The American Myth : Rags to Riches

During the Gilded Ages, the myth of America being a land of "Rags to Riches" was made popular by author Horatio Alger who popularized the idea through his writing. In his stories, a young boy would go from rags to riches, instilling the American population with the idea that America was a country of opportunities, and in turn, a nation where the people could go from "Rags to Riches". This idea permeated through all of society, even reaching religious doctrines. Many Protestant ministers preached the idea that anyone could get rich if they tried hard enough, and that if they were unable to become rich, it was due to their own unwillingness to try. Conwell once said in his speech "Acres of Diamonds" , "Your diamonds are not far in distant mountains or in yonder seas; they are in your own backyard, if you but dig for them". This mindset that the ability to get rich was everywhere, and all people had to do was try permeated American society, forever changing history as we know it.


The idea of "Rags to Riches' is seen most prominently through the Robber Barons of the Gilded Age. Men such as Rockefeller, Vanderbilt, J.P Morgan, and Carnegie fueled the idea the concept of a quest to wealth. If men such as Vanderbilt could build up a ferry business from scratch and become one of the leading railroad magnates, what was to say you couldn't either? The public pursued this illustrious possibility, wanting a share in the "Acres of Diamonds" that the United States had to offer. Furthermore, as it permeated through society, those who didn't succeed believed it was their own fault because they hadn't tried hard enough. While this process vitalized the American economy and industry, implementing concepts we use today such as efficiency in production, it also set a ugly precedent.

Even today, we can see how "Rags to Riches" has affected the modern day and how even now, it simply is just a myth. Looking around, there is an abundance of reality tv shows, game shows, casinos, and state lotteries that continue to stress the idea that it's possible to strike it rich if you just try. The new millionaire of the technology era further stress this myth, examples of a couple college drop outs becoming millionaires through the invention of something that people use in their everyday lives. However, the truth is, it's very hard, almost impossible to go from rags to riches. In fact, only 4% of those raised in the bottom 20% of american society are ever able to become part of the top 20%. A majority of those raised in the bottom 20% remain there and never actually move past rags to become part of the rich.

Despite "Rags to Riches" being a concept from the past a simply a myth, the people of today still act off of the concept. The quest to wealth has created the wealth inequality of the modern day as the concept of "Rags to Riches" has allowed for certain people to become extremely rich while leaving others poor. Additionally, the belief that those who are poor are poor because they didn't try hard to escape their economical situation has made it impossible for the government to help the poor or pass legislation that will treat everyone equal. The "Rags to Riches" myth has instilled the people with selfishness, believing that they must focus on how to make themselves rich without realizing that others are suffering. Ultimately, even though the "Rags to Riches" mentality has allowed America to industrialize, it is hard to say how America would have fared if the "Rags to Riches" myth had never been brought to light.


Sources :

http://prospect.org/article/myth-rags-riches
https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2014/11/30/1346298/-The-damage-done-by-America-s-rags-to-riches-mythology
"Robber Barons and Rebels" document