Social Darwinism, Liberty of Contract, and the Social Gospel
Social Darwinism, Liberty of Contract, and the Progressive Era
- Wages once viewed as ruled by the iron law of wages; by turn of the century, integration of firms reduces competition and shifts leverage.
- Before the Civil War, natural superiority used to justify slavery; William Graham Sumner argued freedom requires accepting inequality; inequality is natural if society is formed by freely chosen individuals.
- Liberty of contract: managerial-class idea that wages arise from individual negotiations between worker and company; assumes equal bargaining power.
- If workers are disempowered, the premise of liberty of contract falters; widespread worker dissatisfaction emerges beyond solitary individuals.
Worker bargaining power and social tension
- Dissatisfaction extends beyond individual workers; moral/humanistic currents begin influencing national politics.
- Social Gospel emerges as a religious/humanistic response to Social Darwinism; seeks societal reform.
- It moves politics away from purely market-based logic toward moral and communal approaches.
Social Gospel vs. Social Darwinism
- Social Gospel supports immigrants and urban core populations; promotes welfare-oriented help.
- Private welfare system established to assist immigrants with essentials (food, fuel) and employment opportunities; challenges the view that market forces alone should allocate welfare.
Path to the Progressive Era
- These ideas contribute to moving away from gilded-age laissez-faire thinking.
- Set the stage for Progressive Era reforms focused on social welfare, regulation, and more equitable power dynamics.
Key terms
- Social Darwinism: \text{social theory linking natural selection to societal inequality}
- Liberty of contract: \text{the idea that workers and employers negotiate wages as equals}