Progress and Poverty by Henry George was published in 1879. It brought to light the economic conditions that existed in the Gilded Age. The Gilded Age was supposed to be a time of economic growth and reform for everyone in the nation once the Civil War was over. However, this was not the case and many were unsatisfied and unhappy with the economic situation; Henry George was one of these people.
In this book, Henry George not only brought attention to the unequal distribution of wealth during the time, but also proposed his own ideas and methods for a solution to this inequality. He was not the only one to create such a publication. During the time, there were many who were unsatisfied with the unequal distribution of wealth and had their own unique ideas on ways to fix the problem. However, Progress and Poverty received much public attention because of the fact that his explanations of the current economic situation were clearer than others and also because many agreed with his ideology that the current economic situation was one that should have been left in the times before the war ended.
The name The Gilded Age tells us about the appearance of prosperity, as well as the reality of poverty. In George’s book, Progress and Poverty, he elaborates on the unequal distribution of wealth. We see how the richest 1% of America own just as much land as the other 99%. This uneven distribution really sums up this time period, and shows us that it truly was a Gilded Age.
One could say, it was capitalism unleashed! It was a time of laissez faire economy where the government sat on its toes while the majority of it’s urban citizens were taken advantage of by the elite few.