What is the "American Dream"? This book's author argues that contrary to what many believe, it is not achieving the wealth necessary to enter the top one percent but rather becoming members of the great middle class by dint of hard work and self-discipline.
Americans of all classes consider themselves to be "middle class." There are Americans who by any objective standard should be considered poor who would insist they are middle class, just as other Americans who should be considered wealthy also insist they are middle class. Thinking of yourself and being thought of by others as middle class is the "American Dream" for tens of millions of people. But an enduring problem of the American middle class is the worry that the "Dream" is coming apart—that forces are lurking in the shadows waiting to steal their progress and throw them back into "poverty."
This thought-provoking reference explores a disparate multitude of issues associated with being middle class in America. It addresses a range of questions and subtopics, including the meaning of the term "middle class"; how middle class status is expressed by both the majority and the various minorities that make up the American mosaic; what economic pressures are bearing down on the middle class; and how economists and others attempt to make sense of the economic issues of the day. Readers will also better understand how political institutions and public policies are shaping the way the middle class views the world; how labor, housing, education, and crime-related issues have influenced the development and growth of the middle class; the norms of the middle class versus those of other classes in society; and the role of culture and media in shaping how members of the middle class view themselves—and how they are viewed by others.
This two-volume set provides a comprehensive look at the American middle class that supports student research in economics, social studies, cultural studies, and political history. The content supports teachers in their development of lesson plans and assignments that directly align with the Common Core State Standards and the recommendations of the National Curriculum Standards for Social Studies (NCSS) with respect to all ten NCSS themes.
Table of Contents:
Volume One
Alphabetical List of Entries
Introduction: The American Dream and the Middle Class
Prologue: A Portrait of the Middle Class
Essays
What Is Middle Class in America? Examining Income and Occupation
How Americans View Themselves: The Dilemma of Class Identity
The Origins of the Middle Class
The Future of the American Middle Class
The Critical Role of Race in Defining the Middle Class
Portraits
The American Indian Middle Class
The Asian American Middle Class
The Black Middle Class
The Rise of a New Black Middle Class
The Hispanic Middle Class
The LGBT Middle Class
The White Middle Class
Part 1: Economic Uncertainty and the American Middle Class
Overview Essay
What Happened to the American Dream?
Entries
Affordable Care Act and the Labor Market
American Capitalism in the 21st Century
Antitrust Policy
Automobiles and the American Way of Life
Banks and the U.S. Economy
Behavioral Economics
Buchanan, James M. (1919–2013)
Business Cycles in the United States
Child Care in the United States
Climate Change, Economics of
Consumer Price Index
Consumer Protection Movement
Consumerism
Crony Capitalism
Deindustrialization
Earned Income Tax Credit
Economic Growth, Conflicting Visions of
Economic Growth, Sustainability of
Economic Growth Theory and Actual Growth
Efficient Market Hypothesis
Environmental and Natural Resource Economics
Estate and Gift Taxes
Executive Compensation
Fast Food
Federal Reserve System and Monetary Policy
Financial Derivatives
Financialization
Fiscal Policy
Forbes 400
Friedman, Milton (1912–2006)
Gender Wage Gap
General Assistance Programs
George, Henry, and the 99 Percent
Globalization
Government Growth
Great Gatsby Curve
Great Recession in the United States
Gross Domestic Product (GDP)
Hayek, Friedrich A. (1899–1992)
Homelessness
Household Debt
Immigration and Its Economic Impact
Immigration and the Middle Class
Inflation
Intergenerational Mobility
Internal Revenue Service (IRS)
International Monetary Fund (IMF)
International Trade
Keynesian Economics
Measuring Inequality
Medicare
Minimum Wage Debate
Monetarism
Money in American History
Mutual Funds
Occupy Movement
Phillips Curve
Piketty, Thomas (1971–)
Poverty by Race, Ethnicity, and Gender in the United States
Poverty Measurement
Predatory Lending
Samuelson, Paul (1915–2009)
Self-Employment
Social Security
Stock Market
Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)
Supply-Side Economics
Sustainable Business Practices
Tax Progressivity
Taxation, Excessive Burden of
Technological Unemployment
Trade and Manufacturing
Trade Deficits and the U.S. Economy
Unemployment
Unemployment Insurance
Universal Basic Income
U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID)
Wage-Price Policies, 1945–1980
Workers' Compensation
Work-Life Balance
Part 2: Politics, Public Policy, and the American Middle Class
Overview Essay
President Obama and Middle-Class America
Entries
Abortion
Absentee Voting
Age Discrimination in Employment Act
Age Discrimination in the 21st Century
Agricultural Policy
American Presidency
Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)
Antiwar Movement (Vietnam War)
Brown v. Board of Education
Bush, George W. (1946–)
Carter, Jimmy (1924–)
Civil Rights Act
Clinton, Bill (1946–)
Clinton, Hillary (1947–)
Congressional Budget Office
Digital Divide
Election of 2000
Electoral College
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC)
Equal Pay Act
Family and Medical Leave Act
Feminist Movement
Government Gridlock
Hate Groups
Human Rights
Intergenerational Political Conflict
Intimate Partner Violence
Johnson, Lyndon B., and the Great Society
Kennedy, John F. (1917–1963)
Kennedy-Nixon Debates (1960)
King, Martin Luther, Jr., and His Economic Vision for America
League of United Latin American Citizens
Libertarianism
Malcolm X (El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz) (1925–1965)
Marijuana Legalization
Marriage Equality Movement
Milk, Harvey (1930–1978)
Neoliberal Economic Policies
Neoliberalism
New Space Agenda
Nonprofit Sector
Nuclear Age
Party Affiliation
Red States and Blue States
Regulatory State
Religion and Politics
Religious Right
Same-Sex Couples and Health Care
Sexual Harassment
Sharpton, Al (1954–)
Small Business Administration
Steinem, Gloria (1934–)
Student Loans and Rising Tuition Costs
Supreme Court of the United States
Tea Party
Terrorist Attacks of September 11, 2001, American Reactions to
Warren Court
Watergate
Welfare Policy
Women and Minority Leaders
Women and Politics
Women's Suffrage
Volume Two
Part 3: Education, Housing, Labor, and the American Middle Class
Overview Essays
Education and the American Middle Class
Homeownership and the Middle Class
Labor Unions and the Creation of the Middle Class
Entries
Affirmative Action in Higher Education
Charter Schools
Chávez, César E., and the United Farm Workers of America
Community College
Democratic Unionism
Educational Vouchers
Fair Housing Act
Federal Housing Policy
Financial Deregulation, Housing, and the Great Recession
GI Bill
Lewis, John L., and the United Mine Workers of America
National Labor Relations Act
Nussbaum, Karen, and the Working Women's Movement
Public and Subsidized Housing
Radicalism and the Labor Movement
Randolph, A. Philip, and the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters
Redlining
Residential Segregation
Restrictive Covenants
Right-to-Work Legislation
Special Education
STEM Education
Unions in the Entertainment Industry
Upper Middle Class, Emergence of (1870–1940)
Urban Redevelopment
Part 4: Health and the American Middle Class
Overview Essay
Health, Health Care, and the American Middle Class
Entries
Aging
Autism
Body Image Issues
Cancer
Death and Dying
Diabetes, Cost of
Diet
Down Syndrome
Eating Disorders
Fitness Industry
Food and Nutrition
Genetic Testing, Ethics of
Health and Economic Inequality
Health Insurance
HIV/AIDS
Long-Term Care
Mental Illness
Obesity, Economics of
Smoking
Social Determinants of Health
Substance Abuse
Suicide
Part 5: Crime and the American Middle Class
Overview Essay
Crime and the American Middle Class
Entries
Alternatives to Incarceration
Bullying
Clemency
Counterterrorism Policy
Death Penalty
Drug Trafficking and Its Impact on Crime in the United States
Drug Use and Crime in the United States
Environmental Crime: The Case of the Navajo
Gangs
Hate Crimes
Identity Theft
Juvenile Delinquency
Mass Incarceration, Politics of
Organized Crime
Police Misconduct
Prison and Public Policy
Race, Gender, and Class Disparities in the Criminal Justice System
Racism and the U.S. Prison System
Recidivism
Sexual Assault
Terrorism
U.S. Prison System
Violent Crime
Part 6: Norms and the American Middle Class
Overview Essay
Middle-Class Ideologies: Norms and Historical Changes
Entries
American Family Ideals
Divorce
Entrepreneurialism
Entrepreneurship in K–12 Education
Environmentalism
Family Violence
Homophobia
Marriage and Family
Materialism
Privacy and Big Data
Racism
Religion
Renewable Energy
Respect for Authority
School Prayer
Sexism
Sustainability
Part 7: Culture, Media, and the American Middle Class
Overview Essays
Culture as a Marker of Middle-Class Aspirations
The Media Portrayal of the Middle Class
Entries
Allen, Woody (1935–)
Beatles, The
Beyoncé
Bluegrass Music
Comic Books
Country Music
Fashion
Ginsberg, Allen (1926–1997)
Hip-Hop
Information Economy
Internet, The
Mad Men
Media Representation
Movies
Newspapers
Organization Man
Popular Music in American History
Presley, Elvis (1935–1977)
Rolling Stones, The
Social Media
Sports Participation and the Reproduction of Ideology: Lessons from Mixed Martial Arts
Springsteen, Bruce (1949–)
Tattoos
Television
Contributors
Index
About the Editor
About the Author :
Robert S. Rycroft, PhD, is professor of economics at the University of Mary Washington, Fredericksburg, VA.
Review :
This is an excellent resource for high school, public, and academic libraries. Anyone doing research in the social sciences will find this detailed portrait of contemporary American society very useful.
Well written, thoughtfully organized, and timely, this set would be a good addition to most reference collections. It would be especially useful for community college libraries and those supporting a large proportion of first-generation college students, as the topics covered will be particularly relevant. Summing Up: Highly recommended. All libraries. All levels.
The pieces are well written . . . VERDICT Of interest to high school and college students.
