The Role Of Social Class In The 1880s

The social class in America is everywhere but it is often quite hard to recognize only because it is against the American principle for the social class system to exist. Whether we know it or not, we tend to participate in the class system.. By doing so, this leads us to separate ourselves based on our social class system, including class discrimination and social mobility

The emerging inequitable class systems and antagonisms of the nineteen twenties saw the traditional order and moral values challenged, as well as the creation of great wealth for few and poverty for many. The Great Gatsby, written by Francis Scott Fitzgerald, explores the causes and effects of the unbalanced class structures. Fitzgerald outlines the idea that the desire to accumulate wealth and status is a common ambition amongst the lower classes; when that desire is reached, the traditional upper class is challenged by the emerging newly wealthy, which finally leads to destructive consequences. By creating rigid class structures, traditional upper class, new wealth, and the poor in The Great Gatsby, it is

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

Social class has been always been in our society since its establishment. Back then, white,

Although the United States was a British Colony in the early 1700s, the differences between the two were definitely noticeable, especially in the socioeconomic fields, mostly due to the fact that slavery played a much larger role in the United States.

There were so many reforms that happened during the 1830s and 1840s; many of which made a great impact, some didn’t make any impact, and some had an impact that took place a great deal later. Below are just some of the movements that were believed, created and fought for:

Three ways society changed in the 1920’s are through culture, economy, and social norms like fashion and women's rights. The 1920’s was a time of change. The United States had just won the war and after the war the United States just wanted to “return to normalcy”. But nothing was normal after the war; the 1920s was a time where the United States was at a peak prosperity. But this can be countered with organized gang violence, increased rate of murder, and countless robberies. Even though prosperity in the 1920s can be counter argued. Overall the 1920s was a time of change; a time for a change in culture, for a change in the economy, and for a change in social norms.

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.

During the early 19th century, especially before the American Revolution and after the War of 1812, American society changed greatly. It became a nation consisting of two distinct and very different regions: the North and the South. Both regions differ greatly in their economic, social, and political structure causing a drift between the two regions. The drift continues to widen into the 1800s until the disparities leads up to the start of the Civil War in 1861. It was a war that raged across the nation from 1861 to 1865 which became a violent conclusion to the decades of diverse ideas and culture between the two regions.

The 1920s witnessed the betrayal of these ideals underlying the American Dream. The Jazz age generation ignored Franklin’s concern for moral betterment and public service, while embracing his emphasis on material advancement. This period also witnessed the degradation of Jefferson’s ideal of equality in its renewal of racism and anti-immigration laws. With the American Economy, capitalism created a sharp division of society into lower class and a leisure class, controlling the economy and practicing conspicuous consumption.

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

“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.

2. What role did the family play in the socialization and control of children before the 1800s? Family served as a primary institution of social control. Many adults played a role in children’s socialization and control.

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.

In the early american colonies, a social class was not fully determined. In the 1680’s, the government of United States did not exist. As a country in progress, the citizens determined the freedom of an individual through three classes. The highest class contained the gentry, or aristocratic citizens. Members of this class were typically the most wealthy. As the richest class, they have the most freedom above the other classes. The middle class contains the farmers and plantation owners. Members of the middle class were not as rich as the higher class, however they have much freedom. The lowest class consists of the African-American slaves. This class has no freedom, for they are in command of the gentry or of the plantation owners that own