Forgotten man
Encyclopedia
Forgotten man is a phrase with several meanings, some of which are polar opposites. It was first used by William Graham Sumner in his article The Forgotten Man to refer to the person compelled to pay for reformist programs; however, since Franklin Roosevelt appropriated the phrase in a 1932 speech, it has more often been used to refer to those at the bottom of the economic government whom the state
(in Roosevelt's view) needed to help.
professor William Graham Sumner
had a different meaning of the forgotten man. His algebraic definition of the forgotten man was "c", who is coerced into helping the man at the economic bottom "x", by "a" and "b" who demand charity for "x".
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State (polity)
A state is an organized political community, living under a government. States may be sovereign and may enjoy a monopoly on the legal initiation of force and are not dependent on, or subject to any other power or state. Many states are federated states which participate in a federal union...
(in Roosevelt's view) needed to help.
Sumner's Forgotten Man
Yale UniversityYale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
professor William Graham Sumner
William Graham Sumner
William Graham Sumner was an American academic and "held the first professorship in sociology" at Yale College. For many years he had a reputation as one of the most influential teachers there. He was a polymath with numerous books and essays on American history, economic history, political...
had a different meaning of the forgotten man. His algebraic definition of the forgotten man was "c", who is coerced into helping the man at the economic bottom "x", by "a" and "b" who demand charity for "x".
Roosevelt's forgotten man
Roosevelt used the term in a fireside chat (radio address) he gave on April 7, 1932. Roosevelt used the term to describe the poor men who needed money and were not getting it, promoting his New DealNew Deal
The New Deal was a series of economic programs implemented in the United States between 1933 and 1936. They were passed by the U.S. Congress during the first term of President Franklin D. Roosevelt. The programs were Roosevelt's responses to the Great Depression, and focused on what historians call...
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Works titled "The Forgotten Man"
The Forgotten Man is also the name of several works.- The Forgotten Man, and Other Essays, an 1876 collection of essays by William Graham SumnerWilliam Graham SumnerWilliam Graham Sumner was an American academic and "held the first professorship in sociology" at Yale College. For many years he had a reputation as one of the most influential teachers there. He was a polymath with numerous books and essays on American history, economic history, political...
- The Forgotten Man: A New History of the Great DepressionThe Forgotten Man: A New History of the Great DepressionThe Forgotten Man: A New History of the Great Depression is a book by Amity Shlaes and published by HarperCollins. The book is a re-analysis of the events of the Great Depression, generally from a free-market perspective. The book criticizes Herbert Hoover and the Smoot-Hawley Tariff for their role...
, a 2007 book by Amity ShlaesAmity ShlaesAmity Ruth Shlaes is an American author and columnist from New York, who writes about politics and economics.-Education and career:... - The Forgotten ManThe Forgotten Man (Robert Crais novel)The Forgotten Man is a 2005 detective novel by Robert Crais. It is the tenth in a series of linked novels centering on the private investigator Elvis Cole. It was nominated for the Shamus Award....
, a 2005 Elvis Cole novel by Robert CraisRobert CraisRobert Crais is an American author of detective fiction. Crais began his career writing scripts for television shows such as Hill Street Blues, Cagney & Lacey, Quincy, Miami Vice and L.A. Law. He lists amongst his literary influences the authors Raymond Chandler, Dashiell Hammett, Ernest... - The Forgotten Man, a 1971 TV film
- The Forgotten Man, a 1941 Robert BenchleyRobert BenchleyRobert Charles Benchley was an American humorist best known for his work as a newspaper columnist and film actor...
short - The Forgotten Man, a 1932 radio address given by Franklin Roosevelt