The debate on the growing inequality in the United States had its places in the past several decades. Both, political thinkers and involved actors would actively contribute to the debate, given its nature of the debate and the growing social inequality in the society in the US. The rhetoric presented in the work “Wealth Against Commonwealth” by Henry Demarest Lloyd and “What Social Classes Owe to Each Other” by William Graham Sumner reflect the vision of the end of the 19th century, where the main debate on the growing social inequality referred to unequal rights among the representatives of the labor movement as they comprised one of the most affected categories of the population.

The documentary “The Fate of Nation” addresses the western expansion in the manner that affected another continent though the two routes. One of the main ways the transformation was taking place was through the industrialization. Namely, the documentary notes that in 1848, San Francisco was a sleepy city on the coast that developed significantly in the course of infrastructure enhancements through several decades, due to the processes of industrialization. William Graham Sumner addresses the similar idea in the primary source. The case of the San Francisco also had a significant effect on the nation building. Given the fact that differences in identities could be felt among different groups of the population, the fundamental idea was that working together, constructing the infrastructure and enhancing trade could have a positive impact on the overall perception of the states and the nation of the United States.

The wealth inequality, however, also had its drastic effects on the self-awareness of what one calls the nation. Those who had much higher income were more likely to gain a political influence in the country that was modernizing rather quickly.