Cultural Assimilation Of African Americans

The late 19th century found America continuing to struggle with integration of minorities but also wanting to have some form of segregation in certain areas. The whites were not ready to give up their notion of white supremacy even though laws had been passed such as the civil rights act. With the end of reconstruction the South was forced to integrate the minorities but did not embrace this change with open arms but with underhanded continued control of the minorities. The African Americans were able to obtain their freedom but this freedom came at a cost. They were no longer slaves but still had a battle to obtain the rights that came with being free such as being paid for work, ability to vote, own land and participate in government without
It can first be seen with the control the whites imposed on the Native Americans by forcing them to relocate to reservations, adapt to their religion and cultures. This is addressed by Zitka-Za in her writing of “American Indian Stories” where she writes:” In the autumn of the tenth year I was sent back to my tribe to preach Christianity to them. With the white man’s Bible in my hand, and the white man’s tender heart in my breast, I returned to my own people.” This was the white man’s attempt at placing a lesser value on the Indians beliefs and cultures than their own which they felt was the correct way of seeing and doing things. They wished to integrate the Native Americans into their way of life but only to the extent that they wanted. They wanted them to conform to the white way of life by being subordinate to them. The other group affected by cultural assimilation were the African Americans who had their own traditions and cultures. They wanted their freedom but once they received it they weren’t prepared for the changes to their way of life that it would bring. They were free but still had to conform to what the white man thought they should be. The white man still expected respect and politeness from them as they had taught them as slaves. Ida B. Wells addressed this by stating: in state of slavery he learned politeness from association with white people, who took pains to teach them. Since emancipation came and the tie of mutual interest and regard between master and servant was broken the Negro has drifted away into a state which is neither freedom nor bondage”. Per the lecture notes it is also discussed that interactions between former slaveholders and those who were slaves had not changed fundamentally when it came to interpersonal interactions and expectation on how to act. Another minority affected were the Chinese. The Chinese were