I was an engaged student in school who hated my Social Studies/History classes I found them so boring! But this history was captivating through every page. Comparing wealthy planters' self-interests and the role of poor whites in the Civil War era to today's politics, the author notes, "Today as well we have a large unbalanced electorate that is regularly convinced to vote against its collective self-interest."Įvery chapter of this book was absolutely fascinating to me! I kept interrupting my husband's reading to tell him random, crazy facts Another surprise was that some of the more horrifying aspects of today's politics were evident as far back as Reconstruction. I was put-off by the book's title at first, but I was shocked to learn that the term "white trash" was used as early as the 1600's (and quite literally), with even worse epitaphs in use in each era. It covers Revolutionary times and the Founding Fathers through the Civil War and the popularity of eugenics in the post-war years to modern times, when being a redneck became cool ala Mayberry, The Dukes of Hazzard, Honey Boo-Boo, and Duck Dynasty. Life was really like for poor whites and what leaders' attitudes Unpaid labor-lots of different ways to have slaves without using the (whose children were often also owned by the wealthy) and other kinds of Even before Africans wereīrought here in slave ships, the colonists had indentured servants To provide labor for building and planting. Vagrants, criminals, homeless children, and other poor people sent here Given access to the property here and ships full of Wide variety of historical documents that show that the first settlersīrought England's strict class society with them, with landed gentry Hard-working Pilgrims who came here seeking religious freedom andĮstablished a successful, class-less society. Original colonies that we all learned in history class: the staid, The book begins by busting the myths of the U.S.'s I learned a lot that was never taught in school and was riveted by this unique look at the history of poor whites in America. I ended up setting the book aside halfway through and finishing it for #NonfictionNovember, but that's not a reflection of the book. One of my book groups discussed White Trash: The 400-Year Untold History of Class in America by Nancy Isenberg back in October.
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