The Mythology of the White Proletariat: From Mayflower to Modern

The white proletariat is a myth that has been used to justify racial oppression and exploitation for centuries. This myth portrays white working-class people as being in the same boat as black and brown working-class people, and thus having the same interests. However, this is simply not true. In reality, the white proletariat has benefited from white supremacy, and has often been complicit in the oppression of black and brown people.

Settlers: The Mythology of the White Proletariat from Mayflower to Modern

by J. Sakai

4.7 out of 5

Language	:	English
File size	:	1696 KB
Text-to-Speech	:	Enabled
Screen Reader	:	Supported
Enhanced typesetting	:	Enabled
Word Wise	:	Enabled
Print length	:	379 pages
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The myth of the white proletariat has its origins in the Mayflower Compact, which was signed by the Pilgrims in 1620. This document established a government for the Plymouth Colony, and it included a provision that all white male settlers would have the right to vote. This provision was based on the idea that all white men were equal, and that they should have a say in how their government was run.

However, this idea of equality was only extended to white men. Black and brown people were not considered to be equal, and they were not given the right to vote. This exclusion was based on the racist belief that black and brown people were inferior to white people.

The myth of the white proletariat continued to be used to justify racial oppression throughout the 19th century. For example, it was used to justify the institution of slavery. Slave owners argued that slavery was necessary to protect the white proletariat from the threat of black competition. They claimed that if black people were freed, they would take away jobs from white workers.

This argument was based on the false assumption that there was a limited amount of work available, and that black people and white people were competing for the same jobs. In reality, there was plenty of work available for everyone, and black people and white people could have worked together to build a more prosperous society.

The myth of the white proletariat also played a role in the development of white nationalism in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. White nationalists argued that the white proletariat was being threatened by immigration from black and brown people. They claimed that these immigrants were taking away jobs from white workers, and that they were diluting the white race.

This argument was based on the same false assumptions that were used to justify slavery. It assumed that there was a limited amount of work available, and that black and brown people were competing with white people for the same jobs. It also assumed that the white race was superior to other races, and that it was necessary to protect the white race from contamination.

The myth of the white proletariat continues to be used to justify racial oppression and exploitation today. For example, it is used to justify the mass incarceration of black and brown people. It is also used to justify the denial of voting rights to black and brown people. And it is used to justify the police brutality that is often directed at black and brown people.

The myth of the white proletariat is a dangerous and harmful myth. It has been used to justify centuries of racial oppression and exploitation. It is time to debunk this myth and to create a more just and equitable society for all.

Here are some specific examples of how the myth of the white proletariat has been used to justify racial oppression and exploitation:

* The myth of the white proletariat was used to justify the Trail of Tears, which was the forced removal of Native Americans from their ancestral lands in the southeastern United States. White settlers argued that the Native Americans were standing in the way of the white proletariat's progress, and that they needed to be removed in order to make way for white settlement. * The myth of the white proletariat was used to justify the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, which banned Chinese immigration to the United States. White workers argued that Chinese immigrants were taking away jobs from white workers, and that they were a threat to the white race. * The myth of the white proletariat was used to justify the Jim Crow laws, which enforced racial segregation in the southern United States. White supremacists argued that the Jim Crow laws were necessary to protect the white proletariat from the threat of black competition.

The myth of the white proletariat is a powerful tool that has been used to justify centuries of racial oppression and exploitation. It is time to debunk this myth and to create a more just and equitable society for all.

Settlers: The Mythology of the White Proletariat from Mayflower to Modern

by J. Sakai

4.7 out of 5

Language	:	English
File size	:	1696 KB
Text-to-Speech	:	Enabled
Screen Reader	:	Supported
Enhanced typesetting	:	Enabled
Word Wise	:	Enabled
Print length	:	379 pages
Lending	:	Enabled

FREE