video discussion

This video provides an excellent basis for the analysis of social structure, social relations, and public institutions during a period of major upheaval in the US. In particular, you can use it to think about and apply sociological theories from the conflict and social order traditions. The point is not that one theory or perspective is right or wrong for conducting an analysis, but rather that different theories are going to frame different kinds of questions and pose different kinds of answers in attempting to explain what was happening during that historical period.

For your first post, focus on conflict theory. How would a conflict theorist explain what is happening in the story? Which specific conflict theories from the Marxian and Weberian traditions seem to be most relevant? You will need to complete this post in order to see what others are contributing to the discussion.