The years following the Civil Rights Movement have seen those legal rights bloom into actual rights. In approximately 50 years, the United States has gone from a country that was sharply divided along racial lines, to a country where the most influential members of the President's cabinet are African-Americans. Furthermore, the wealthiest, and perhaps most influential, entertainer, Oprah Winfrey, is an African-American.
Conclusion
While there is some surface validity to the idea that American policy is dominated by a power elite, there is too much evidence that contradicts the idea of a true power elite. First, there has been a major revolution in American society in the last 50 years. The country has gone from an almost apartheid-like system of segregation to a government where members of formerly disenfranchised minority groups are in positions of power in corporations, media, and government. The highest government position, the Presidency, has repeatedly been occupied by men who were not only outside the power elite, but who were frequently pushing...
Finally, the wealthiest man in America did not come from the power elite, did not become wealthy through traditional channels, and actively channels most of his wealth to people outside of any supposed power elite.
Works Cited
Abraham Lincoln." WhiteHouse.gov. 2005. The White House. 9 Mar. 2005 http://www.whitehouse.gov/history/presidents/al16.html.
Andrew Jackson." WhiteHouse.gov. 2005. The White House. 9 Mar. 2005 http://www.whitehouse.gov/history/presidents/aj7.html.
Gates, Bill and Melinda French Gates. "Letter from Bill and Melinda French Gates." Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. 2005. Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. 9 Mar. 2005. http://www.gatesfoundation.org/AboutUs/LetterfromBillMelindaFrenchGates/default.htm.
Lyndon Johnson." WhiteHouse.gov. 2005. The White House. 9 Mar. 2005 http://www.whitehouse.gov/history/presidents/lj36.html.
Reynolds, H.T. "The Power Elite." Social Studies Help. 1996. Socialstudieshelp.com. 9 Mar. 2005
