Summary of White Trash: by Nancy Isenberg | Includes Analysis

By . IRB Media

Summary of White Trash by Nancy Isenberg | Includes Analysis

Preview:

White Trash by historian Nancy Isenberg is a riveting chronicle of class in America as explored through the role and the plight of the white underclass from the days of colonial settlers to the present.

Despite the founders’ declaration that “all men are created equal,” the reality of life in America has continuously told a different story. With careful research, Isenberg reviews the popular American myth of equality for all and illustrates how poor whites, or “white trash,” have traditionally been a much-derided, marginalized part of American society.

Class hierarchy traces back to America’s earliest history. Contrary to the myth that American colonial settlers were either enterprising businessmen or devout Christians fleeing religious persecution, the majority were actually economically challenged outcasts or social burdens that the English were happy to be rid of. Many were criminals, vagrants, and orphans who then became indentured servants with no landowning rights. Thus, from…

PLEASE NOTE: This is key takeaways and analysis of the book and NOT the original book.

Inside this Instaread Summary of White Trash by Nancy Isenberg | Includes Analysis

· Overview of the Book

· Important People

· Key Takeaways

· Analysis of Key Takeaways

About the Author

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• Language: English
• Publisher: IRB Media
• Release date: Sep 15, 2016
• ISBN: 9781683784937

. IRB Media

With Instaread, you can get the key takeaways, summary and analysis of a book in 15 minutes. We read every chapter, identify the key takeaways and analyze them for your convenience.

Book preview

Overview

White Trash by historian Nancy Isenberg is a riveting chronicle of class in America as explored through the role and the plight of the white underclass from the days of colonial settlers to the present.

Despite the founders’ declaration that all men are created equal, the reality of life in America has continuously told a different story. With careful research, Isenberg reviews the popular American myth of equality for all and illustrates how poor whites, or white trash, have traditionally been a much-derided, marginalized part of American society.

Class hierarchy traces back to America’s earliest history. Contrary to the myth that American colonial settlers were either enterprising businessmen or devout Christians fleeing religious persecution, the majority were actually economically challenged outcasts or social burdens that the English were happy to be rid of. Many were criminals, vagrants, and orphans who then became indentured servants with no landowning rights. Thus, from the nation’s beginnings as a colonial society, there arose a firmly entrenched social order in which landowners, politicians, and other well-bred families occupied a higher station than servants who had no land and therefore no power.

Throughout this 400-year history, the circumstances of poor whites have changed, but the overall disdain and prejudice against this sector of society has not. Despite gains made by Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s New Deal and other governmental efforts to aid the poor, many middle- and upper-class Americans are still contemptuous of this population, which is seen as a