The Good Rich and What They Cost Us: The Curious History of Wealth, Inequality, and American Democracy

The Good Rich and What They Cost Us: The Curious History of Wealth, Inequality, and American Democracy Robert F. Dalzell, Jr. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 2013.

The Good Rich and What They Cost Us is an attempt to unravel the United States's admiration of the wealthy. Using historical accounts of the lives of Robert Keayne, George Washington, the Lawrence Brothers (Amos and Abbott), and the Rockefeller Family, Dalzell sets out to identify the historical roots of the myth of the noble rich prevalent in US society. The process Dalzell identifies consists of three main stages: first the rich acquire their fortunes, then the public despises them, and finally the rich utilize charity in an act of redemption. "The good rich" is a belief that the wealthy, due to their charitable contributions are "upstanding public benefactors" (7). Using historical documents, Dalzell constructs an analysis of the rich throughout US history. According to his research, "what these narratives constitute is a powerful argument proclaiming, if not the innocence of their creators, then at least their earnest...