Apush social darwinism

Brief presentation about Social Darwinism and the Gospel of Wealth

1. Social Darwinism and the Gospel of Wealth Hannah Cutshall

2. Social Darwinism The Social Darwinism theory was proposed by people who misinterpreted the meaning of Charles Darwin’s On the Origin of Species . The central idea of this theory is that every man started off at the bottom, but hard work allowed men to become rich elites. For the lower class, this philosophy determined they were stuck in their positions as a result of their laziness. Darwin’s theory of natural selection was used to explain why whites were superior to blacks. The idea was also used to encourage the government to refrain from spending their money supporting the poor.

3. Gospel of Wealth Andrew Carnegie’s “Gospel of Wealth” proposed the idea that the wealthiest businessmen in America should use their wealth to help the poor. This ideology, which preached opposite of Social Darwinism, benefitted the lower classes. The theory made wealthiest few in America look like saviors to the poor because of their power.

4. Compare & Contrast Social Darwinism and the Gospel of Wealth both made successful businessmen look good to maintain a capitalist economy. They justified the positions of the elite and lower classes by portraying the elite as responsible and generous and the lower classes as unfortunate. Unlike the Gospel of Wealth, Social Darwinism blamed the poor for their misfortunes. Both philosophies contributed to discrimination against minorities such as immigrants and blacks by justifying that their position was a result of their actions.