The Defining Power of Class in America

A persistent belief (or many would say, myth) in American culture is that America is a classless society. As such, issues of poverty, wealth, taxation, and free markets are particularly divisive. Originally, the belief of American exceptionalism argued that everyone was a member of the middle class, ignoring the history of slavery and hereditary wealth. Now, critics argue that the middle class is disappearing, while others view some government programs as “class warfare.” Politicians argue over which party best serves the middle class. How do issues of class define us as Americans? How does work define who we are? Is poverty an effect of a biased economic system? What role do labor unions play in the history of work in America? What exactly is class in a democracy? Is class mobility a reality or a kind of idealism? How does class identification overlap, reinforce or contradict other ways we identify ourselves (race, geography, job, etc.)?