| | What are some of the ways that restrictions and beliefs based on race, ethnicity, gender, and national origin shaped American society in the latter half of the 1800s? The restrictions and beliefs based on race, ethnicity, gender, and national origin shaped American society in the latter 1800s with the enormous amount of immigrants from several different countries who came to America in order to find work and improved living conditions for themselves and their families. By the end of the 19th Century, millions had traveled to America from many different countries. The United States had become a very diverse country and with that arose many issues. Fortunately, most immigrants were able to adapt or assimilate to the “American way” rather easily. However, Nativists began to feel threatened once the number of immigrants crossing over continued to increase. They held blame towards particular immigrants such as the Northern and Southern Europeans for their poor and illiterate cultural and their different religious beliefs. They thought immigrants were degrading the urban government due to only having minimal ability or skill in basically nothing other than industrial type work while also working for extremely low wages. This made White Americans fear that they could become outnumbered in their own country. Assess how these restrictions shaped your chosen group’s experience of the industrial revolution and/or westward expansion. The westward expansion tore the American Indians families apart. The whites were seeking gold, and the railroad took over. The Indian children were taken from their mom and dad and put in government schools to teach them how to be white. These children were restricted to practice or participate in anything related to them being American Indian. Once these children could leave the school they could go home, but the home was not home anymore, and the whites did not accept them. They were in a limbo of two worlds neither their own. (Barnes & Bowles, 2015) Explain the changes that members of your chosen group made possible during this period. American society had way too many restrictions on their beliefs based on race, ethnicity, gender, and national origin during the later half of the 1800s. The American Indians were forced off their lands and onto small reservations. The Native Americans were viewed as people who needed to get out of the way for American settlement. The Irish fled here to America to live a better life. The myths they heard about the America that was going to help them achieve a suitable home and work was beyond wrong. The Irish were treated like dogs and referred to as dog-like. The Irish were also listed as colored people, so they were not accepted just like the Germans, Indians, Chinese, Mexicans, and African Americans. The immigrants were expected to build the new America, but not a true American acceptance. (Barnes & Bowles, 2015) References: 1. Barnes, L. & Bowles, M. (2014). The American story: Perspectives and encounters from 1877. San Diego, CA: Bridgepoint Education, Inc. |
