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Race In The American West

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Race In The American West
In the late 15th century Columbus encountered African Americans which was a factor to how the race was invented. The race was set by a system of rules and a hierarchy where people were set on a scale depending on their race. The color of people's skin and their cultural beliefs are what set up the idea of race. Race in the American West was based off certain rights and if the people in the American West during this time weren’t considered fully white they were discriminated in American societies. The race is looked upon differently in many parts of the world. The American West compares to racism around other parts of the world based on the social hierarchy of racial status. Race over time has changed. Today race is a very common thing but …show more content…
The African-Americans freed from slavery found the post-emancipation US a hostile and dangerous country with entrenched inequalities. During high imperialism was a time based on knowledge of scientific racism not only in the American West. During the 19th century, Africa emerged as a prime location for colonization due to its wealth of natural resources. There was a movement that was called the “White Man’s Burden” it was a poem that justified imperialist expansion it consisted of the three C’s: Civilization, Christianity, and Commerce. Around the same time in the American West, there were Indian boarding schools. These schools were to assimilate Indian tribes into the mainstream of the “American way of life”. Reformers assumed that it was necessary to “civilize” Indian people to make them accept white men’s beliefs and value system. Also, happening in the American West was the Chinese exclusion Act which occurred in 1882. After this date, no new Chinese could move into California. There were alien land laws that prohibited people other than the white race to be eligible for citizenship and for them to own agricultural land. There was a man who had all the attributes of an American citizen. He acted like the Americans, behaved like them and had the same values he even had white skin. But in 1922 when this man tried to become a citizen he was denied because he was a Japanese

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