It is fascinating to read American History through a new and different prism, in this case, the prism of class. Nancy Isenberg's White Trash: The 400-Year Untold History of Class In America, 2016, throws a whole new light on both class consciousness and American History. Going way back to the pilgrims, who had no idea of establishing a classless society, she traces class issues until now. Many of those who came with the pilgrims came as indentured servants and formed the genesis of the group now often called white trash.
It is very instructive to examine the ideas of Thomas Jefferson, Ben Franklin and other founders of our country in relation to their thoughts about class. Teddy Roosevelt "was an unabashed eugenicist. He used the bully pulpit of his office to insist that women had a critical civic duty to breed a generation of healthy and disciplined children. He first endorsed eugenics in 1903, and two years later he laid out his beliefs in a speech before the Congress Of Mothers." p. 192
Isenberg's work is backed by through research as is evidenced by 125 pages of footnotes. She concludes "White trash is a central, if disturbing thread in our national narrative. The very existence of such people--both in their visibility and invisibility--is proof that American society obsesses over the mutable labels we give to neighbors we wish not to notice. 'They are not who we are." But they are who we are and have been a fundamental part of our history, whether we like it or not." p. 321
As I read this book I reflect on how uncomfortable I am in the presence of those not of "my" class but how often I pretend that that is not true. I think this is a very important book.
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