Ages of American Capitalism Quotes

“It is as easy to change human nature,” Hamilton addressed the New York constitutional ratifying convention in 1788, “as to oppose the strong current of the selfish passions.”
― Jonathan I. Levy, Ages of American Capitalism: A History of the United States

“But if there is one reason why, in the United States, a left-leaning liberalism emerged from the Great Depression as opposed to a right-wing populist, if not fascist, nationalism as in other polities (and the UAW’s union drive in Detroit took place near the home of the right-wing anti-Semite Father Charles Coughlin), it was because of the presence of a left-leaning organized labor in the New Deal’s winning political coalition—and not only its presence but its assertion.107”
― Jonathan I. Levy, Ages of American Capitalism: A History of the United States

“New Deal capitalism was a variety of capitalism because the discretionary power of when and where to invest remained in the hands of the owners of capital.”
― Jonathan I. Levy, Ages of American Capitalism: A History of the United States

“Take a method and try it. If it fails admit it frankly and try another. But above all, try something,” FDR proclaimed publicly in 1932.10”
― Jonathan I. Levy, Ages of American Capitalism: A History of the United States

“It must be said, few of the constitutional framers were farmers.”
― Jonathan I. Levy, Ages of American Capitalism: A History of the United States

“In 1784 a South Carolina deputy sheriff summoned farmer Hezekiah Maham to appear in court before his creditors. Maham not only refused, he shoved the writ in the deputy sheriff’s mouth and made him swallow it.21”
― Jonathan I. Levy, Ages of American Capitalism: A History of the United States

“In all of U.S. labor history, few years rival 1934 for drama.59 There had been rumblings in 1933, as rubber plant workers unionized in Akron, Ohio, and prepared a large strike, and Mexican, Japanese, and Filipino fruit pickers struck in California. However, 1934 was an eruption: in 1,856 work stoppages, 1.5 million workers demanded the upholding of Section 7(a). In Toledo, Ohio, auto parts workers won recognition, despite a violent clash that brought out the National Guard. In San Francisco, the Communist-influenced longshoremen won recognition. In October, under pressure, Hugh Johnson succumbed to mental illness, resigning from the NRA after delivering a farewell address to baffled and demoralized staffers comparing himself to Madame Butterfly.60 In the White House, FDR equivocated, as the left continued to agitate.”
― Jonathan I. Levy, Ages of American Capitalism: A History of the United States

“In U.S. manufacturing, union membership declined from 19 percent of the workforce in 1921 to 10 percent by 1929.”
― Jonathan I. Levy, Ages of American Capitalism: A History of the United States

“Turnover at Ford was shockingly high. Every day in 1913 between 1,300 and 1,400 workers did not show up to work—about 10 percent of the entire workforce. Labor turnover was a staggering 370 percent. The American economist John R. Commons called it a “continuous, unorganized strike.”
― Jonathan I. Levy, Ages of American Capitalism: A History of the United States

“In the aggregate, total output and money incomes increased, but so what?”
― Jonathan I. Levy, Ages of American Capitalism: A History of the United States