Diverse People of Frontier Settlement: A Story Beyond English-Speaking Pioneeers - Essay Sample

Introduction

The West was not won easily. It was won through struggle and racism. The frontier settlement can, therefore, be understood as the story of competing ethnic and racial group. It was not recognized as a saga of English-speaking pioneers. In Western America, there was sharing of transplanted diversity of Europe and its expansion did not happen by the people of English- speaking but by people of diverse backgrounds. The people that form frontier settlement included English, Irish, Cornish, Scottish, French, German, Portuguese, Scandinavian, Greek, and Russian. They also had a persistent population of Indians that uses different languages and cultures which produces Hispanic population and Mexican immigrants, Asia, and black people. Differences in the cultural background brought in various forms of racism, which led to the division of people either as superior white and inferior black. The competition for superiority led to the emergence of multiple questions such as were Indians better than blacks, and was there any possibility that Mexican are Indians. Due to competition for limited job opportunities where white laborers face limited job opportunities, they had to look for a solution to their problems. They start blaming other groups of people such as Chinese to the extent that they start viewing them as tools of monopoly. The people were, therefore divided based on racism. Racial feelings were used by Americans to group the people either for persecution or exclusion. People were also shared by their cultural backgrounds, language each group speaks and religion.

Is your time best spent reading someone else’s essay? Get a 100% original essay FROM A CERTIFIED WRITER!

Order now

The West was not the place where Americans were most free, but it was a place riddled with inequalities. Americans were fighting over positions and job opportunities. There were also discrimination against race, ethnic background, and gender. American divides themselves into superior whites, and inferior blacks and this racism division was used for allocation of resources. The Americans believed that other people were better than others, such as whites were better than blacks and seemed more capable of civilization and assimilation than others. This condition made Indians is ranked higher than black people in the West.

Furthermore, some people were not allowed to testify in court. For example, the Japanese were not allowed to testify in court against white, and this was a significant sign of inequality in the West. Variation is also shown when Americans made a state law that inhibits blacks, mulattoes, and Indians from testifying as witnesses in any court proceeding where there was a white. This was a significant inequality which denies other people equal rights and privileges that other people have. The state law puts white or gave them more opportunities that blacks, Indians, and mulattoes. Within the same code, Negroes mulattoes, and Indians were excluded from providing the testimony, and this was done to ensure that whites were secure from the influence of other groups. These people were not allowed to testify in court because the same state law would make all the citizens have equal rights, and this would also enable them to participate in the election.

Since there were limited job opportunities in America due to job scarcity and uncertain future, they decided to expel Chinese by ensuring that the Federal Government inhibits their businesses not to receive congressional approval. They also decided to underpay nonwhites' workers and control the capital they receive from banks and other financial institutions. They also regarded Chinese as a mere tool of monopoly as this was a form of discrimination against race. Only whites were given the opportunity to receive capital and their businesses could be approved by the state.

In the West, there was no equal right of voting. All whites were allowed to vote, including idiot, insane persons, and those who have been convicted of any offenses. Chinese were not given that privilege, and the constitution asserted this. This was to ensure that only whites held a top political position in America and were to ensure that other ethnic groups such as Chinese, blacks, and Negroes have no political power to control resources of the state.

There was also no employment of Chinese or Mongolian in public offices or any Government project. They could not even secure a job in any corporation working under the state's law. This was also a form of inequality and inhibiting other people from enjoying equal rights and opportunity for citizenship. This rule seemed unconstitutional and discriminatory.

My opinion regarding the lack of frontier democracy is that there could not have been a high level of discrimination and inequality among the people living in America. Its elimination could have made the people view the Government as a servant of the entire citizen but not a way of discriminating other people. I would have allowed the citizen to see other people as equal but not consider others as inferior while others are superior. For that matter, the frontier democracy changed the quality of the nation and its institutions in general. I believe that the lack of frontier democracy eliminated frontier of the individualism, which promoted that idea that all men are equal except Negroes, Indians, and other minority groups. It is important to weigh a person about both present and their contribution to society but not their skin color, ethnic background, and cultural background. It is also essential for the state to give everybody a chance to improve them but not to deny some opportunity to become crucial members of society