What does advertisement tell us about America before and after capitalism - Essay Example

America Before and After Capitalism Critically assessing the advertisement on lecture 5:23 dubbed “$200 Reward. Five Negro Slaves,” it is clear that slave owners treated slaves as their property, from where they could extract free labor. In the ad, the slaves, Washington and Mary had lived around St. Louis for approximately 15 years providing free and forced labor for their subscriber. In describing Washington, it is said that “several of his teeth are gone” t is evident that the slaves endured had life and probably beaten up by their master.

The slaves were forced to work for their masters for free and against their will. Perhaps, this is why Washington, Mary and their two children were escaping from the subscriber with who the family had lived for the past 15 years.During the closing stages of nineteenth century, industrial revolution aimed at substituting massive manpower as well as animal with mechanical power in the production process. With industrialization gaining popularity, specialization became more dominant with factories producing goods and service in large batches.

Despite the fact that artisans together with small shops were never absolutely eliminated by factories, they were largely reduced to insignificant players in the economy of major nations. With rising modern working class and increasing popularity of production mechanization, production tools became concentrated on a few hands. Workers had insignificant property and had to sell their labor to the capitalists for cash. Capitalism was spurred by private property ownership and economic boom and bust brought about by industrialization.

As workers continued to exchange their labor for cash, factory owners accumulated huge amounts of wealth, increasing private ownership and monopoly tendencies (Tomka 195). Even though there were outcries for the abolition of such tendencies, capitalism thrived in the phase of industrial revolution in the nineteenth century crossing over to the twentieth century. In the ad on lecture 8:31 “GREAT WHITE FLEET: CARIBBEAN CRUISES,” the replacement of animal power by mechanized transportation modes is evident.

Unlike previous experiences, where farm products were ferried by animals, industrialization led to emergence of the “Great White Fleet” with higher carriage capacity. This promoted increased production as more goods could be transported with ease to the market. The ships only carried first class passengers, probably capitalists, providing them with comfortable ride to their destinations. The ad also features workers taking farm produce to the United Fruit Company.Industrialization in the late nineteenth century significantly increased the supply of consumer goods.

Consumers were able to find what they needed in abundance and at low prices. The early twentieth century was characterized by mass production and consumption. With increased efficiency under capitalism, goods became practically available for everyone in the industrialized world. Mass production of goods in the early 20th century surpassed the consumption need of people. As such, the focus was on promoting consumption. Capitalists discovered that they could augment their profits by encouraging mass consumption.

This led to numerous advertisements, marketing product in different stores. The ad in Lecture 9:28 with a slogan “Smart Buy’s Buick,” is an epitome of what manufacturers were doing to promote consumption of their products and hence profits. The ad is an exclusive advocate for women to buy a car brand “Buick.” It mainly aimed at increasing sale of the car in the period where mass consumption had outdone consumption in America. The ad contains luring statements aimed at catching the attention of women to purchase the car.

Works CitedHIST 304(Hoang). American slavery. Lecture 5.HIST 304(Hoang). American imperialism. Lecture 8.HIST 304(Hoang). Depression to Prosperity. Lecture 9.Tomka, Béla. A Social History of Twentieth-Century Europe. New York, NY: Routledge, 2013.Print.