[hsalaw]

Much of the North was built by poor whites

As was much of the rest of the country. But "poor whites" aren't a victim group because their goal is to stop being poor whites and start living a good life and owning their own future, instead of complaining endlessly about the past hardships suffered by their ancestors in the old country.

[hellbender]

And the Japanese-Americans rebounded from being herded into concentration camps during WWII. Not many poor Japanese-Americans around, last time I looked.

Also, at the time whites were building hundreds of miles of stone walls over rocky mountain slopes in New England, there was no "govt. safety net," no welfare, no guarantee of anything. People worked 6 days a week as long as there was light to work. Illegitimacy was stigmatized. Theft would probably get you hanged. No drugs to escape into.