White Anglo-Saxon Protestant
White Anglo-Saxon Protestant or WASP is a term used in the United States for white American Protestants, generally upper-class and usually of British descent. WASP elites have dominated American society, culture, and politics for most of the history of the United States. After World War II, Americans increasingly criticized the WASP hegemony and disparaged them as part of "the Establishment." Although the social influence of wealthy WASPs has declined since the 1940s, the group continues to play a central role in American finance, politics and philanthropy.