In the year 1877, the signals were given for the rest of the century: the blacks would be put back; the strikes of white workers would not be tolerated; the industrial and political elites of North and South would take hold of the country and organize the greatest march of economic growth in human history. They would do it with the aid of, and at the expense of, black labor, white labor, Chinese labor, European immigrant labor, female labor, rewarding them differently by race, sex, national origin, and social class, in such a way as to create separate levels of oppression — a skillful terracing to stabilize the pyramid of wealth.” (Zinn)
Zinn has an ingenious habit of writing an extended thesis paragraph at the beginning of his chapters. Connect what Zinn says here to his claims about how history is “sanitized” for an ideological purpose with the example of how Andrew Jackson is revered for his military “accomplishments,” and all the vicious, barbaric things he did are ignored. (video) Draw into your ideological analysis Chomsky’s claim of the original purpose of the educational system in the US, which was to train the workforce to work in industry. How are those apparently disparate historical events connected? You can of course bring in any other factors from the readings or videos into your post.
And how does the rise of our corporate society and Taylorism AND our inculcated obsession with economic growth and consumerism fit into Zinn’s “pyramid of wealth” (vis a vis Jeremy Lent)? For full points be sure to bring in support from Lent’s incredible chapter of his book (to make connections to Zinn and Chomsky).
Write a minimum 250 word discussion response making connections between the video, the two readings and an essay theme.
IMPORTANT!
connect it to the theme
- Corporations: Trace the development of corporate America as it relates to a thesis you wish to support. What are corporations and how did their formation change the course of history? And as usual relate that to the present. Discuss corporate thought as an active ideology. This would of necessity include a critique pro or con of multinational corporations and globalization.