Class: History of Minorities
Professor: Michael Spear
Student: Vlado Vukovic
Task: Final Project
Title: U.S. History through the lens of racial, ethnic, and minority experience
U.S. History through the lens of racial, ethnic, and minority experience would be the most accurate way to fully understand the history of the US. One pattern that emerges when analyzing U.S. history in such manner is that newcomers and minorities (whether racial, religious or ethnic) have to pass through discrimination stage where they were being openly discriminated against by the earlier arrivals.
After the discoveries made by Columbus western hemisphere had been divided by leading western European colonial powers such as Portugal, Spain, Holland, England and France. The territory of today’s U.S. had been divided by colonial powers such as Spain, France, England, and Holland (major two being Spain and England).
Today’s U.S. had been created as a offshoot of estranged British colonies that managed to gain independence from the English motherland while in effect remaining part of British cultural heritage. Newly independent American state expanded to include French territory of Louisiana (today’s central parts of continental U.S.), Spaniard territories taken from Mexico (today’s southwestern part of continental U.S.) and finally more British territories (today’s northwestern part of continental U.S.).
Slavery system was an important part of the economy of many regions on American continents and today’s part of continental U.S. was no exception. Slavery system was an essential part of the economy of the southern part of the eastern continental U.S. (called Dixie by locals). In Dixie slave-owners held enormous power and influence over the local policy-making and grow so powerful that after the mid 19 century there was even an attempt to create Confederate States (composed of the Dixie states) that wanted to secede from U.S., this being the major reason for the civil war that occurred in early 1860’s whose aftermath was freedom of the Black or African American slaves in Dixie States
British had been known to be among the cruelest colonial occupiers and they have conducted wholesale massacres against many native populations in the regions they have occupied (such as against Aboriginal populations in Australia and New Zealand) and Northern America was no exception. Descendants of the British invaders have continued their ‘policies’ in 18 and 19 century (when they were called Americans) and continued to conduct massacres against the native populations of the northern America.
Blacks or African Americans were brought as slaves in the America’s and among their primary destinations had been either Caribbean or Brazil and some from there had been brought to Dixie states where slavery continued up until 1865, year when Confederate Dixie States lost the American Civil War. Even after the American Civil War Blacks encountered racial discrimination that openly persisted up until mid 20 century. Blacks had been in effect fully “Americanized” (in effect ‘Anglified’) in a cultural sense very early in their arrival in Dixie States and had lost their African languages, religion, and names long ago.
American Indians, Amerindian, or American Natives (since they are called Indians actually by mistake since Columbus though he embarked in Asia) were native population in both Northern and Southern America. Their origins are traced to Mongolia in East continental Asia and it is believed that they had arrived in Alaska over 8,000 years ago. Their faith was different from region to region.
Amerindians that lived in Spanish territories partly converted to a new Spanish identity (in terms of language, names and religion) especially if they were of Mestizo race (mixed Spanish/Amerindian origins) while more pure Amerindians managed to retain their languages (examples are Guatemala, southern Mexico and Paraguay).
Amerindians that lived in British territories (some of which were later renamed into American) were mainly exterminated in a gruesomely planned and cold manner. Their genocide was first manifested in taking gradually their lands by force, in depleting their food sources (by killing of great herds of Bison’s which almost became extinct towards the end of 19 century) and in open extermination campaigns.
These Amerindians were a hair away from being fully exterminated in the course of 19 century. Their rights gradually improved after mid 20th century during the civil rights movements and today they have preferential status in gambling or casino industry while their reservations are not taxed. These Amerindians have lost their language and religion.
W.A.S.P.’s is abbreviation for White Anglo Saxon Protestant and it was originally meant to include those of British Protestant Origin but now in effect includes all Protestants of Nordic or Germanic origin (including Dutch, Germans, Scandinavians, etc.). These are the people who effectively control the American government since the inception of the U.S.A. up until today. Many among this group used to view themselves as the true Americans and even had a movement called Nativism in 19 century that was based on such concept (U.S. belonging to WASP’s, etc.).
Nativism of some of the WASP’s was closely tied to the Eugenics Movement, which was Pro-white racist movement that favored selective breeding that was supposed to improve species or races over generations (as stated by Sir Galton in 1883). Ku Klux Klan or K.K.K. was a post-Civil War secret society that was advocating WASP supremacy and whose membership was confined to American-born white Christians.
Potato Famine occurred in Ireland in 1840’s and it forced millions of Irish to seek fortunes elsewhere and as a result many crossed the Atlantic ocean to arrive in U.S. where initially encountered extreme prejudice and hate from the WASP’s who even refused to view them as white. As Irish American economic status increased as well as Irish American numbers increased so did the WASP acceptance of them.
Catholics started arriving in greater numbers with the arrival of Irish in mid 19 century. Catholics were viewed by WASP’s in pretty much the same manner as the Irish were (Irish were also Catholics) except they were viewed as even a bigger threat when their numbers started increasing towards the end of 19th and beginning of 20th century (which the arrivals of many Italians and Polish immigrants). This made many WASP’s become fearful and joining organizations such as K.K.K. (which claimed millions of members in early 1920’s) and as a result of this fear Immigration Act of 1924 was passed that effectively greatly limited the immigration from eastern and southern Europe.
Southern and Eastern Europeans started arriving in greater numbers towards the end of 19th and the beginning of 20th century. They were viewed with same suspicion and hate as was the case with Irish and Catholics (some Southern such as Italians and Eastern Europeans such as Polish were Catholics) and as their numbers increased so did the WASP hate for them (in fact they not even viewed as White by WASP’s of the day.)
WASP hate towards these groups resulted in introducing Immigration Act of 1924, which was passed to effectively limit the immigration from eastern and southern Europe. Immigration Act of 1924 was made in a way that in ensured that majority group that existed in the U.S. at the time (WASP’s) remains majority.
Chinese Immigrants started arriving in the 19 century (in the West coast mainly.) Chinese Immigrants were used to work on railroads and they also experienced hate and prejudice even more so then non-WASP Europeans since they were viewed as practically Aliens by European groups which so them as racially and culturally radically different which they were, different at the time when being different from the mainstream culture was nothing to brag about. Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 was introduced to effectively stop Chinese immigration (since it only allowed minuscule numbers of Chinese annually, such as 105 Chinese Immigrants annually).
Asians, except some Chinese in 19 century, were more or less absent in US. In any major numbers up until 1960 or to be more precise after the Immigration Act of 1965 after what millions of Asians from south and east Asia arrived to seek their fortune in the U.S. Asians, being a new group had be faced also with prejudice and hate but they didn’t let this deter them from becoming economically successful and opening their own businesses which many Asian Americans own. Many East Asian Americans have been intermarrying with American Whites.
Immigration Act of 1965 was significant since for the first time the preference to immigration was not given to their country of origin as was the case with Immigration Act of 1924 (which gave preference to largest ethic groups already in existence within US and to their countries of origin). Act of 1965 looked instead at immigrants skills or at times at immigrant political status (such as communist prosecution) and even if people were artists or not.
Immigration Act of 1965 did unable 170,000 people to arrive annually from eastern Hemisphere (20,000 limit per country) and 120,000 annually from western Hemisphere (no limit per country). This act unabled many people from Asia to arrive (who were previously discriminated against).
Arabs and Muslims are among the newest arrivals and are viewed often with suspicion and even hate as a result of the government propaganda and media impact that these days have substituted cold war with the former USSR and its satellites with cold war with what they call Islamic Fundamentalists. Even Hollywood has ‘helped’ in creating anti-Muslim paranoia in the U.S.
Even politics are affected by the racial and ethic divisions since on one hand well to do Whites (including Jews) and well to do Asians tend to vote Republic while poorer Whites, Blacks and Hispanics tend to vote Democrat. Some groups such as Jews were initially mainly Democrat voting but as their socio-economic status has increased so has their voting pattern changed from Democrat towards Republican.
In conclusion I will restate that viewing U.S. History through the lens of racial, ethnic, and minority experience would be the most accurate way to fully understand the history of the US. One pattern that emerges when analyzing U.S. history in such manner is that newcomers and minorities (whether racial, religious or ethnic) have to pass through discrimination stage where they were being openly discriminated against by the earlier arrivals.
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