LEADER 03583nam 2200613 a 450 001 9910786139303321 005 20230803025414.0 010 $a0-300-18888-9 010 $a1-283-90654-6 010 $a0-300-17559-0 024 7 $a10.12987/9780300188882 035 $a(CKB)2670000000334009 035 $a(OCoLC)823280384 035 $a(CaPaEBR)ebrary10633378 035 $a(SSID)ssj0000783370 035 $a(PQKBManifestationID)11440328 035 $a(PQKBTitleCode)TC0000783370 035 $a(PQKBWorkID)10752366 035 $a(PQKB)10215168 035 $a(MiAaPQ)EBC3421098 035 $a(DE-B1597)486000 035 $a(OCoLC)1024013331 035 $a(OCoLC)1029834742 035 $a(OCoLC)1032679822 035 $a(OCoLC)994475301 035 $a(DE-B1597)9780300188882 035 $a(EXLCZ)992670000000334009 100 $a20120531d2013 uy 0 101 0 $aeng 135 $aurcn||||||||| 181 $ctxt 182 $cc 183 $acr 200 14$aThe good rich and what they cost us$b[electronic resource] /$fRobert F. Dalzell, Jr 210 $aNew Haven, Conn. $cYale University Press$dc2013 215 $a1 online resource (224 p.) 300 $aBibliographic Level Mode of Issuance: Monograph 320 $aIncludes bibliographical references and index. 327 $aParadox -- Robert Keayne's contract with Boston -- George Washington, revolutionary -- The brothers Lawrence -- Rich as Rockefeller legacies -- Heirs -- Successors -- Wealth and American democracy -- Acknowledgments -- Notes and sources -- Index. 330 $aThis timely book holds up for scrutiny a great paradox at the core of the American Dream: a passionate belief in the principle of democracy combined with an equally passionate celebration of the creation of wealth. Americans treasure an open, equal society, yet we also admire those fortunate few who amass riches on a scale that undermines social equality. In today's era of "vulture capitalist" hedge fund managers, internet fortunes, and a growing concern over inequality in American life, should we cling to both parts of the paradox? Can we? To understand the problems that vast individual fortunes pose for democratic values, Robert Dalzell turns to American history. He presents an intriguing cast of wealthy individuals from colonial times to the present, including George Washington, one of the richest Americans of his day, the "robber baron" John D. Rockefeller, and Oprah Winfrey, for whom extreme wealth is inextricably tied to social concerns. Dalzell uncovers the sources of contradictory attitudes toward the rich, how the very rich have sought to be perceived as "good rich," and the facts behind the widespread notion that wealth and generosity go hand in hand. In a thoughtful and balanced conclusion, the author explores the cost of our longstanding attitudes toward the rich. Among the case studies in America's Good Rich: Puritan merchant Robert Keayne George Washington Manufacturers Amos & Abbot Lawrence Oil magnate John D. Rockefeller Bill Gates Warren Buffet Steve Jobs Oprah Winfrey 606 $aWealth$zUnited States$xHistory 606 $aRich people$zUnited States$xHistory 607 $aUnited States$xEconomic conditions 615 0$aWealth$xHistory. 615 0$aRich people$xHistory. 676 $a339.40973 700 $aDalzell$b Robert F$01492687 801 0$bMiAaPQ 801 1$bMiAaPQ 801 2$bMiAaPQ 906 $aBOOK 912 $a9910786139303321 996 $aThe good rich and what they cost us$93715327 997 $aUNINA