My sister went to a grammar school, a well-funded public institution, ostensibly populated by the smartest kids in the area.  In practice, the vast majority of students came from rich backgrounds because their parents could afford to tutor them extensively to pass the entrance exam.  Class has immense impact on the lives of individuals, far more than race or gender. Even during slavery there were wealthy black slave owners.  I think it would be disingenuous to claim that the rich don't work to consolidate power and pass it on to their descendants. That's practically an evolutionary imperative.