Tuesday, October 18, 2016

Social Gospel Movement: A Response to Immigration

As the cities of America became quickly overcrowded after the Civil War, there were two diverging responses to the growing crises.

Response One: Nativism
-Nativists essentially blamed the ills of America on the rising immigrant population. Anything "new and different" (i.e. skin color, ethnic background, languages, cultures, clothes, food, customs, religious practices, economic beliefs etc.) were automatically dismissed as not only bad...but dangerous and problematic.

Response Two: Social Gospel
-The Social Gospel Movement saw the immigrant crisis as an opportunity to help and serve. Citizens, both men and women, saw the needs of the poor in the cities and were moved with compassion.

Read this account of the origins of this movement. Answer TWO of the following questions for the comment section. Additional research may be necessary.

1) What role did Jane Addams play in this movement?

2) In what ways, specifically, did this movement seek to help in our urban centers?

3) Explain the "social survey movement" in regards to how it was used by the Social Gospel Movement.

4) What role did churches (and religion in general) play in the Social Gospel Movement?

5) How does the Social Gospel Movement differ from the Social Darwinism Movement (which was occurring at the same time incidentally)?

16 comments:

  1. 2. Sheldon was part of the Social Gospel movement, an effort among Protestant Christians to improve the economic, moral, and social conditions of the urban poor. The rapid urbanization of the late 1800s and early 1900s had overwhelmed the infrastructure of American cities. In the shadows of glittering skyscrapers and multi-million-dollar mansions were masses of workers living in squalid poverty, paid pennies a day and packed like sardines into shoddy tenements without running water, plumbing, or fresh air.
    Progressives implemented numerous reforms during the late 1800s and the early 1900s. One of these reforms was the creation of settlement houses. Settlement houses were institutions where immigrants especially could go to seek assistance. Settlement house organizers sought to teach immigrants how to survive and prosper in the United States. They taught the immigrants English, business skills, and about American customs. The settlement houses often provided housing, free meals, and medical care. They also helped organize activities for children and young adults to keep these people out of bars. At the core of the settlement houses' mission was a desire to instill morality in the immigrants. The settlement house organizers emphasized religion in all of their classes, whether the courses were on English, on proper health care habits, or on how to obtain a job.
    3. With the settlement houses how they had teaching of the Bible in it and how they added it into everything. So involved in al the settlement houses.
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  2. 1. Jane Addams played an important role in the Social Gospel Movement because she spoke up for things she thought was right. She co-founded Hull House, which was a settlement house that always had its doors open for recently arrived European immigrants. It became the center of an experiment in philanthropy, political action, and social science research. In one of her autobiographies, she argued that society should respect values and traditions of immigrants and help them adjust to the problems that came with urban life and industrial capitalism. She was someone who encouraged political repression and she also tried to persuade the president to call a conference to discuss ending hostilities. Addams wanted to make things easier for immigrants and help them adjust to their new lives.
    5. Social Darwinism is based on Charle Darwin's theory of natural evolution. It says that a person's wealth, social status, and property basically defined who they were. Poor people were considered lazy and "less fit" to survive, even if they were born into a poor family. This movement appealed to the Protestant work-ethic (anyone could prosper with hard work and intelligence). The Social Gospel Movement was a moral reform movement that addressed the excesses of industry and urbanization. Christians were the ones that were held responsible for helping workers and poor people. This movement preached salvation through works for social justice. Both of these movements have to do with religion and different views of the poor people during this time. They both also address issues about urbanization and the industrial society. (260)

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  3. 1. Jane Addams role is regarded as an indispensable primary text among scholars of the progressive era. "The subjective Neccesity for social settlements" originally delivered as a speech in 1892, was one of the most influential documents of the progressive movement. Her efforts as part of the Social gospel-the religious wing of the progressive movement-can be seen as an attempt to synthesize Christianity with modernity. Much of Addams thought followed lock and step from her religious premise that Christianity had gone astray with Saint Paul emphasis on philosophy,metaphysics's,salvation communion with God, and other spiritual concerns. This view, not all unique to Addams, followed logically from the Social gospel synthesis of Christianity with Pragmatism and modern sociology.
    2. The social Darwinism theory was based on Darwins theory of natural evolution. It dealt with money , status quo and property indicated with a persons well being . It was used by Andrew Carnegie and and other industrialists to support their businesses practices. The Social gospel movement was that working for societal problems brings about salvation. It was apparently said that workers and the poor were at the responsibility of Christians .Some of the similarities it addressed 19th century industrialization. It also opposed fundamentalist viewpoint. Both ideas show a take charge plan to accumulate something, whether it be land or money, and both ideas figure expansion. They are both ideas about improvements society's issues (200 words)

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  4. 1. Jane Addams was an American settlement activist, social worker, author, and a leader for women's rights. She was the second woman to win the Peace Prize. She ran the Hull House in Chicago, Illinios to help immigrants that had nowhere to go. She worked to help the poor and to stop the use of children as industrials laborers. She chaired a women's peace conference, and tried to get President Wilson to mediate peace between fighting countries. She was against war, and wasn't happy about the peace treaty with Germany in 1919 because she thought it would lead to revenge. At the end of her life, she was recognized by the government for her peace efforts.
    2. The Social Gospel Movement was a pivotal point in time for religion because of its influence on Americans at the time. Organizations like The Salvation Army and the YMCA were trying to give Americans something to be a part of, along with helping the less fortunate. The phrase, "What Would Jesus Do?" began in this era by Charles Sheldon. Preachers became more politically active, as the country was slowly turning its back on God. People were revived by the efforts of the Christian leaders of their time, and many lives and good things were developed in this era. (215)

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  5. The Social Gospel Movement was a reform movement that dealt with the issues of the access of industry and urbanization. Christians were the ones that were responsible for helping poor people at this time the salvation Army and the YMCA were created and tried to give Americans hope and gave help to the less fortunate. This movement preached that you could receive salvation through works for doing a social justice. Social Darwinism however is based on Charles darwins theory of evolution. It talked about whatever a person owned and was under their named essentially defined that persons self worth. It was almost like survival of the fittest saying the poor were the lions of the modern world and would not only survive but thrive while the poor were not as fit to survive of fit in with society even if it was not their fault and born into a poor family.Jane Adams had a pivotal role in the Social Gospel Movement. Jane argued that society should respect values and traditions of immigrants. Adams just wanted to make things easier for immigrants and make it easier for them to adapt to their new home. She also founded the Hull House which was like the immigrant settle house.218words

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  6. ^^^^ I meant the rich were like the lions so yeah.....

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  7. Jane Addams was a pioneer and american settlement activist or reformer she was also a public philosopher, author of several books, and played as a leader in women's suffrage and world peace. She established the first settlement house in the United States, known as the hull house which can be found in Chicago. In 1931 she was the first American woman to be given the Nobel Peace Prize, which was probably a big deal. She also said that if women are responsible to clean up their communities, then they need to be able to vote so they can do it effectively. Another fact was that the Hull house she established was filled with European ethnic groups that had immigrated to Chicago.

    2. Although it was not entirely successful, the Social Gospel Movement had a few accomplishments. George Williams created the Young Men's Christian Association to provide a refuge of faith among the vices of London's slums. William Booth created the Salvation Army to lend a helping hand and to meet spiritual and physical needs of people without discrimination. The Social Gospel Movement is known to have influenced the American Civil Rights movement and inspired MLK, this movement convinced that you could do social justice in order to get saved. (209)
    -Matthew Mettendorf

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  8. 4- A Protestant pastor believed that the church's agenda had replaced The Lords. He taught that the job of Christians 'is not a matter of getting people to heaven, but transforming the lives on earth into the harmony of heaven.' basically the Protestants believed that if they met the needs of the poor and lower class, it would transform them spiritually and help them improve their lives.
    5- Social Darwinism is the theory that people are supposed to follow the same laws of natural selection as plants and animals. It came from Charles Darwin's idea of how we all came to be. But it wasn't just about following natural selection, he thought that what we had and how we lived defined who we are as people and how we live, the material things are what mattered and represented who you were. The Social Gospel Movement was a religious movement (mainly pertaining to the Protestants.) Ministers, tied salvation and doing good things together. This movement came from not just one person but three; Washington Gladden, William Dwight, and Walter Rauschenbusch. However they were both movements based on theory and opinions, one was about supposed scientific theory and the other is based on religion. However they were both a little out there. 


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  9. Jane Addams played a major role into the Social Gospel Movement during this time. She was a social worker, author, and a major leader for the women's rights movements. She was a voice that would cry out to rally and help people who she thought were being treated injustly. She was a major part in the Hull House, a large home in Chicago that would help newly arrived immigrants who had no money or place to live. She believed that America should respect the way immigrants were and the traditions that they brought with them instead of the American Society considering them as outcasts to society. She also won a nobel peace prize for her help as well as helping many immigrants fit in to American Society.
    5. Social Darwinism was a concept in society that was completely based off of Charles Darwin's theory of natural evolution. They believed that the more possessions or the value of possessions that you had determined your value and your worth in society. It became a thought close to survival of the fittest which would consider the wealthy as the lions of society being at the top of the chain while putting those who were stuck in poverty at the bottom with no self worth at all. The Social Gospel movement dealt with many issues involving urbanization as well as the industry. The movement said that you could basically receive salvation through doing good works as well as doing social justice. (245 words)

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  10. 1.) Jane Addams could be called many things: an American Settlement activist, author, philosopher, social worker, and women's rights activist leader. She also ran the Hull House in Chicago. She helped immigrants start their new lives and worked against child labor. She was an advocate for peace which means she was extremely opposed to war. She even tried to convince president Woodrow Wilson to call meetings to settle foreign disputes. However, she wasn't entirely on board with the treaty that was settled with Germany in 1919 because she thought there was still tention and not enough of peaceful reasoning.
    5.) One way I would sum up social Darwinism is the idea that the things you own defines who you are socially. For example, if you are someone of the lower class with not much money, you would most likely be deemed "less" than someone who would have more money. Compared to the social gospel movement, these two philosophies of the economic world are polar opposites. While social Darwinism focuses on the material things, the social gospel movement was more dependent on the belief that success, at the end of the day, was not all about the money, but more about the hard work that was put into the job and the things to be learned about life through the hard work. (221)

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  11. 2. George Williams created the young men's Christian association. It gave people a place of faith and refuge. It was in the London slums. Then the Salvation Army was created. It helped people with their spiritual needs and also there physical needs.. it was created by William booth. The social gospel movement was a huge point in time. It helped create the two fore mentioned cooperation's and help shelters. It also helped come up with the phrase. "What would jesus do".
    5: the theory that people are supposed to follow the same laws as plants and animals do which is natural selection. It came from the idea of Charles Darwin of how we all came to be created/made. He thought that what we had and how we livid defined us as the people we were. Not the inside and what and who we were or were trying to become. He was a materialistic person where it was survival of the fittest. It was a basic study of natural evolution and who ever did the most and made the most would always come out on top. And that he was the best out of everyone. It wasn't about the good deeds or how you treated others it was the material part of life which is not the best part of life.

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  12. Jane Addams was a founder of the "hull house". The hull house was a place that let immigrants come and stay once they migrated from Europe and many other places. She wanted to help people out and she wasn't scared to stand up for what she thought was right. She would speak her mind to any and everyone. The hull house was in Chicago, Illinois. It expanded to a few complexes. Some of the hull houses have been destroyed due to the building of a campus, this took place back in the 60's. She was all about peace and she was not all about war.

    Well to tie religion (Christianity) to the social movement was described as the pastor or leader of a church started to relate good works to salvation. The movement put our Christian ethics to problems that we face in the world. This took place around the 20th century but some people argue when it actually took place. This also ties in with the hull house mentioned above. These houses gave kids plenty to do almost like a modern daycare. When the first my a opened up it wasn't like it is today, it was for people to adjust to the city and still keep their religion.

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  13. 1. Jane Addams played many roles. One of the roles Jane Addams played was a Progressive reformer and the most prominent advocate for the settlement house movement, which was dedicated to improving social conditions for immigrants and other residents of urban slums. She became the first American woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize.She was also an American settlement activist.
    4. The Social Gospel was a Protestant movement that was most prominent in the early 20th century United States and Canada. The movement applied Christian ethics to social problems, especially issues of social justice such as economic inequality, poverty, alcoholism, crime, racial tensions, slums, unclean environment, child labor, inadequate labor unions, poor schools, and the danger of war. 212

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  14. 4) The Social Gosple Movement was a campaign lead by Protestant Christians to improve the social, moral, and economic lives of the people of America, specifically aimed at the poor and the everyday workers, by leading them to Christ. They taught that works and salvation were tied together and to earn salvation, one had to do good works by emulating the life of Christ. Churches lead evangelical outreach to as many people as they could. This movement was one that grew out of the Second Great Awakening. During the 1890s, the movement didn't get much recognition, but during the 1900s, the movement started to gain momentum. One thing it did was help to form the popular support that underpinned the early Progressive movement, that early reform politicians like Theodore Roosevelt used. Another was the adoption of the Social Creed by virtually all prodestent churches. It played a huge role in the Progressive era and the socal survey movement, which both caused great reform and revival. They also were used to argue to push America into fighting in the First World War.

    5) The Socal Gospel Movement differed greatly from Socal Darwinism. The S.G.M proclaimed the ideas of doing good works for salvation, and called for outreach to lead people to Christ. It was a religious movement more then a social movement. S.D. was a belief in 'survival of the fittest' taken to extreme and applied to social problems. The poor were poor because it was their fault, and the rich were such because they worked harder. It was more of a social movement then a religious one.

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