190 Origins of the American Middle Class

Ben Franklin's World

Liz Covart

Earlyrepublic, History, Benfranklin, Society & Culture, Warforindependence, Earlyamericanrepublic, Earlyamericanhistory, Education, Colonialamerica, Americanrevolution, Ushistory, Benjaminfranklin

4.6 • 1.5K Ratings

🗓️ 12 June 2018

⏱️ 51 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

As many as 70 percent of Americans consider themselves to be members of the middle class. But if you consider income as a qualifier for membership, only about 50 percent of Americans qualify for membership.

So what does it meant to be middle class and why do so many Americans want to be members of it?

Jennifer Goloboy, an independent scholar based in Minneapolis, Minnesota and the author of Charleston and the Emergence of Middle-Class Culture in the Revolutionary Era, helps us explore the origins of the American middle class so we can better understand what it is and why so many Americans want to be a part of it.

Show Notes: https://www.benfranklinsworld.com/190

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Transcript

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0:00.0	Ben Franklin's World is a production of the
0:02.4	O'Mohandro Institute.
0:04.0	Welcome to Ben Franklin's World.
0:07.0	Podcasts About Early American History with Liz Covert.
0:11.0	The study of history is key to understanding who we are and how we can
0:15.2	affect the better future. Van Franklin's world will introduce you to historical people
0:20.2	and events that have impacted and shaped our present day world.
0:24.3	And now here's your host, Liz Koval.
0:27.1	Hello and welcome to episode 190 of Ben Franklin's world.
0:31.8	The podcast dedicated to helping you, learn more about how the people and
0:35.8	events of our early American past have shaped the present day world we live in.
0:40.4	Do you consider yourself to be a member of the middle class?
0:43.0	According to CNBC, as many as 70% of Americans consider themselves to be members of the middle class.
0:50.0	But if you consider income as a qualifier, it turns out that only about 50% of Americans actually qualify for membership in the middle class.
0:58.0	So what does it actually mean to be middle class and why do so many Americans want to be a part of its culture?
1:05.1	According to historian Jennifer Galaboy, the author of Charleston and the emergence of middle class
1:09.8	culture in the revolutionary era, we are not the first Americans to think about middle-class
1:14.8	culture and why so many Americans want to be a part of it. It turns out that back in
1:19.8	the 17th, 18th, 18th, and early 19th centuries, the people of British North America and the early United States
1:25.8	also wanted to be part of the middle class, only they didn't use that term back then.
1:30.6	Today Jenny will lend us her expertise so we can explore the origins of American
1:35.2	middle class culture and better understand what it is and why so many Americans have
	...

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