American Poverty Levels

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Recommended: The significance of the gilded age

America: Its very roots were laid by pioneers and visionaries with a goal and a dream to accomplish something bigger then themselves. Though “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness” was promised by our founding fathers, prosperity was not. (Declaration of Independence) For centuries immigrants have flocked our country seeking a better life. For some, it was to escape oppressive governments, escape famine and natural disasters. For a few, it was just for pure adventure. Most families gave up everything they had to come to America because they heard stories of prosperity and wealth of people like Andrew Carnegie, Cornelius Vanderbilt, and John D. Rockefeller. Most immigrants didn’t get this lucky or work hard enough to be like these great contributors to their respective time eras and even to this present day. There are a variety of reasons why the poverty levels in America are high. For instance, our capitalist approach to the economy. History has proven that our economy experiences a “boom and bust.” The early 1920’s was an excellent period full of thriving business, splurging from customers buying Model T Ford’s, and new innovations in American homes across the country. Then in 1929, the world was flipped upside down. Banks, businesses, farms and everything else you can think of was going bankrupt. Most would blame President Herbert Hoover, and his lack of leadership in the Nation’s budget. Another example of this took place before the 1920’s in a time period referred to as the “Gilded Age” by Mark Twain. Things were looking great in the economy from innovators such as Andrew Carnegie and Thomas Edison. In the Heartland of America, farmers were being treated poorly as they most often have been ever since the beginning of thi... ... middle of paper ... ...jobs back to America, and poverty levels would be dwindled immediately. “Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” ( Declaration of Independence) Perhaps prosperity wasn’t promised, but with a little brain power and American ingenuity, we can have a very prosperous economy. Works Cited Root Causes of Detroit's Decline Should Not Go Ignored." Newgeography.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 04 Feb. 2014 http://www.va.gov/oalc/ "Ladders of Opportunity." The White House. The White House, n.d. Web. 04 Feb. 2014 Roberts, Sam. "Metro Matters; Brutal Question: Police Violence, Public Trust." The New York Times. The New York Times, 21 Mar. 1991. Web. 05 Feb. 2014. "Peter “Pistol Pete” Rollock." Gorilla Convict. N.p., n.d. Web. 05 Feb. 2014. "Transition Training Academy - Wounded Warrior Project." Transition Training Academy - Wounded Warrior Project. N.p., n.d. Web. 06 Feb. 2014.

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