23 Extension Activity

Distribution of Wealth in the United States

One major cause of the French Revolution was the extreme contrast between the few rich and the many poor. Some people feel that the gap between the rich and poor in the United States is similar.

Work with a team to create a graph showing the distribution of wealth in the United States today. Use the Internet or magazines to research the topic. Look for statistics that answer such questions as, What percentages of the population own various proportions of the country’s wealth? What percentage of individuals live at or below the poverty line? How much is the wealthiest person in the United States worth?

• Look for parallel statistics. Figure out how to present them visually. You may use any type of graphic as long as it is labeled clearly.
• Make comparisons between the distribution of wealth in France before the Revolution and the distribution of wealth in the United States today.

Wealth Distribution Statistics http://www.cooperativeindividualism.org / wealth_distribution1999.html

United Nations Development Program statistics on the wealthiest and poorest individuals in the world.

Unequal Income Distribution in the United States http://factfinder.census.gov / servlet / QTTable?_bm=y&-qr_name=DEC_2000_SF4_U_QTP33&-geo_id=01000US&-ds_name=D&-_lang=en&-_caller=bfri

Chart created by the U.S. Census Bureau showing the distribution of wealth in the United States.

Identifying Need: Poverty http://www.census.gov / population / pop-profile / 1999 / chap13.pdf

U.S. Census Bureau report on poverty in the United States.