White Trash: The 400-Year Untold History of Class in America

Isenberg is addressing a fundamental philosophical question in this work. Since the time of Aristotle, political philosophers have pondered the issue of distributive justice: Who should get what? What is a fair way to distribute income in a society? Some philosophers, such as Edmond Burke, argued that there should be a class hierarchy, while others, such as Karl Marx, prescribed a classless society. Classical liberal philosophers, such as John Locke and Thomas Paine, both of whom are revered in the US, advocate for political equality and economic competition. They do not seek absolute economic equality; rather, their philosophies are grounded in ensuring the opportunity to advance. Isenberg is highlighting how negative stereotypes of poor whites have been used by the upper- and middle-classes to rationalize and maintain a class hierarchy in the US, which is contrary to the vision of Paine and which she views as economically unjust.

She traces the historical treatment of poor whites to England in the colonial era. There, they were considered a different breed without the same feelings and intellect of the other classes. Viewed as waste, they were cast out to poor lands where they had a difficult time surviving. This

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