In what ways is the United States not a meritocratic society?
What will be an ideal response?
Ans: A meritocracy is a society in which personal success is based on talent and individual effort such as the United States. However, since the United States started out as a closed caste society, enslaving Black Americans for centuries, this hindered Blacks’ abilities for upward mobility, life changes, and opportunities. It was not until 1865 that Blacks were no longer enslaved that we see African Americans reaping some benefits of the meritocracy. However, due to systemic poverty, racial discrimination, housing restriction, segregation, Blacks like other Americans have been individual and group effort to become successful. However, discrimination is still a part of how society and inequality are maintained, impacting who can benefit from a meritocratic society.
KEY: Learning Objective: 7.5: Analyze the existence and persistence of stratification and poverty from sociological perspectives.
REF: Cognitive Domain: Analysis
Answer Location: Why Do Stratification and Poverty Exist and Persist in Class Societies?
Difficulty Level: Hard
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