Paper Example on 19th Century Difficulties in America

Introduction

The 19th century in America characterizes the period between 1801 all through to 1900 as per the Gregorian calendar. It is also a period that was marked by major historical events and political movements that significantly impacted the American society as it is today. The focus of this research is on the fate of African immigrants that were based in the Southern region of America under the Jim Crow segregation as well as the life of the Indians that were confined in reservations in the Western region of the United States. The research will also focus on the people of color that lived in colonies - those that were attained due to the Spanish American War. The Jim Crow policy, Indian Segregation in reserves in the West and tribulations of the Blacks in the Spanish-American War are some of the instances of racial discrimination that were manifested in America in the 19th century.

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

Order now

Comparison of Black People in the South under Jim Crow Segregation, Indians Confined To Reservations in the West and People of Color Attained Through the Spanish American War

Under the Jim Crow laws, the Black people in the South were segregated in all forms of public institutions. The Jim Crow laws required that racial segregation to be enacted in all public institutions that were situated in all States that belonged to the former Confederate States of America (Hussey, 2015). Contrary, the biased treated towards the Blacks in the South can be likened to the harsh treatment that was subjected towards Indians in reservations in the West. The Indian Natives who dominated the Western region of America were displaced through violence off their land and resources by the White Settlers. The displacement caused a major conflict between the settlers and natives and numerous Indians lost their lives. Although the Indian Appropriations Act was created in 1851, cruel treatment towards the Native Indians was still upheld in the early 19th century (Wiget, 2013). During the Spanish American War, Black Americans were forced to participate as soldiers in support of the United States. Their expansive participation played a big part in the success of America in the war. After the war, the bravery of the Black American soldiers was recognized (Tuccille, 2015). However, instead of being offered their rights similar to other Americans, they were subjected to racial segregation more so during the era of Jim Crow policies.

The Issue of Race in the Treatment of the Marginalized Groupings in America in the 19th Century

The issue of race figured erratically in respect to how the marginalized demographics were treated in America in the 19th century. The wealthy White Americans supported the Jim Crow policies as a way of encouraging their fellow Whites to view the Blacks as pariahs as well as outcasts. It was also a political strategy meant to weaken the economic status of the Blacks so that the Whites could be superior and render the Blacks to labor under them. On the other hand, the poor Whites supported the Jim Crow policies as a strategy to deny the Blacks equal rights on national public resources (Wiget, 2013). By doing so, the poor Whites believed they would keep the Blacks suppressed and unempowered and in the process force them to labor under servitude for the White Americans. Contrary, the issue of race made the Native Indians be suppressed by the White settlers as they were considered a minority demographic in the United States. As a result, natural resources and lands that belonged to them were grabbed by the Whites and in addition, they were forced to retreat to the Western region of America.

In a different context, the issue of race in the facilitation of oppression towards the Blacks in the 19th century America was also manifested during the Spanish-American War. Blacks in the South were forced to fight alongside the Whites and against the Spanish. Nevertheless, although their participation played a remarkable role in offering America its victory, due to their racial background, they were denied equal rights to those offered to the Whites after the war. Just like in the Jim Crow era and in the segregation on the Indians to the West, race was used as a defining guideline of oppressing the people of color by denying them equal rights. In the Jim Crow era, the Whites hoped to gain superiority over the Blacks by getting the best of public resources like education in America.

Contrary, in the segregation of Indians to the West, the Whites hoped to grab the natural resources that belonged to the natives. Lastly, the Whites only interacted with the Blacks during the Spanish-American War to gain victory against the Spanish (Tuccille, 2015). Imperialism is the act of exerting force or influence in a region through the use of military force. The aspect of imperialism was manifested in the segregation of the Native Indians to the West but not in the oppression of the Blacks through the Jim Crow policies and in the Spanish-American War. That is because the White settlers in the West grabbed the natural resources that belonged to the Native Indians as a means of exerting power and influence in the region.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the Jim Crow policy, Indian Segregation in reserves in the West and tribulations of the Blacks in the Spanish-American War are some of the instances of racial discrimination that were manifested in America. Under the Jim Crow laws, the Black people in the South were segregated in all forms of public institutions. On the other hand, the Indian Natives who dominated the Western region of America were displaced through violence off their land and resources by the White Settlers. Lastly, the Black Americans were forced to participate as soldiers in support of the United States but they were later denied equal rights by the White Americans due to racial discrimination.

References

Hussey, M. (2015). The Rise of the Jim Crow Era. Edinburgh: Encyclopaedia Britannica.

Tuccille, J. (2015). Roughest Riders: The Untold Story of the Black Soldiers in the Spanish-American War. Chicago: Chicago Review Press.

Wiget, A. (2013). Handbook of Native American Literature. New York: Routledge.