What is more American than a game of good old fashioned Baseball with a side of hot dogs and Capitalism?
When many people think of America, they think of the economic availability. Even if they don't use this phrase, they have an image in their mind that shows what we affectionately call the American Dream. This idea is ubiquitous. It's in our movies, and our music. It's taught in our schools, and indoctrinated into almost every American baby from the day they are able to comprehend it.
An American cinema classic, Citizen Kane, shows us the "American dream" in its purity. In that film, a rich tycoon's path to the top is revealed, and it is all based on Capitalism. His family becomes wealthy out of nowhere, which leads him to be able to be properly educated and start his journey towards his success. But was his success really his, or did it stem from the chance of wealth and the escalator of opportunity? This raises an interesting question: is the American Dream truly available for everyone? There is an intriguing TED talk discussing this matter. I would encourage you to watch it and then continue reading if you have the time.
In short, I would suggest that the "American Dream" is not accessible to all, in fact it is confined to only a few whom luck deems worthy of its gleam. Those who find themselves fortunate enough to have the "American Dream" within their grasps are usually then able to find good control of Capitalism as well. Karl Marx, the man most famous for writing The Communist Manifesto, described the different possibilities for economic systems. He used two generalized groups to do so. The Bourgeoisie are the owners of the means of production, or in other words, the people rich enough to employ others. The Proletariat are the people that don't own the means of production, but are paid by the Bourgeoisie to use them. In a Capitalist society this is exactly what happens. It seems somewhat merciful. The rich are able to use their means to create jobs and products for the Proletariat. In its simplicity, it is fairly merciful. We only see its teeth when we witness Capitalism fail the Proletariat.
This happened in the late 1800s and early 1900s in America. Industry was booming, monopolies were forming, and the average american worker was being left behind. No minimum wage meant that the Bourgeoisie could pay their Proletariat workers whatever they wanted and pocket the rest. No labor unions meant that the Proletariat workers had no voice against their Bourgeoisie owners, so they worked in awful conditions that were hazardous to health and safety. No government regulations meant that inexpensive child labor was not prohibited, leaving an increasing number of children maimed from factory accidents. No government regulations also meant there was no one to stop the formations of monopolies who quickly came to control the markets and prices. Increasingly more and more people that only wanted life, liberty, and happiness were left injured, unemployed, or in poverty. Then the stock market crashed. America was in the midst of the great depression, and everyone suffered because of it.
The Great Depression continued for at least a decade (some economists say two). One of the things that I personally believe helped turn the economic depression around was the excellent leadership of our 33rd president, Franklin Delano Roosevelt. FDR, as he is affectionately called, was a symbol of power and poise to the American people. He was one of fate's lucky ones, yet he never allowed his luck to turn into greed. FDR was infamous for implementing policies that protected and provided for the Proletariat while restraining the Bourgeoisie. He most famously pioneered the New Deal and Second New Deal, and supported them through congress. These deals implemented many programs to help the American public recover from the great depression. It increased the federal budget through increased taxes and a decrease in pay for government workers. This money was then used to fund programs like the Civilian Conservation Corps and Farm Security Administration. New federal regulations were drafted concerning banks. America moved away from the gold standard which increased bank stability and brought value back to the dollar. But I believe the most important things that came out of these legislations are the Social Security Administration (SSA) and the United States Housing Authority. These two government agencies provided the backbone for economic recovery.
The SSA took part of the taxes citizens paid and put saved it away, in a sense. The SSA gives an alternative to retired individuals. No longer would they have to skimp and save in order to retire in time to rest for the last few years of their lives. No longer would they be forced to work until they died in order to provide for families. The SSA used these tax dollars to support the older generation. It is a beautiful system. Each dollar you pay into Social Security goes to support someone who spent their whole life working. And when you are able to be supported by Social Security (God willing it doesn't get disbanded) the current working generation will support you.
The United States Housing Authority was designed to provide government housing that was either heavily-subsidized or free. This allowed individuals that were homeless, or without the means to own or rent, a place to live. If you are familiar with Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs, this simple act fulfills at least the bottom two steps in that hierarchy. That is tremendous. Those people that were worried sick about where they were going to sleep and how they were going to stay warm now no longer needed to worry. They were able to focus on work and contributing back to society.
FDR and those who worked with him lead America into one of the longest and most prosperous periods in our history. The Bourgeoisie was taxed heavily (94% on those who earned over $2.4 million in today's money), and the Proletariat was cared for. For a few decades, we did amazing things. We sent 8 missions to the moon (with 6 of them landing individuals on the moon). For a few decades, the American Dream was in reach.
Thank you for reading. If you are interested in hearing another perspective on the unequal distribution of the "American Dream," check out this podcast by Malcolm Gladwell.
"We have the oldest written constitution still in force in the world, and it starts out with three words, 'We, the people.'" -Ruth Bader Ginsburg