American History Essay: Class Structure, Consciousness, and Formation

This essay delves into the significance of social class in American history, exploring its evolution from the late 17th century to the 20th century. It examines the formation of class consciousness and the impact of class structure on American society. The essay references key historical events and figures, including the writings of John Winthrop, Eric Lott, and Erik Olin Wright, as well as the Married Women's Property Laws and the Homestead Act. It analyzes the class distinctions depicted in Walker Evans' photography and in artifacts like the silver chocolate pot, illustrating the persistent presence of class divisions throughout American history. The essay highlights the importance of understanding social class in shaping American identity and societal development. The essay provides an overview of the class system in America and how it has evolved over time. The analysis includes reference to the acts and laws that have shaped the society.

Running head: CLASS IN THE AMERICAN HISTORY
CLASS IN THE AMERICAN HISTORY
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

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CLASS IN THE AMERICAN HISTORY
Social class has gained high importance in the history of America and it has been one of
the major discussed and argumentative topics for decades (Gilbert 2014). The essay by Eric Lott
talks about the class issues and the development of the class in and from the late 17th century.
The conception and the idealization of the class in that age that it was only Abraham Lincoln
who believed in the American Exceptionalism which proposes the idea of providing unlimited
opportunities to the citizens willing to look beyond the horizon. The class formation and class
consciousness in America has achieved its place in the society as well as in the mind of the
people from the early 17th century. The class differences were the most distinguishable features
of the age which is evident from the well known sermon of John Winthrop, Arbella. The class in
that specific century referred to the values, dignity, status, respectability, quality and the
religious virtues. In another writing by Erik Olin Wight there is useful distinction among the
class structure, class formation, and the class consciousness. The class consciousness is
sharpened by the entrance of the individuals into the social relations, whereas the class formation
refers to the organized collectivities that are the result of the interests shaped by the class
structure. In other hand the class has been viewed as the “whole way of life” by the Raymond
Williams and “whole way of conflicts” by E. P Thompson.
Wile discussing the development of the class the law for the married women for
protection of their property can be referred. From the early 19th century the state started to enact
the common laws for the protection of the property of the married women. The act was passed in
the year 1848 (memory.loc.gov 2017). The act includes the protection of the property in terms of
the real and personal property and along with the origination of the property from any kind of
source that is inherited by the marriage of the women. This property protection act is definitely
an indication to the class system in the American history since today. The Homestead Act passed

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CLASS IN THE AMERICAN HISTORY
in 1862 is another attempt for the protection of the property for the married women. These acts
enabled the women to maintain their class even after the death of their husbands. In the
photography series of Walker Evans in 1930 the class distinction of America was clearly
depicted (www.metmuseum.org 2017). The photos of Evans reflect the great and deep
depression in the people of lower class. It is noted that all the photographs were of the human
beings with the backgrounds that projects the class distinction and not of the any other objects. In
the other hand, the engraving on the silver chocolate pot is another example of the high class or
status in the society. The piece of art belongs to the early 18th century (www.metmuseum.org
2017). However, this argumentative discourse presents the prevalence of the class in the
Amerian society.

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CLASS IN THE AMERICAN HISTORY
Reference:
Gilbert, Dennis. The American class structure in an age of growing inequality. Sage
Publications, 2014.
Memory.loc.gov.. "Married Women's Property Laws:Law Library Of
Congress". Memory.Loc.Gov.n
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/awhhtml/awlaw3/property_law.html. 2017
Metmuseum.org, Author:.. "Walker Evans (1903–1975) | Essay | Heilbrunn Timeline Of Art
History | The Metropolitan Museum Of Art". Metmuseum.Org.
https://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/evan/hd_evan.htm. 2017
Metmuseum.org. 2017. "Edward Winslow | Chocolate Pot | American | The
Met". Metmuseum.Org. https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/2059. 2017