We like to think of America as a class-free society where anyone who works hard can achieve economic success. Historian Nancy Isenberg says it’s a promise as old as our nation, and that it’s always been a myth. She argues that landowners and the elite have only valued the poor for their labor - while describing them as vagrants, crackers, squatters, and rednecks. Isenberg joins us Tuesday to trace what she calls the 400-year untold history of class in America. Her book is called White Trash.
Nancy Isenberg is the T. Harry Williams Professor in American History at Louisiana State University. Among her books are Fallen Founder: The Life of Aaron Burr [Indiebound|Amazon|Audible] and her latest White Trash: The 400-Year Untold History of Class in America [Indiebound|Amazon|Audible]