Third Estate Triumph

   In pre-revolutionary France, there were three sets of people, or estates, in society: The aristocracy, the clergy and the merchant class. The rest of the people, as commoners, didn't count for much.
   The invention of the printing press then gave rise to a new group of people who were considered neither merchants nor laborers, but writers.
   Journalism, then, became known as the Fourth Estate, and its members took on the responsibility of monitoring what the others were doing and passing that information on to the rest of the people.
   The year 1776 brought major changes in America, which was formalized in the Constitution of 1789. These changes included the elimination of the first estate -- the aristocracy -- and minimizing the influence of the second estate -- the clergy -- who lost whatever official role they may have had in government.
   Unofficially, however, religion retained a major influence on American life, both politically and socially, even though the Constitution bans an official religion established by the government.
   Eliminating the aristocracy and minimizing influence of the clergy thus left the merchant class as the dominant class in American life. The rise of labor unions, however, gave the so-called working class a major role in American political and social life.
   Even so, the politically conservative merchant estate -- now known as Big Business -- dominated government until workers and their liberal allies grew strong enough to challenge that dominance. Since then, the two have periodically alternated in controlling the government.
   Now we are engaged in a great political dispute over which group shall control the economy and the American way of life.
   Shall it be the Third Estate, the conservative merchant, Big Business class, or will it be what may be called the Fifth Estate, the workers and their liberal allies?
   Meanwhile, the journalistic Fourth Estate of news media reporters and writers, including television as well as print journalists of newspapers, magazines and books, will continue their role as monitors -- to some they are guardians -- of the way of life that guarantees fair and equal treatment and justice for all.