



Still, they are regarded by the more moneyed classes as under-educated and culturally illiterate-and uniquely responsible for America’s historical racism. Poor white Americans are no longer cast as a biologically distinct, degenerate breed. Here, she examines the origins of the language and attitudes that have derided poor white Americans for centuries, such as the dirt-poor Ewells of To Kill a Mockingbird, whom even principled Atticus Finch considers irredeemable. To do so, Isenberg takes us back to the first English settlements, where a shadow underclass provided the labor alongside still-more-disadvantaged slaves, to the Civil War’s legion of disposable soldiers, and up through present-day pop and political culture. Nancy Isenberg’s White Trash: The 400-Year Untold History of Class in America details the genesis of the white underclass, challenging the idealistic notion that for poor whites, thrift, hard work, and morality beget class mobility.

White trash, clay-eaters, waste people, rednecks, crackers-these are only some of the names poor whites have been called in the United States, going as far back as the Revolutionary War. The summary and analysis in this ebook are intended to complement your reading experience and bring you closer to a great work of nonfiction. But is social mobility a true ingredient of US society, or is it just American idealism at its best? Isenberg suggests the latter as she traces the history of the country from the first English settlements, through the Civil War, and up to present-day pop culture, examining the origins of the language and attitudes that have defined poor, white Americans for centuries.Īs Donald Trump moved in to the White House thanks, in part, to a vocal contingent of poor, white supporters, White Trash’s detailed history offers insight to how the new president curried the favor of this large, often overlooked population, and how they might fare under his leadership. Throughout its history, America has prided itself on the American Dream, where a person, regardless of class, can be whomever they want. In her New York Times–bestselling book White Trash: The 400-Year Untold History of Class in America, Nancy Isenberg explores the role of poor, rural whites-white trash-in US culture and politics.
