Working Class Race

Paper Summary:

The writer notes that the correlation between Eastern European late coming immigrants to the US of the late 19th and early 20th century and that of newly freed blacks during reconstruction is frequently made by social scientists and others. The writer discusses that the treatment of newly freed blacks and especially Irish immigrants was similar, as they were both seen as unending sources of low wage labor to fuel the industrial revolution in the new United States. The writer then compares books that discuss each of the two cultures, as they were subjugated and disenfranchised from social and official rights and opportunities. The writer also discusses how Noel Ignatieve, in his work, 'How the Irish Became White', looks at the issue of the grey areas of the social and political definition of "white" as it applied to new immigrants, and in particular the Irish, while in 'The Wages of Whiteness' David Roediger dissects the same issues as they applied to blacks in the US as well as others who were considered, not "white" in the culture. The writer concludes that the two works agree on many points, not the least of which is that for the Irish, and other eastern European immigrants making the choice to be identified and included may have been a strong personal challenge, as ideals from their home (and especially Ireland) were strongly aligned with abolition and the destruction of unbalanced and unfair labor situations, all of which dominated America.

From the Paper:

"Roediger on the other hand begins his work describing the introduction of Irish Americans to causes that revolved around the abolition of slavery. He does this by describing the influence of an Irish political and social hero, who was an ardent abolitionist and how he and his followers attempted to persuade Irish American's to come out against slavery and support causes that would abolish it.
"One manner in which these two works can be compared is through analyzing the thesis of each. Though there are clearly more messages in these full length works each author set about trying to discuss main ideas revolving around the definition of "whiteness." As the title suggests The Wages of Whiteness seeks to look at race, in part within the context of labor ..."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Ignatiev, Noel. 1995, How the Irish Became White. New York: Routledge.
• Roediger, David R. 1999, The Wages of Whiteness. New York: Versio.

More papers on Working Class Race:

• Analytical Essay # 145035 : "Race and the 2008 Election"
• Book Review # 94936 : "Race in Faulkner & Wright"
• Book Review # 110830 : "Race Critical Theories"

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