White Trash

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Nancy Isenberg is a professor of history at Louisiana State University. She is the author of several award-winning books on American history and the founding fathers. She’s also a regular contributor to Salon.com, where she reflects on contemporary political and cultural affairs from a historical perspective.

The United States entered the twentieth century with a strong economy that created many new jobs. However, the economy collapsed in the 1930s leading to the Great Depression, leaving millions of workers without jobs and causing downward mobility for middle-class Americans. In 1932, 20% of American workers were unemployed, causing fear among those who still had jobs. Caravans of migrating farmers, who lost their land, started settling in shanty towns along California highways. This situation resulted in the government intervening on a large scale. President Roosevelt implemented new policies to combat the Depression, emphasizing that social issues faced by the lower classes could be addressed through reform. Agencies like the Resettlement Administration were established to assist the poor and unemployed in rebuilding their lives. Development agencies such as the Tennessee Valley Authority helped reclaim eroded land, construct dams and new towns, enabling entire regions to recover. This success highlighted that investing in solutions could alleviate the struggles of the lower classes. Research by sociologist H. Odum revealed that poor people should not be blamed for their poverty. The prejudice against "white trash" by the wealthy was shown to stem from a desire to shift blame. Odum's studies indicated that providing resources, training, and opportunities to the poor could reverse underdevelopment in the South.

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