Capitalism as Depicted in Matthew Desmond's Article

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American Capitalism
Capitalism involves the ultimate control of a country's resources by a small percent of the society while the larger middle-class working populace lives in poverty. This elite few comprise individuals, groups of people, or a society that administers various disadvantages and discriminations to remain in power. Under this culture, the wealthy abuse the powerless, oppress and exploit them through avenues such as free labor, low wages, poor working conditions, and excessive violence. This is the concept upon which modern-day capitalism is built. The capitalistic system gave rise to slavery which profiled people according to their skin color, ethnicity, and origin. The non-white people were classified as second-class citizens due to their black melanin tone and were forced to work in the cotton fields with no wages. This culture of abusing the powerless, acquiring fortunes at no labor costs, and growing at all costs amassed lots of profits were known as the high class followed closely by the middle class who earned average profits whiles the farmers and peasants, were referred to as the lower class. Since the wealthy have devised financial bending rules discriminatory policies to remain in power.
Slavery is the pillar upon which the American economy was founded, and this is evident in both the lives of the Gee's Bend quilters and Desmond article. The struggles depicted in Desmonds' article illuminate the ostracization and the power dynamics in play during slavery and after the Civil war. Even after the end of slavery, the culture of powerlessness, poverty, and inequality still enslaves the lives of African Americans. It has heightened racism, which is still embedded in today's society. Desmond's cohesive and coherent narration of the atrocities committed against the black community is reflected in the lives and experiences of the Gee Bend quilters. Although the Gee Bend quilters are descendants of the enslaved people and were not subjected to slavery, they encountered inappropriate access to resources. In the wake of the Civil Rights Movement, transport services were cut off from the community thus ostracized from the American system (Souls Grown Deep). The Gee Bend quilters did not have access to basic needs and lived in abject poverty like their ancestors, as depicted in Desmond's article (Desmond). In the same vein, the lives of the Gee's Bend quilters are a continuation of the painstaking suffering deeply rooted in the system even after the end of slavery. The lives of the Gee Bend quilters and enslaved people in the cotton fields played a critical role in shaping the modern-day capitalistic system. The Gee Bend quilters and their ancestors are not recognized as architects and artists of modern-day global art and financial institutions.
Capitalism inhibits the visibility of the Gee Bends quilters as a key contributor to the American economy. Their unique patchwork quilting abilities is a treasured skill that should be celebrated. Still, due to the deeply rooted culture of racism, abuse, and treatment as second-class citizens, their artwork has been kept in the shadows for decades. Today, every working person in the US is subjected to high interests in credi...