America is a very young nation compared to many other countries. One of the more interesting aspects of the United States are its diverse cultures. The United States of America became a way for many people to escape the hardships of their country and start fresh. Early on there was a lot of land that people could claim and create farms and businesses. It was a government by the people and for the people, which gave everyone a chance to put their opinion in for how they felt the country should be runed. By the people wanting a better future for themselves and their families they all worked together to build a better and more prosperous America. America is considered the melting pot. Everyone from everywhere can be found here, so it is a great place to meet many people from all over the world. Since the very beginning when the colonist came to America, until today there have been many and different kinds of conflicts that have shaped what America’s identity is today. When the colonist from Europe first arrived in America they had conflicts with the Native Americans that lived here in America before the colonist about the land. As the years went on those conflicts ceased, and new ones arose. Years later once the early Americans had explored mostly all of America, America learned the trade of slavery and began to enslave African-Americans to work for them on plantations. This caused conflict between the Northern States and the Southern states. The northern states did not agree that it was right to place African-Americans in slavery. They realized that it was not right, and that all people should be treated with equality. The south did not have the same views as the north and this caused the Civil War within the nation. ... ... middle of paper ... ...the Sandy Hook shooting a man went into an elementary school and opened fire on many young children. In the Boston Massacre two young men placed a pressure cooker bomb at the finish line of the Boston Marathon. This claimed the lives and limbs of many people there observing and running the race. The devastation that came out of these events they made Americans come together and really form a nation as one. Throughout history every country has its ups and downs. There is not one country that is exactly perfect. The ups and downs throughout history are what shape and give the country their story. America has many cultures, sad moments, happy moments, and aggressive moments. These feelings all together create the great country, The United States of America. The stories that I told are only a few of the many that have made America’s history so rich and plentiful.
From the start of the American Civil War, 1860, until the end of the Reconstruction, 1877, the United States of America endured what can be considered a revolution. Prior to the year 1860, there was a lack of union because of central government power flourishing rather than state power. Therefore, there was a split of opposite sides, North and South, fighting for authority. One major issue that came into mind was of slavery. At first, there were enactments that were issued to limit or rather prevent conflict to erupt, such as the numerous compromises, Missouri Compromise and the Compromise of 1850. They did not fulfill the needs of the states, South states in particular; therefore, in the year 1860, the Civil War had commenced. There was the issue of inequality of Blacks in suffrage, politics, and the use of public facilities. However, much constitutional and social advancement in the period culminated in the revolution. To a radical extent, constitutional development between 1860 and 1877 amount to a revolution because of events like the Emancipation Proclamation, Civil Rights Act, the amendments that tried to change African Americans lives in American Society and contributed to get the union together. There is the social developments as well that to a lesser extent had amounted to the revolution because of organizations like the Klu Klux Klan, Freedmen’s Bureau lacking, and discrimination against African Americans that caused progression of violence and white supremacy.
...in slavery breathing new life into the South, and in the country economy as a whole. With this rejuvenation came problems between North and South over moral differences. These differences created a rift that widened until sectionalism overtook nationalism. This rift was temporarily closed several times but ultimately the differences between North and South were so ingrained in their respective culture that it took a war to change. The wide and far-reaching effects of this event can be viewed as a pond, the country, when a pebble is thrown into it the ripples become larger and larger until they come in contact with something that can stop them. As the proverb says, “A butterfly that flaps its wings in China can cause a hurricane in Kansas.”
Near the end of the Antebellum Era, tensions and sectionalism increased as the states argued over what was constitutional. The South had later seceded from the United States and had become the Confederacy of America while the North had remained as the Union. The South had fully supported states’ rights while the north had strongly disapproved it. However, westward expansion, southern anger with the abolitionists, and the secession of the South that had destroyed the feeling of unity in the country because of the disagreement over slavery had been the main factors to the cause of the Civil War. Therefore, since slavery was the primary reason for the discontent in the country, it had been the primary cause of the Civil War.
In reading chapter 1, of the “Ethnic Myth”, by Stephen Steinberg, explains how the U.S. has a dominant society. In the U.S. class structures, unequal distributions of wealth, and political power vary between certain racial and ethnic groups. A main idea in this reading is ethnic pluralism which is defined as a particularly diverse racial or ethnic group that maintains their traditional culture within a broader more common civilization. Throughout history, race and ethnicity have caused conflict and the struggle of dominance over land. In reading chapter 2, of Drawing the Color Line, by Howard Zinn, explains how early in history inferior statuses of races which lead to mistreatment lead to racism. The very start of slavery began when african american slaves were brought to the north american colony called Jamestown.
Perhaps, the “Melting Pot” myth gained strength during the Industrial Revolution. With millions of immigrants entering the United States, culture was changing within the United States. Americans set a high standard for there society and everyone wanted to be accepted. There was a social requirement to live in a civil society creating together the “American Dream,” which leads to prosperity. Many immigrants moving to the United States brought with them various traditions of their culture and after moving, they repressed such beliefs and forged ahead with a new way of “American Thinking.” The rituals and traditions of such societies should have brought diversity to this nation’s culture however, these ways would soon become a part of the past. The “Melting Pot” myth heavily influences American society and people believe that everyone no matter what skin color or religious belief is created equal. This belief of the American Way of life is idyllic to say the least. Unfortunately, this myth has been thwarted due to a high level of racial supremacy within the nations past and even present. There are two particular events in national history, which will forever hinder equality: slavery of African Americans and Japanese internment camps during World War II in America. These substantial events shape our society and are only the tip of the iceberg when it
America is different from other places, it always has been. The reason why is that America has a vast variety of “.people from different nations, accustomed to different forms and habits of government, speaking different languages, and different in their modes of worship.” America is an immense melting pot. Together they all help America strive in every field of technology, work, and life because of all of these differences. Thomas Paine’s characterization of America does not hold true today.
From the mid-1840s, the struggle over slavery became central to American politics. Northerners who were committed to free soil, the idea that new, western territories should be reserved exclusively for free white settlers, clashed repeatedly with Southerners who insisted that any limitation on slavery's expansion was unconstitutional meddling with the Southern order and a grave affront to Southern honor. The slavery debate wasn't so much about the morality of the issue, but how it effected the nation politically and economically. This debate would later erupt into war. This furthers the South's commitment to Southern ways, especially slavery, in that they were willing to break from the Union, go to war, and die for the Southern cause.
The American Civil War was the bloodiest military conflict in American history leaving over 500 thousand dead and over 300 thousand wounded (Roark 543-543). One might ask, what caused such internal tension within the most powerful nation in the world? During the nineteenth century, America was an infant nation, but toppling the entire world with its social, political, and economic innovations. In addition, immigrants were migrating from their native land to live the American dream (Roark 405-407). Meanwhile, hundreds of thousand African slaves were being traded in the domestic slave trade throughout the American south. Separated from their family, living in inhumane conditions, and working countless hours for days straight, the issue of slavery was the core of the Civil War (Roark 493-494). The North’s growing dissent for slavery and the South’s dependence on slavery is the reason why the Civil War was an inevitable conflict. Throughout this essay we will discuss the issue of slavery, states’ rights, American expansion into western territories, economic differences and its effect on the inevitable Civil War.
From it’s colonization, America had seemed to be a willingful advocate of slavery. As the 19th century began, it became apparent that Southern States, economically dependant on agricultural business and “King Cotton” continued to work enslaved Africans while the Northern States turned the other cheek. As time went on, Northern citizens and Southern citizens in a once-unified country came into conflict in several different ways. The three main causes (Infringement of civil liberties, infringement of states’ rights, and the economic and moral issues of slavery) made the conflict between the South and the North impossible to resolve, resulting in the inevitable Civil War.
The people of a country will not always agree on national policies; such was the case after the American Revolution. As what is known as the antebellum period began, the American Nation was divided into the North and South by many issues but most economic issues arising from western expansion and slavery. While the North had abolished slavery, the South insisted on slavery for the cultivation of their cash crops especially cotton. The south had religious and racial justifications for the institution of slavery and even went so far as to proclaim slavery was for the slave’s own benefit. The North, motivated by the second Great Awakening however, had women and the Abolitionist movement that regarded slavery as evil and an institution that needed to be abolished. The Great North-South Divide had been set in motion.
The Boston Massacre was an extremely influential event in U.S. History. It changed the complexion of our nation forever. No one was ever able to give an accurate description of what took place that night, but one thing that you can be sure of is the fact that America may have waited many years before revolting against Great Britain. The Boston Massacre should not only be remembered for the death of the five men, but also for the conflicts that brought on the shooting and for the events that it set off. The massacre was a culmination of tensions between the English and the Americans. The Boston Massacre set a fire under the colonists and drove them to freedom.
The United States of America is a country founded on the idea of freedom and opportunity. Beginning with the first colony founded in 1607, people from all over the world have migrated to the U.S. to escape oppression and persecution. In 1607, people fled from England to escape religious persecution. In 2007, Arlinda Shehu and her family received the golden opportunity to leave an impoverished country to seek better lives in the United States.
Sociology professor Morrie Schwartz once said, "Rules I know to be true about love and marriage: If you don't respect the other person, you're gonna have a lot of trouble. If you don't know how to compromise, you're gonna have a lot of trouble. If you can't talk openly about what goes on between you, you're gonna have a lot of trouble…” (Albom 149). Although not stated as clearly or concisely, the vast majority of Jhumpa Lahiri’s stories retell the truths told above. Three stories in particular; "A Temporary Matter," "When Mr. Pirzada Comes to Dine," and "The Third and Final Continent," especially exemplify the quote above. Throughout these stories Jhumpa Lahiri writes of the struggles Indians have building new relationships while trying to assimilate to American culture; Lahiri illustrates that in order to strengthen any relationship, one must display compassion, respect, and honesty.
In the years 1800-1850 the North and South of the United States were very different but they clashed head on as people expanded west. As people from both sides of the US moved Westward they took there beliefs, traditions and attitudes with them. Due to the West being nearly empty it was a blank slate for the people moving there to paint with their own beliefs, economies and ways of life. However this was not easy, because there was such a deep riff in the lives of people from clashing sides of the US. Both the North and South of the Early United States had different economies, social structures, ways of life and ideas on the issue of Slavery.
The United States of America was built on a foundation of immigration. Our country started from people seeking religious refuge from tyrannical England. From that point on America was seen as a place for people who wanted a better life. Throughout the years, more immigrants came and they weren’t just from England. People who felt prosecuted, unwanted, or were just sick of how their life was in their country came to America. For a while, we welcomed them with open arms. There was such an influx of people from all different cultures and backgrounds that America became known as the melting pot. Then slowly, as people forgot their heritage, America started refusing these immigrants. So what happened to America’s melting pot?