At the end of the civil war, the propertied class purposefully fomented distain between poor blacks and poor whites. By diverting blame for miserable conditions felt by the most affected classes, the masses were kept ignorant about the real causes for economic disparities: predatory lending, wage slavery, debt servitude, awful industrial conditions. These causes continued to serve the banking and landed interests, and we have a century of fossil racism to deal with.

The Banking Class: controlling the conversation and diverting blame since 1865.