U.S. History

Quotes  “Oppression can only survive through silence.”  “He who allows oppression shares the crime.”

What is oppression?  Oppression is the experience of repeated, widespread, systemic injustice.  Oppression may be extreme and violent or…  It may be “civilized” or “structural”… oppression is a part of everyday life and not questioned by the oppressed.  When we refer to oppression, we are usually talking about large groups of people that share a similar characteristic(s) being oppressed.

 Throughout the history of the United States, people have been oppressed for a variety of reasons.  We will focus primarily on race, class, and gender, specifically the struggle of African Americans, the working class, and women.

Race  Refers to the categorization of people into groups based on inheritable characteristics (skin color, cranial structure, facial features, or hair texture)  According to many scientists, the popular idea of "race" is a social construct without base in scientific fact.  The classification of people by race can lead to feelings of superiority (ie racism) and can lead to oppression.

Social Class  Class refers to the different levels of a society (a.k.a. social stratification)  Examples: Rich vs. Poor, Powerful vs. Powerless, Oppressor vs. Oppressed, Capitalists vs. Workers  There are many different class models, but most generally follow an upper, middle, lower class format.  The more powerful class, or ruling class, can used oppression to maintain its superior status in society.

Example of American Social Class System  Upper-upper class. "Old money." People who have been born into and raised with wealth; mostly consists of old "noble" or prestigious families  Lower-upper class. "New money." Individuals who have become rich within their own lifetimes (e.g., entrepreneurs, movie stars, top athletes, as well as some prominent professionals).  Upper-middle class. Professionals with a college education, and more often with postgraduate degrees like MBAs, Ph.D.s, MDs, JDs, MSs, etc. (e.g., doctors, dentists, lawyers, bankers, corporate executives, head teachers, university professors, scientists, pharmacists, airline pilots, ship captains, actuaries, high level civil servants, politicians, and military officers, architects, artists, writers, poets, and musicians).  Lower-middle class. Lower-paid white collar workers, but not manual laborers. Often hold Associates or Bachelor degrees. (e.g., police officers, fire fighters, primary and high school teachers, engineers, accountants, nurses, municipal office workers and low to mid-level civil servants, sales representatives, non-management office workers, clergy, technicians, small business owners).  Upper-lower class. Blue-collar workers and manual laborers. Also known as the "working class."  Lower-lower class. The homeless and permanently unemployed, as well as the "working poor."

Gender  Sex typically refers to a persons biological sex (male or female)  Gender refers to socially constructed roles, behaviors, and activities that a society considers acceptable for men and women.  Gender Identity- the gender that a person identifies themselves as.  The idea of gender differs across societies, but it has been used to oppress, specifically against women.