How Social Reformers Influenced Edward Bellamy, Henry...

How did social reformers such as Edward Bellamy, Henry George, and the Knights of Labor conceive of liberty and freedom differently than the proponents of the liberty of contract and laissez-faire like Herbert Spencer and Andrew Carnegie? Which of these groups was successful in imposing their vision on the larger society in the years before the turn of the century? Why? Introduction Liberty and freedom was conceived differently by the social reformers and the proponents of the liberty of contract and laissez-faire. The difference actually emanated in the manner in which the two groups interpreted the suitability of the operation of the economy. While the economy can operate on the basis of capitalism where individualism and private property are the basis of creating wealth, it can also operate on the basis of collectivity, where communism and pooling of the labor and output together forms the basis of wealth accumulation for the society. In this respect, the social reformers such as Edward Bellamy, Henry George, and the Knights of Labor conceived the freedom and liberty to entail the rights of the laborers to earn better wages, work for a few hours and have a legal tender mechanism from the government that was not under the control of the banks . On the other hand, the proponents of the liberty of contract and laissez-faire like Herbert Spencer and Andrew Carneg ie conceived the liberty and freedom to entail individualism and private property ownership as the basis of