Z.’s Reviews > W.E.B. Du Bois: Black Reconstruction > Status Update
Z.
is on page 34 of 1097
"[During the Civil War, northern laborers] showed their resentment [to capitalists] in the peculiarly human way of beating and murdering the innocent victims of it all, [free black people]; while in the South, five million non-slaveholding poor white [men] [went] by the thousands to fight and die for a system that had degraded them equally ... Could one imagine anything more paradoxical than this whole situation?"
— Jun 14, 2023 02:11PM
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Z.’s Previous Updates
Z.
is on page 37 of 1097
I have the worst luck with this book. I’ve started reading it 3 times (1 each for the last 3 summers) and always find it fascinating and well-written but then have to put it down for unrelated reasons. (A new semester the last two years, general lack of focus for any big literary projects now.) I’m sorry Du Bois, the day will come when I’m ready to do this justice.
— Jul 23, 2025 05:20PM
Z.
is on page 288 of 1097
Setting aside at chapter VIII due to time constraints. Plan to pick back up later.
— Aug 07, 2023 09:06AM
Z.
is on page 130 of 1097
"But were the [poor Southern] whites to be bound to the [newly freed] black laborer by economic condition and destiny, or rather to the white planter by community of blood? Almost unanimously [...] victims of a war fought largely by the poor whites for the benefit of the rich planter [...] sought redress by demanding unity of white against black, and not unity of poor against rich, or of worker against exploiter."
— Jul 05, 2023 09:55AM
Z.
is on page 12 of 1097
"This explains the difference between the slave revolts in the West Indies, and the lack of effective revolt in the Southern United States. . . . In the South . . . the great planters formed proportionally quite as small a class but they had singularly enough at their command some five million poor whites; that is, there were actually more white people to police the slaves than there were slaves."
— Jun 13, 2023 02:17PM
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Jun 15, 2023 08:44AM
Can I imagine them taking drastic action that is ultimately against their own interests? Unfortunately, yes. This seems to be an incredibly common theme in US history and politics. Is this particular to our country? Or does this happen everywhere where there is a vast division of wealth, education, and mobility?
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"while in the South, five million non-slaveholding poor white [men] [went] by the thousands to fight and die for a system that had degraded them equally ... Could one imagine anything more paradoxical than this whole situation?"Actually, Z., I've been thinking about this on and off all day. I don’t believe it has as much to do with wealth or education as I originally proposed. I think that both then and now actions like this boil down to the U.S.'s intrinsically racist caste system. Those men, however poor and degraded, were not yet the lowest caste. Without slavery, without the status quo, they easily could be. There always had to be someone on a lower rung than themselves, and they fought an entire war--and continued committing atrocities for decades afterwards--to keep it that way.
I remember Isabel Wilkerson: "The caste system thrives on dissension and inequality, envy, and false rivalries, that build up in a world of perceived scarcity." Like Wilkerson, I have also observed that there is an absurd fear among some groups in this country that another persons's self-improvement or personal betterment will somehow result in their own diminution. False rivalries. Perceived scarcity. How little has changed fundamentally.
Laura wrote: ""while in the South, five million non-slaveholding poor white [men] [went] by the thousands to fight and die for a system that had degraded them equally ... Could one imagine anything more paradoxi..."Thanks for your excellent musings, Laura. I love that this quote gave you so much food for thought! As it happens your point is actually perfectly aligned with Du Bois's overarching argument in the chapter I pulled this from. He shows quite clearly that white laborers in both the north and the south consistently upheld the institution of slavery, whether to avoid competition for wages, to maintain the racial hierarchy they believed beneficial to them, or simply because they considered it of secondary importance to advocating for their own rights (and didn't see how the two were linked). The Civil War was, of course, the boiling point, and while slavery was finally abolished, these attitudes clearly never actually went away. I think this passage summarizes the fundamental paradox in a memorable way, but as you say it's one that unfortunately appears again and again in U.S. history.
Anyway, based on what I've read so far and your own comments, I'd highly recommend checking this one out sometime! Sounds like you'd find it just as engaging.
Z. wrote: "Laura wrote: ""while in the South, five million non-slaveholding poor white [men] [went] by the thousands to fight and die for a system that had degraded them equally ... Could one imagine anything..."Thank you for sharing so many quotes from this book. I definitely have a W.E.B. Du Bois shaped hole in my reading list that I've been meaning to fill for a while.