more opportunities
for blacks to
work together with whites and thus form a foundation for reaching
equality. Carnegie admits that common
jobs are important for the society to succeed, and Washington agrees with this
saying, “It is at the bottom of
life we must begin, and not at the top.” (Boller,
42) So Washington would agree with
Carnegie’s views on the quality of life and range of opportunities available to
Americans at the end of the nineteenth century.
The
Knights of Labor would agree with Washington and would have responded well to
Carnegie’s vision of life. They were a
society
formed to help protect the “toiling masses,” and to share the wealth
that these workers help to create. As
stated in section two of the “Preamble,” the Knights of Labor felt the masses
deserved the shares of wealth that rightfully belongs to them and not to just a
few select people. Many of their ideals
as a group were to work for decent payments for employees of all races and
genders, and other benefits for those of the working class. Much of “Triumphant Democracy” deals with
how the progress in all areas have made life easier for the “toilers” of the
United States such as labor-saving devices, improved quality of food, and
improved transportation. These
improvements would have benefited the working class and pleased the Knights of
Labor, as this is the main reason the society was formed.
More summaries about the Improvement of Life in the 19th Century