Economic Equality In America

Throughout history Americans have experienced a decline in economic equality; the difference in earning between the rich and poor has steadily risen. This slow progression of the working class growing distant from the 1%, or those that hold the majority of wealth in America, is believed to have begun in 1973. Inegalitarians such as George Sher, a professor of philosophy at Rice University and author of “Equality for Inegalitarians”, agrees and is fighting to combat against this inequality by exploiting the truth about why he feels that the majority of Americans are not equal economically. In order to find a solution to this problem, he believes that we should be focused as a nation on opportunity, not equality. He believes that “that the

Many of the individuals, once serving as indentured servants, were given less opportunity as the wealthier land owners due to their lack of political power. To own land not only increased a person’s ability to survive through the hope for economic security, but also gave them power to vote. Once free, they soon realized that there was an imbalance of control by the wealthy, similarly to the effect the stagnant economic mobility has had upon those that are not in the 1% of wealth. In contrast, all Americans, despite their economic status, have the right to vote. These displaced individuals soon discovered that the majority of land was already occupied by the wealthy tobacco farmers, leaving them to live on the frontier where it was more dangerous. Their survival was threatened by the Indians whom attacked them and left them little opportunity to survive. There has been a similar increase of disparity and anger between citizens of the United States and refugees. Some people believe that these individuals are unwelcome and attribute increase in violence and poverty to their existence. This is a similar situation than was experienced in colonial America due to their fear of the Indians. The primary difference being that the Indians lived there first. Settlers of the Virginia colony became furious that they would be regarded as inferior and rebelled against the individuals that held the power to change these laws, the wealthy land owners. In Declarations to the People, a letter written by Nathanial Bacon to Governor William Berkeley, he demands that the settlers of the Virginia colony be treated fairly and given the same rights as the land owners. Furthermore, he accuses the governor of not protecting them from the Indians and for favoring them over the settlers. Bacon’s rebellion, led by Bacon, was the result of the Governor’s decision to not protect