Ethnics in America Essay
Ethnics in America Essay

Ethnics in America Essay

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  • Pages: 6 (1393 words)
  • Published: December 25, 2021
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Thesis Statement: Before the late 20th century, ethnicity in US was highly associated with exclusivity of the immigrants and the minor populations. However, political and economic development as well as cultural adoption eventually led to social inclusion of all the races in US.

Introduction

Different races including the Hawaiians, Jews, and the African Americans faced long series of exclusivity before being Americanized. The Jews and the African Americans migrated to America from Europe and Africa respectively. Being minor races from the native communities, they were lowly appreciated and unrecognized in numerous instances. Hawaiians, too, we from a monarchy kingdom which was inferior as compared to the US Federal Nation. Thus, it was forcefully annexed into the state.

The Social Inclusion of African Americans

Since the era of slavery, the lives of African Americans were full of d

...

eprivation and social limitations. Despite Abraham Lincoln giving his hand to eradicate slavery in America, social prejudice and despise remained in the population. The African America population originated mainly from West and Central Africa. However, different groups from this ethnic group came from different nations and, hence, cultures. Therefore, they were only united by the fact that they were all black and from Africa.
At the same time, African Americans were frequently relocated to many different places in US. This depended on where they worked at. It also depended on whether they lived in a free state or not. As a result, culture adoption among African Americans was easier than among any other ethnic group. They were open to adoption of language, dressing code, and economic activities. The African Americans were ranked lowest in the caste system. Negro inferiority made the African Americans to

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be kept away from many services. The Jim Crow laws as well as Mississippi law prevented the black Americans from using the same means of transport like with the whites and from voting.
In the year 1860, American Civil War broke between the north and the south addressing the issue of the African Americans.footnoteRef:1 Among the causes of this war included ill-political use of African Americans to amass votes and to curb slavery entirely among all the states. Eventually, civil war led to end of slavery in US. However, social prejudice and deprivation among the African Americans did not cease. Therefore, this racial group was continuously subjected to constant limitations from social services and inclusion. This continued until in the 1960s when the African Americans started participating in the nation like the other citizens in US. 1: Goldberg, David Theo. Racial subjects: Writing on race in America. Routledge, 2016.

Despite being included in voting, schools, and in other social amenities and functions, the African Americans were still looked down upon in many different instances. Aryan Superiority Theories clearly outlined the African American as the most inferior ethnic group in American. Thus, they were not given any chance to showcase their efforts and talents. For instance, in the famous Schmeling VS Louis kick-boxing when Schmeling was pre-announced the winner after signs of losing the fight to Louis was predicted. During this time, all the African Americans united address their equality with the other citizens. NAZI, led by Hitler, alleged a riot against Louis in order to sustain the black people in their inferiority. By then, the whites in US were not up to support this move. This led

to a glimpse of light in the social inclusion of the African Americans in the United States.

The Hawaiians and Their Social Inclusion

Hawaii is well known today due to its famous history of annexation in 1894. Before its annexation, Hawaii existed as a kingdom which was highly organized under common language, religion, leadership, and other dimensions of collective culture. Congregation Church, present as United Church of Christ, sent missionaries to Hawaii between 1820 and 1850. Through the missionaries, US claimed colonization of Hawaii until its independence in 1893.

During this time, an unlawful government was formed in the kingdom. Thus, it overthrew the monarchy leadership that existed before. This Provisional Governement claimed that Hawaii is a part of US. This caused failed attempts of protests among the Hawaiians. In turn, President Cleveland opted to restore the monarchy system in the state. However, his attempts failed with the Provisional Government assuming the Republic governance of Hawaii. After replacement by President McKinley, Hawaii and other regions were officially annexed through Newlands Resolution. Eventually, Hawaiians lost their sovereignty and attachment to culture, land, and community affairs forcefully. Social change as well as economic losses affected the well-being of people from the state of Hawaii.footnoteRef:2 They lost their culture and they were not in a position to transmit it to their future generations. 2: Laosa, Luis M. "Ethnicity and single parenting in the United States." Impact of Divorce, Single Parenting and Stepparenting on Children: A Case Study of Visual Agnosia (2014): 23.

However, religion played a major role in reconciling the Hawaiians and the US. The Church of Christ sent an apology during the 100th anniversary of the illegal overthrow of the

Kingdom of Hawaii. The apology was based on the initial sending of missionaries in Hawaii which later caused the downfall of the kingdom. This manipulated the Congress in reconciling the both sides through the peace actions that were led by the church. The congress, through the president, addressed the ramification of the Hawaii Kingdom overthrow which reconciled the Hawaii people and the United States. Eventually, it made the two sides to exist in harmony and in peaceful coexistence.

Jewish Social Inclusion in the United States

The Jews settled in different parts of America. The first Jews group to migrate to America was the German Jews who ended up settling in Chicago region. Followed by them were the Jews from Russia and Poland who settled in the West Side wards. Jews were associated with much suffering in Europe. However, at America, they were able to establish a better life with less economic and cultural limitations. For instance, the Jews could worship in synagogues, speak in Yiddish, and establish their merchant businesses in many places in United States.footnoteRef:3 However, they still faced stereotyping and limitations in various sectors and especially in sports and other public platforms such as education. 3: Yanow, Dvora. Constructing" race" and" ethnicity" in America: Category-making in Public Policy and Administration. Routledge, 2015.

With the effort of Rabbis and Jewish Cultural Associations, several institutions as well as facilities were raised in order to cater for the housing, educational, and economic needs of the highly growing Jewish population. In the West Side Ghetto, Jane Adams and Ellen Gates led in the establishment of Hull House (Reiss, 203). The Maxwell Street Settlement and the Chicago Hebrew Institute were also

established under the contribution of Jews.

The contribution of numerous religious leaders and also famous Jewish people made it possible for many Jews to embrace sports such as boxing, baseball, and basketball. Also, it led to gender roles change where many Jewish women were able to participate in sports and in economic activities. The rise of Jews especially in sports led to many reactions. Between 1920 and 1950, Jewish players faced constant stereotyping at the hands of fellow players and sportswriters. The American anti-Semitism was rampant especially in sports. This was after Jews benefitted highly from the previously established sports facilities. Many scandals such as Black Sox Scandal of 1920 were involved in sports where Jews fared well.

Conclusion

Both the minor ethnic groups in US including the African American, Jews, and Hawaiians were stereotyped and mistreated in many instances regarding economy, culture, and social inclusion. However, after the Depression which was resulted by Hillcrest, helped to unify different ethnic groups to work together to uplift and sustain the economy. Mainly, religion, gender equality, and full racial support strengthened the ethnic groups in their fight for social inclusion and equality. By 1960, many ethnic groups existed as full citizens of United States who were free from prejudice and stereotyping.

References

  1. Goldberg, David Theo. Racial subjects: Writing on race in America. Routledge, 2016.
  2. Laosa, Luis M. "Ethnicity and single parenting in the United States." Impact of Divorce, Single Parenting and Stepparenting on Children: A Case Study of Visual Agnosia (2014): 23.
  3. Yanow, Dvora. Constructing" race" and" ethnicity" in America: Category-making in Public Policy and Administration. Routledge, 2015.
    Riess, Steven A., ed. A companion to American sport history. John Wiley & Sons,

2014.

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