Social Class And Middle Class Living In American Cities In The Late 1800s

There is much debate about the issue of social class in the United States. There are arguments about whether social classes are distinctly separate or fluid, dependent upon one’s community or society as a whole, and if they are subjective or objective (Hughes and Jenkins). However, despite the debate surrounding social classes, it is still important to try to define them and analyze their effects, as they are such an important part of our identity and our opportunities in society. Although our society has tried to appear as though we have no classes, and it is becoming harder to tell what class someone is in by material goods, classes do still exist today (Scott and Leonhardt). The trend has been to divide the U.S. into four major

In the early 1900 club women, who mainly affiliated with Republicans, focused on developing skills to be a good mother, run a home and take care of the children. Deborah White Grey explains, Mary Hill Terrell is one example of a club women in the early 1900, who “writes regularly about characteristics, virtues, and perils of womanhood.” (154). The idea of uplifting women to better the race was the fundamental principle may club women agreed upon. In the 1930, the women’s clubs supported an increase for racial solidarity, promoted by the New Negro Movement. Club women during this time focused on political and economic awareness and demanded an increase in citizenship rights on a national level. Bethune, a club women in the 1930’s, was an example of the change that had taken place. She and the Council, focused on “the entry of black women into the practical work of broker politics” (155) During this time there was a focus on professional upliftment and getting women into national and international citizenship roles.

* The middle class lay in the middle and was the group of people in society that had bigger better houses on their own block of land and were quite well off when it came to money and resources.

The upper, middle, and lower class. The upper class streamed from the aristocrats of earlier time periods. The middle and lower classes were the working classes. The middle class however had jobs with better pay, a better standard of living ,and better sanitation then the lower class but still had struggles with day to day necessities. The lower class were very poor and had difficult lives. Many children worked in the lower class. This relates to A Brave New World as the lower classes were not focused on in society very often, and had difficult jobs and less access to resources from their conception, this caused the lower classes to in general have low

The following class, which was by far the largest, was the middle class. (Population and Social Rank) This included owners of small stores and businesses, small farmers, and craftsmen. (1727: Colonial America) They were mostly educated, and lived successful lives. They also had very high moral standards and some were deeply religious. (Population and Social Rank) Most middle class men could vote, but few held public office, as the gentry used their wealth and influence for political control. Middle class women ran self-sufficient households, and made their own clothes, candles, cheese and soap. Few were educated. (1727: Colonial America)

As class and race had some influence on The Gilded Age and Progressive Era, gender explains the character of these periods because there were several instances were manhood was threatened, which pushed males to reassert their manhood. Gender was also critical in displaying women’s active role in American society. There even were cases in which these periods sought to protect women and demonstrated the emergence of women’s new identity.

Since they were factory owners they had leverage above the lower class being able to control what goes on in the factories. They also had enough wealth to support their big families and live comfortably. In Document 4, it shows a middle class family. They appear to be clean , well-dressed, and healthy. Document 6 is a cartoon of the typical middle class men dressed in business attire. This is most likely a depiction of a middle class man going to his high paying job or searching for one in the city. The middle class sometimes got wealthy enough to interact or even become a part of the upper class. They were granted the right to vote and to even be on parliament just as the upper class

There were several classes of whites in the Antebellum South. The first class is what you call your elite or high class which were the wealthy, high society, grower gentry who were land rich. The first class possessed at least 20 or more slaves and accomplished their wealth from the development and sale of the cash crops, cotton and rice. The children of the upper class were often educated by personal tutors or at private schools in South Carolina and abroad. Next, there was the middle class of white people. The middle class consisted of tradesman, merchants, sharecroppers and etc. When the economy stayed steady, it allowed the middle class people to make a living. Their children were taught to read and write, basically learn the

To explain, in both the pre-industrial and urban industrial periods men were pushed into and dominant in public life, whereas women were pushed into and expected to be in the private sphere, commonly the household. In both periods, the gender roles of men expected them to be the “money-earners” as well as the heads and decision-makers of families. On the other hand, gender roles of women expected them to stay home to raise and nurture children as well as do the household work as the domestic servants of the families. Though there were comparisons between both historical periods, there was a significant difference for women in the urban industrial period as some women, specifically widows began to work, though their gender roles reckoned them to be in the private sphere. Additionally, in the urban industrial period when the men went off to war, women replaced their roles and would also work in the public sphere to provide financial support to their families. Not to mention, there were contrasts between both historical periods when viewing family size and form. In pre-industrial times, monogamous marriages and living with extended families were the norm as religion viewed marriage as sacred and private, as well as assistance was required in establishing cottage industries

Secondly, here is information about women in the progressive era. White women that are married weren’t allowed to work back then. The only women that were allowed to work were singles, young, divorcees, colored women, and poor white women. The were jobs like agriculture, working in factories, and servants. The middle class includes working as a typist, a

“There was something coming to her and she was waiting for it, fearfully” (Chopin 129). One can interpret this to mean that parents in the 1800s (and to some extent today) desired a higher marital status for their daughters, so they could be well positioned for a stable life. As discussed in class, social status still exists in modern America which can significantly attract many candidates who want to marry a person for social status but not necessarily for love. These attitudes that continue to dominate America today stem from the aristocratic Old South as a means to achieve control of wealth for the few at the expense of impoverishing the masses.

The middle class would have acres of land too, but less than the upper class. The middle had one or two slaves and a large house. They would also work in businesses down in the city. The lower class were just above slaves. They owned acres of land, but significantly less than the middle and upper class.

Social class systems in the nineteenth century were comprised of the upper class, the middle class, the working class, and the underclass. The different social classes can be “distinguished by inequalities in such areas as power, authority, wealth, working and living conditions, life-styles, life-span, education, religion, and culture” (Cody). The poor, also known as peasants, were usually mistreated and segregated from the wealthy, or those of higher class. During his time, Charles Dickens “seen as a champion of “the poor” by some of the poor themselves” (“What was”). It is said that one of his greatest achievements “was to bring the problem of poverty to the attention of his readers through introducing varieties of poor persons into almost all of his novels, and showing the “deserving” majority of the poor, bravely struggling against the forces arrayed against them” (“What was”). This is clearly evident in A Tale of Two Cities. During the nineteenth century Victorian era, social class systems were a common excuse for the division and mistreatment of many individuals, as evidenced in Dickens’ A Tale of Two Cities.

Of this group, about 1/3rd belongs to the upper-middle class. The annual income of person belonging to this group is $70-$75,000. The jobs that the typical upper-middle class person holds would have a prestige rating of 65 or higher. 2/3rd?s of the middle-class population is the lower-middle class. White-collared individuals make up the majority of this class, earning anywhere from $30,000 to $60,000 a year. Lower-middle class Americans have a set standard of priorities. They take pride in the fact that they are financially stable, and promote hard work, and press on education. Without education, the members feel that they would not be where they are economically, and preach the importance to their children so that they, too, can live a lifestyle very similar to that of theirs (Norton).

Men were the head of the household. They were able to afford some food. On occasion they could afford bacon, cheese, or sausage. The middle class made up fifteen percent of the population. Although the middle class worked, they were not seen as rich nor