Money & Morals in America: A History Book

On visiting America in the 1830s, Alexis de Tocqueville remarked on the state of democracy as reflected by the individual American, who was "habitually engaged in the contemplation of a very puny object: namely himself." And so started the theoretical debate on the relationship between the greed of the individual and moral conscience, an argument that has raged from the first settlers to the present day. Patricia O'Toole, author of Money and Morals in America views this relationship as a conflict "between selfish desires and shared obligations." To examine the validity of her conclusion, O'Toole decided to venture back into the past and chronicle the actions of a number of significant, wealthy individuals and organizations, aiming to explore how they dealt with their self-interest versus the common good. There was Henry Ford's "Five Dollar Day," which doubled his employees pay to evoke a sense of loyalty, while at the same time tampering with their privacy; Benjamin Franklin, whose actions were the paragon of selflessness as he applied his talents to the advancement of public good; and inventor William C. Norris, who questioned the limited vision of corporations by envisioning a future in which they would profit by "solving major social problems." O'Toole herself admits that the purpose of her work is to explore history for poignant examples of the clash between money and morals without over-analyzing the evidence. Instead she paints a wonderful mural of American culture, giving example to our perpetual connection to money. Ultimately, her book raises the following questions: What is the relationship of the self and society? Are all acts selfish? Are we victims to this culture, and what will become of our future if we cannot give something back? From person to person, no set of answers will be the same, which paradoxically illustrates why our society is so unique in its individuality. --Jeremy StoreyRead More