Let's discuss how and why American society is divided economically. People, events, and issues can be shared here on the upper, middle and lower classes in Amerian history along with their stories and struggles.
Class Division has created conflict all throughout American history. Since the writing of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution this division has been evident, with the phrase all men are created equal it was obvious that this was not true for all Americans, since only white men who owned property were allowed to have any voice in their government itself.
Bacons Rebellion (1676)- led by Nathaniel Bacon, it was a rebellion of small farmers in the Virginia colony who had been forced onto farms that were susceptible to Native American attacks. They did not receive proper protection against attacks, they had trouble bringing their goods to the market, and taxes were very high on tobacco. Bacon demanded that the militia be raised in order to fight the Native Americans. Governor Berkley put down the rebellion with the help of merchant ships and many rebels were executed. Shays Rebellion (1786-1787)- An uprising in Western Massachusetts led by Daniel Shay, it was small farmers that were angered by debts and taxes. The rebellion was defeated quickly by a Massachusetts militia.
Sharecroppers- Sharecroppers in the South following the Civil War were treated very poorly, they were African Americans who had been slaves and were now given freedom from their masters, but they had little choice in where they would work and many went back to their former masters and were paid very little.
White American families in the 1940s and 50s- During the 40s and 50s more and more white Americans began moving into the suburbs and out of the cities. During this time white Americans began to look at cities as a place to work, not raise a family. The quality of life in cities diminished since so many people had moved out.
Great Depression- During the Great Depression, the people that were most hurt were minorities and the poor. The Depression changed social and economic classes dramatically, making them so extreme and bringing so many people down to the lowest class and making it almost impossible to survive in America. People lost their homes, food, and lifesavings many times.
Strikes- Strikes in American history are often caused by the underpaid and mistreated workers who wished to gain higher wages and better working conditions.
Class division is an interesting subject, because I remember when we were studying different things about slavery. And it was almost impossible to get rid of because even the people who couldn't afford them did not want to get rid of slavery. It made them feel like they were a class higher them then. They weren't the lowest step in class division.
I wonder: to what extent do economics, elitism, and/or something else affect/stimulate class division? ...and Brandi, no offense, but I'm having trouble deciphering your last post. hehe
I wonder: to what extent do economics, elitism, and/or something else affect/stimulate class division? ...and Brandi, no offense, but I'm having trouble deciphering your last post. hehe
Alex, I think greed and power is what it basically comes down to. Some people are very greedy, especially when it comes to money, and if they have a lot of money, they don't want to give it up. They will also be able to open up businesses and be in power of those businesses and can 'control' the people working there. Well, like when the mills became popular, people with money had to have been in charge of them. They made the working conditions horrible for the workers who only worked there to support their families and make a living. Those workers were considered low in the social class division. So, having money=having power, and people don't seem to want to give up their power or money, so they stay at the top of the social class, while others who try to get by remain at the bottom.
as much as it may disgust you, people always want to be or feel better than someone else. there is a constant, drowning people effect. (you know how when people are drowning, they will often grab the person next to them and force them under water so they can stay above? like that)
no one wants to be the bottom of the barrel, so a group that can dominated is often picked on, while eveyone else attempts to climb the ladder or sustain themselves upon a certain rung.
as much as it may disgust you, people always want to be or feel better than someone else. there is a constant, drowning people effect. (you know how when people are drowning, they will often grab the person next to them and force them under water so they can stay above? like that)
no one wants to be the bottom of the barrel, so a group that can dominated is often picked on, while eveyone else attempts to climb the ladder or sustain themselves upon a certain rung.
I agree with you. i also think that with that, the people who are dominated begin to fight with one another because of the feeling of being at the bottom. So instead of having one lower class coming together and fighting being kept at the bottom, you have many differnet groups fighting amongst themselves and keeping themselves at the bottom.
I researched the concept Social class tying hand in hand with economic prosperity and standards both today and centuries back. Social class refers to the hierachial distinctions between individuals or groups in society. The term class is generally identified as universal, although what determines class varies widely from one society to another. Even within a society, different people or groups may have very different ideas about what makes one "high" or "low" in the hierarchy. The most basic class distinction between the two groups is between the powerful and the powerless. Social classes with more power usually subordinate classes with less power. As societies expand and become more complex, economic power replaces physical power as the defender of the class status quo, so that one's class is determined largely by occupation, education and qualifications, income, wealth or net worth, ownership of land and property, and means of production. Those who can attain a position of power in a society will often adopt distinctive lifestyles to emphasize their prestige and to further rank themselves within the powerful class. About the 1770s, when the term "social class" first came to use, the concept of a "middle class" within that structure was also becoming very important. The Industrial Revolution was allowing a much greater portion of the population time for the kind of education and cultural refinement once restricted.
Class division therefore, seems obvious, however, why is it that this certain criteria of wealth and reputation can establish you or qualify you as a "higher" class than someone else, and how do you think this has changed from former class division. and even old schoool chivalry ha.
While the social class structure of the United States remains a vaguely defined concept, sociologists point to social class as the perhaps most important societal variable. Sociologist Dennis Gilbert of Hamilton College has proposed a system, adapted by other sociologists, with six social classes. He identified an upper (capitalist) class consisting of the wealthy and powerful, an upper middle class consisting of highly educated professionals, a middle class consisting of semi-professionals and craftsmen, a working class consisting of clerical and blue-collar workers, and two lower classes: the working poor and an underclass. The former consists of service and low-rung blue collar workers and the latter of those who do not participate in the labor force.
