Marginalization In America In The Late 1800s

Throughout American history, people of many identities have been ostracized and disrespected. This theme of marginalization can be observed in many countries and due to America’s past of mistreatment of its citizens, it is easily observed in the United States today. To this day, many people are not educated or do not have the capability to be educated. Also, many do not receive the health treatment that they need because of cost or lack of resources at hand. Even though the United States aims to be a country where everyone receives the same treatment, it is certainly not so. Unfair treatment can be seen all throughout America in every generation and especially in the early 1800s. During the early 1800s and in the present day there is an ongoing
In the 1800s, there were many reformers that wanted to create change, who stood up for what they believed. One of those reformers was Dorothea Dix. She fought for health related issues and spoke for those that could not speak for themselves. She believed that everyone deserved to have a right to health and that there is a need for reform in America. Dorothea spoke up for rehabilitation, prison reforms, federal and state funding for mental health institutions, and other related issues which many people were afraid to speak about or simply did not care enough about. At the time, many people were not receiving equal access to an education regardless of class, gender, or sex which brought issues into the states. In the 1800s, education was not as widespread as it is right now and at the time, education was not seen as a necessity for the citizens. Many found themselves uneducated about topics which brought the overall society down. Citizens were not educated on diseases, mental and health issues, and a lot more which is why many people were labeled as insane. Citizens did not understand complex topics or human characteristics and because of that, many citizens were generally labeled. People who were believed to be insane would be “confined in cages, closets, cellars, stalls, pens! Chained… and lashed into obedience.” (Dix, Succors the Insane, 1843). Those who were believed to be different than
Throughout the years, many different parts of America needed reform.At the time, people wanted to see change in prison systems and asylums, women’s rights, slavery, education, health, government, religion, and many more. Even though citizens had opinions, those who started movements to show what they believed were mostly women. Women led these movements and charges because many times, the men were too involved in politics and government. The respected white males had and some may say, have the most power in an American society and they did not feel a need to participate in these movements fairly because they have had more power than women for years on end. Many were focused on themselves and not on those citizens which felt like a change was needed. In the 1800s, the most oppressed were those that were women slaves but that did not stop them from speaking up. Even though in the Declaration of Sentiments and Resolutions of 1848 it states that all men and women “are endowed with inalienable rights” of “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness”, yet not every person has these same rights. Today, not everyone receives liberty and many find themselves not able to say what they truly think. This can also be observed in the early 1800s because at the time, the slave trade was a grand business and the white masters were hungry for money. Most of what the people cared about was profit and most of those citizens who