Read: Yes
Difficulty: II
Length: III
Genre: NonFiction – History
Quick Review: A deep look into the American class system from the colonial period through the present, and how this system has greatly affected the direction of the country while maintaining a nonexistent status.
I mentioned I was reading White Trash. The 400-Year Untold History of Class in America by Nancy Isenberg on Instagram, and so many people responded saying they enjoyed it. As I read, I understood why it was such a hit for my followers because I couldn’t put it down either. Isenberg wrote a book about the complex class system in the United States through history, but added a new preface to directly address the 2016 election. In the post-Trump election, the American class system, which has often been overlooked and undocumented, propelled the country and the election in a certain direction.
There is a common thought process as Americans that when we separated from England we escaped classism. Isenberg debunks this ideology as she tells a chronologic story of the American class system. Looking into the motivations, language, government, and more, it is impossible to ignore the existence of a society which has maintained a social order with a thriving class of “white trash.”
As Americans, we see ourselves as a unique entity. In fact, many of our ideas about people and class include linguistic remnants from our time under British rule. Wording and context has changed with time, but many things have remained solidly intact. The idea of white trash comes from the term waste people meaning a class of people who under utilized their capabilities. These people were seen as lazy, empty, and disposable instead of being treated as products of their environment.
Throughout history, class and social standing has been inherently linked with land ownership, and this concept is still prevalent in our society. People are seen as having achieved success when they own a house.
I highly enjoyed how inclusive this book is. It does not glance over racial statistics or issues throughout history. Slavery and indentured servitude are often talked about. The faults and failings of the American founding fathers are highlighted throughout. It’s easy to overlook these traits, but Isenberg puts them on blast for the inequity they worked into the foundation of this country. Such as: voting laws, Jefferson trying to breed the black out of slaves, keeping the poor landless, and so much more. They, of course, had some good ideas, but they weren’t necessarily the awesome people we have been lead to believe they are.
I have spent a great amount of time in North Carolina, so I thought it was funny when Isenberg devoted three pages to talking about how the state is nothing but a dirty swamp. This did serve a very important function into explaining why North Carolina was populated by the impoverished because the rich, white guys didn’t want to live there, so they pushed everyone else that way.
As a linguist, there were tons of fabulous discussions about the history of language and how it was used to keep people in certain brackets. This idea isn’t something playing out solely in history; it is still prevalently used in today’s society.
Alright, so this book is really hard to concisely sum up because it covers such a wide range of topics. Isenberg must have spent an excruciating amount of time researching because it was incredibly well written. With a serious topic, she wrote with a compelling tone and just the appropriate amount of humor. It is well worth the read, and a seriously interesting look into American history.
Memorable Quotes:
“Language rules.”
“Beyond white anger and ignorance is a far more complicated history of class identity that dates back to America’s colonial period and British notions of poverty.”
“Parody was one way Americans safely digested their class politics.”
“The Fundamental Constitutions did more than endorse slavery. It was a manifesto promoting a semifeudalistic and wholly aristocratic society.”
“North Carolina forged a lasting legacy as what we might call the first white trash colony.”
Title: White Trash. The 400-Year Untold History of Class in America
Author: Nancy Isenberg
Publisher: Penguin Books
Copyright: 2016
ISBN:9780143129677
