Is Mud Sill Theory Making a Comeback? America’s Oldest, Worst Idea
Wednesday, March 12, 2025.
It’s 1858, and Senator James Henry Hammond is boldly defending slavery before the U.S. Senate.
He's not embarrassed. Not even a little.
Instead, he proudly declares what historians now call the Mud Sill Theory.
To Hammond, human society was a grand house built upon a foundation—a mudsill—of permanently enslaved people whose suffering enabled civilization for the privileged few.
“In all social systems, there must be a class to do the menial duties, to perform the drudgery of life,” Hammond said without blinking an eye. “Such a class you must have, or you would not have that other class which leads progress, civilization, and refinement” (Hammond, 1858).
What a flawless distillation of the Cultural Narcissism of his place and time.
Pretty chilling, isn’t it? But surely, we’ve moved past such backward thinking. Right?
Not so fast.
Narcissism in New Packaging: Is Mud Sill Theory Sneaking Back?
Fast forward nearly two centuries, and Mud Sill Theory might not be as dead as we'd like to think.
It's quietly reemerging—but this time, cleverly disguised in the fashionable clothing of "meritocracy," gig economies, AI-driven job losses, and unchecked corporate greed.
Historian Heather Cox Richardson (2020) notes, “American society periodically revives the idea that some people naturally belong at the bottom.” Today, the gig economy and automated labor markets echo Hammond’s haunting sentiment—albeit subtly.
Mud Sill Theory 2.0: The Return of the Disposable Class
Today, smiling tech titans tell us anyone can succeed with enough hustle.
Yet a Pew Research Center study shows gig workers remain perpetually insecure, often one emergency away from financial ruin (Pew Research Center, 2021).
The uncomfortable truth behind our "side hustle" obsession might be Mud Sill Theory rebooted for 2025.
Consider this disturbing parallel: Hammond justified slavery by claiming slaves were a stable workforce under paternalistic "care."
Today, gig companies assure workers their "flexibility" and "freedom" justify lack of decent wages or healthcare. Both views conveniently disregard basic human dignity and security.
Psychologist Barry Schwartz (2015) highlights this tragic irony, noting, “the illusion of endless choice masks an underlying exploitation.”
In modern terms: unlimited flexibility, zero security.
The Dark Return of an Ugly Meme
Mud Sill Theory is a bad idea that refuses to die. Now, powered by technology, AI, and rampant capitalism, it’s returning:
AI-Driven Job Displacement: Automation will threaten millions of working-class jobs, creating a disposable class—human cogs easily replaced by cheaper, faster, AI. This will become a huge, unfolding problem over the next 36 months.
Underemployment and Precarity: Sociologist Guy Standing’s (2011) “precariat” mirrors Hammond’s mud sill class—perpetually vulnerable and disposable.
Economic Polarization: Today’s income inequality rivals pre-Civil War America, with the top 10% controlling 70% of the wealth, according to economist Thomas Piketty (2014). The gap between society’s refined "progress leaders" and modern mud sill workers is ever widening.
The Tragicomic Cycle of American Exceptionalism
American culture abounds in irony. We stubbornly believe that we’re uniquely immune to classism.
We embrace Horatio Alger myths of individual upward mobility, even though social mobility in America has dramatically stalled (Chetty et al., 2017).
We narcissistically congratulate ourselves on meritocratic fairness, even as we subtly—and sometimes blatantly—reinforce rigid class structures.
Philosopher Michael Sandel (2020) warns, “Meritocracy can easily mutate into a justification for privilege, perpetuating the very inequality it claims to abolish.” Ouch!
Mud Sill and Marriage (You Didn’t Think I’d Forget, Did You?)
As a marriage therapist, let me tie this back home: broader sociocultural forces inevitably impact our personal lives. Not that we, as marriage and family therapists can do much about it. We can’t. And it’s narcissistic to assume otherwise.
Relationships suffer when economic precarity or constant devaluation becomes the norm. Economic uncertainty in particular, has destroyed millions of families in the USA.
And then there’s the aggravating factor of Cultural Narcissism; fueling unrealistic expectations, chronic dissatisfaction, and eroding genuine connection.
When society normalizes the notion that some folks inherently belong at the bottom, it corrodes how we perceive each other—even our partners.
Many couples are struggling deeply, forced to constantly hustle in order to just to stay afloat. Consequently, It's tough to remain generous, supportive, or forgiving when feeling disposable or economically vulnerable.
Mud Sill Theory 2.0: A Cultural Mirror
Perhaps the most alarming aspect of Mud Sill Theory’s resurgence is how insidiously attractive it remains.
It offers society an easy out by atomizing blame for systemic failures, and rationalizes suffering by implying that some folks simply deserve less.
But we can't afford to let this toxic belief go unchecked. This isn't a theory—it's an American cultural and spiritual crisis.
If Americans fail to actively reject Mud Sill 2.0, we risk cementing a future where exploitation and inequality are accepted.
In other words, we would have fought the Civil War for nothing.
Be Well, Stay Kind, and Godspeed.
REFERENCES:
Chetty, R., Grusky, D., Hell, M., Hendren, N., Manduca, R., & Narang, J. (2017). The fading American dream: Trends in absolute income mobility since 1940. Science, 356(6336), 398–406.
Hammond, J. H. (1858). The 'Mud Sill' Speech, March 4, 1858. U.S. Senate Archives.
Pew Research Center. (2021). Gig Work, Online Selling and Home Sharing. Pew Research Center. Retrieved from https://www.pewresearch.org
Richardson, H. C. (2020). How the South Won the Civil War: Oligarchy, Democracy, and the Continuing Fight for the Soul of America. Oxford University Press.
Schwartz, B. (2015). Why We Work. Simon & Schuster.
Standing, G. (2011). The Precariat: The New Dangerous Class. Bloomsbury Academic.