History of the United States I / Unit 9 USH1 1245 short lesson, about 20 seconds
The Middle Class
Captions available
The idea
The middle class comprised artisans and small merchants owning small factories and stores.
In practice
A class that agonised over the fear that they might slip into the ranks of wage labourers.
Where people slip
Middle-class identity is defined by that anxiety. It explains the emphasis on respectability that follows.
Your place on the trail
Every lesson rests on earlier ones and opens later ones. Tap any to jump.
Builds on
Unlocks
Something wrong in this lesson? Flag it · Sources for History of the United States I