In Medieval Europe, the class system was rigid. Aristocrats inherited and held the majority of the wealth, power, and land. Most people were serfs with limited rights, little to no pay, and an obligation to serve. Tipping was largely a way for aristocrats to reinforce their status and incentivize good service from poorly paid workers – a practice that remained prevalent even as the aristocracy fell. 

By the 19th century, many Europeans began to reject the practice in favor of guaranteed fair pay, just as wealthy travelers from the United States began to adopt it. After the Civil War, many employers in the US saw tipping as a way to justify paying low wages to formerly enslaved individuals, which looked a lot like the practice’s Medieval origins.

Despite eventual public pushback and a brief stint of anti-tipping legislation, industries that benefited from tipping successfully lobbied to favor it in our laws, creating a service industry that, in many ways, now depends on it.

Today, tipping is one of many everyday systems that was originally designed to help those with power hold onto it.