The good rich and what they cost us [[electronic resource] /] / Robert F. Dalzell, Jr

• Autore: Dalzell Robert F
• Pubblicazione: New Haven, Conn., : Yale University Press, c2013
• Descrizione fisica: 1 online resource (224 p.)
• Disciplina: 339.40973
• Soggetto topico: Wealth - United States - History; Rich people - United States - History
• Soggetto geografico: United States Economic conditions
• Note generali: Bibliographic Level Mode of Issuance: Monograph
• Nota di bibliografia: Includes bibliographical references and index.
• Nota di contenuto: Paradox -- 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.
• Sommario/riassunto: This 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
• Titolo autorizzato: The good rich and what they cost us
• ISBN: 0-300-18888-9; 1-283-90654-6; 0-300-17559-0
• Formato: Materiale a stampa
• Livello bibliografico: Monografia
• Lingua di pubblicazione: Inglese
• Record Nr.: 9910786139303321
• Lo trovi qui: Univ. Federico II