Roots Reference
William Booth, the founder of The Salvation Army, dedicated his life to helping individuals who were considered outcasts of society - the homeless, the hungry, the poor and the destitute. In England, where Booth started his work, he described the population of those living in poverty as the "Submerged Tenth" because the actual number represented 10-percent of the country's population - a number he said was "scandalously high." This segment of the population, Booth contended, was nominally free but actually enslaved.
TST is a nearly secret think tank that is involved in research and and sharing information related to the problems and concerns of poor people and nearly poor people in the USA. We strongly encourage low income people to be well informed, be proud of their work, and to become active in community affairs.
Today's Submerged Class status in the USA
We believe that the "submerged" class in the USA is well above the 10% level, especially if you consider the millions of our people who are locked in our jails and prisons. In general, we see a very dishonest way of officially admitting the size of our lower class. Yet for our work purposes, we have chosen that historic Booth era name "Submerged Tenth" since it refers to a minimum poverty level that cannot be denied no matter how the experts try to spin it.
last update: 6/27/12