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From the time America was founded to how it has evolved today has a lot to do with the American Spirit. The American spirit is diversity, which means the inclusion of different types of people with the same aspirations, and optimism to succeed. Immigrants from all over the world are the root cause of what created an American. Because the American dreamed to prosper it granted them to strive for more and triumph which molded them into unique people creating the epic American Culture. Also, one of the most memorable times in our history was the Gold Rush which contributed diversity as a signature of the United States. Equally important the Gold Rush is consciousness today because it demonstrated awareness of many immigrants with different backgrounds …show more content…
to learn and share the same desires to prosper, which intertwine with the American Spirit. Ambitious Americans and immigrants from all over the world traveled to California during the Gold Rush, which began in1849.
That was the starting point for many people, both Americans and immigrants to strive for their definition of happiness and riches. As stated by Laurence Shames in “The More Factor”, “This has been the American trinity form the very start. The frontier was the backdrop and also the raw material for the streak of economic booms. The booms became the goad and also the justification for the myriad gambles and for American’ famous optimism. The optimisms’, in turn, shaped the schemes and visions that were sometimes noble, sometimes appalling, always bold (27).Not only did the Gold Rush open the doors to diversity; it was also adopted as the country’s identity. Naturally America is now known as the great melting pot as a metaphor that translates that people from all back grounds traveled to the West for the hopes of becoming rich. Laurence Shames quote has many similarities to the Gold Rush period because they both describe of the hopes of starting all over and having opportunities to get wealthy. As long as all immigrants worked hard together panning out gold with optimism of getting rich and putting their differences aside it embedded more on reflection of the American …show more content…
spirit. Although with the presistendal election many people in the 21st century fear the destruction of diversity.
One of the many important recalls is that the United States was constructed on the pride of diversity, which emerged into pursuing the strong personal beliefs, values and vision for the future. Like during the Gold Rush and now there was many conflicts regarding the different backgrounds. Once the conflicts rose during the late 1860s due to crowding of many people traveling in a fast pace to California. According to Thomas J. Osborne in “ Pacific El Dorado” states “ with tens of thousands of miners of diverse ethnic and nations origins, laboring often in close proximity to one another, problems of law and order were bound to arise given the absence of lawmen and courts”(98). Even if there was no law enforcement during the period of the Gold Rush, American eventually learned to live among each other and especially learn. The positive aspect of working around different diversities created the knowledge to understand that there’s many ways of living, building, and thinking. Meanwhile even though it seems like we are replaying our past history it will never happen again because as history repeats itself over and over again it helps people realize that we need each other in order to prosper. Without the immigrants the United States would not be what it is today, without the immigrants there wouldn’t be an American dream, and without the immigrants there would never be the
American Spirit, diversity took charge of the aspirations and hopes that creates one breed that defines the American. Diversity created the American Sprit, from times of the Gold Rush to today people learned to work together. The fundamental of working together created Americans and the American Spirit Diversity has to be acknowledged in the broadest way possible. Embracing of humanity, your own culture and also appreciating the American ideal of which it stands of liberty and justice for all. Different diversity came to this country to form it and to offer it all, give it all it has. There is one thing no matter what diversity you are, it is optimism no matter what you are, what color you resemble we all have hopes. Americans have hopes to better themselves as people, hopes to live happy, hopes to be able to contribute, and hopes for love and acceptance. Diversity plays a huge role in the United States, without immigrants the United States would have never been this successful. When you walk around your town or city what do you see? You see many business owned by different diversity backgrounds. Guess what? They contribute to this nation, they help this nation they pay taxes. When you walk into your Childs school, what do you see? You see kids of all races playing together, learning from each other. They have one thing in common and that is that they are all American and they have the spirit of it. There different backgrounds, beliefs and values are the diversity which makes American so great.
The California Gold Rush in 1849 was the catalyst event for the state that earned them a spot in the U.S. union in 1850. This was not the first gold rush in North America; however, it was one of the most important gold rush events. The story of how the gold was discovered and the stories of the 49ers are well known. Men leaving their families in the East and heading West in hopes of striking it rich are the stories that most of us heard about when we learn about the California Gold Rush. Professors and scholars over the last two decades from various fields of study have taken a deeper look into the Gold Rush phenomena. When California joined the Union in 1850 it helped the U.S. expand westward just as most Americans had intended to do. The event of the Gold Rush can be viewed as important because it led to a national railroad. It also provided the correct circumstances for successful entrepreneurship, capitalism, and the development modern industrialization. The event also had a major influence on agriculture, economics, and politics.
In the eyes of the early American colonists and the founders of the Constitution, the United States was to represent the ideals of acceptance and tolerance to those of all walks of life. When the immigration rush began in the mid-1800's, America proved to be everything but that. The millions of immigrants would soon realize the meaning of hardship and rejection as newcomers, as they attempted to assimilate into American culture. For countless immigrants, the struggle to arrive in America was rivaled only by the struggle to gain acceptance among the existing American population.
As most folks do, when I think of the term “Gold Rush”, it conjures up images of the West! Images of cowboys and crusty old miners ruthlessly and savagely staking their claims. Immigrants coming by boat, folks on foot, horseback, and covered wagon form all over the US to rape and pillage the land that was newly acquired from Mexico through the 1848 Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo… California. But let me tell you about a gold rush of another kind, in another place, even more significant. It was the actual first documented discovery of gold in the United States! Fifty years earlier…in North Carolina!
Post Civil War, America was looking for new opportunities to become a stronger and more efficient nation. Though reconstruction collapsed, they took the opportunity of the Manifest Destiny to gain the territories of the Louisiana Purchase and the Mexican-American War and settle the west. With this expansion, it provided numerous opportunities for the people to gain success alongside the nation. The gold rush caused an increase in immigration that brought more people to the newly flourishing nation, and allowed the west coast to become settled as well as help the economy from the new wealth. The land that was gained in the Louisiana Purchase provided the Great Plains, where pioneers settled and ranching operations were run. Though it sadly pushed away the native tribes who originally lived there, throughout the gilded age the government has tried to return to them their land and rights – and gives them reparations today. All of which provided a basis to the American dream that gave the opportunity for a better life to many people. Towns and economy was...
There is no denying that immigration will always be a factor in the development of the United States. Whether it is due to religious beliefs, economic problems or even war in their native country, emigrants will always come to America with hopes of starting a new life in the “Land of the Free”. Fortunately, the people who do choose to legally migrate to America are generally motivated for success and well-educated. Even the immigrants who are not well educated are motivated to succeed, work hard and take jobs in areas where labor forces are low or jobs that a native-born American may not even consider, effectively making them a contributing member of society.
The United States is an immense country, with many residents and citizens descending from immigrants who have influenced many customs, traditions, behaviors and ways of life. Unlike many old world nations, the United States does not have a homogenous population or a traditional homeland. However, American culture can be interpreted as being largely based in Western Europe with influences from the Native Indians, Africans, Asians, and elsewhere.
The Untied States of America is commonly labeled or thought of as the melting pot of the world where diverse groups of people flock to in order to better their current lives. In our countries history this has proven to primarily be our way of living and how the people as a nation view immigration. However, in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries this open door mentality was quite the opposite to what the majority of people felt towards the idea of welcoming these huddled masses. Immigrants were not seen as equals or people willing to work hard for a better life but rather a diseased parasite that would suck the prosperous and prestigious life that the old immigrants had become accustomed to. American nativist groups during this time period acted in a hypercritical manner with the impression that open immigration would, in the end cause our country to be overtaken and overrun by a far less superior race.
“Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness”, three common goals immigrants came to America seeking with hopes of the promise to prosper and gain success. However, during the Gilded Age it seemed as though these were attainable only for the select few, while others left the land they knew to spend their lives toiling away in pursuit of the American dream, many never understanding how unattainable it really was. While the Gilded Age was a time of an industrial boom and a growing economy, those working by the sweat of their brow to make the success of this time possible, were not actually ever grasping this wealth, but rather putting right back into the pockets of the wealthy. The Gilded Age compromised the American Dream by limiting the chances of the immigrant working class, and thus creating a cycle of missed opportunities keeping the immigrants from progressing much further then when they came to America to begin with.
Some would say, quotes John F. Kennedy, “Everywhere immigrants have enriched and strengthened the fabric of American life.” Thus, in today’s society, we can say that immigrants are what made America possible—economically and socially. We are in a melting pot era where the impossible was made possible. From the time John F. Kennedy was elected in 1960, making a promise to change the national origins system to unite the nations of all countries equally. Hence, in 1965, under Lyndon Johnson’s administration, Kennedy’s promise came into light, amending the INS—favoring unification of families, not national origins. Although, the unification was made possible, the peacefulness never lasted.
The Gold Rush was a time when many people in United States rushed west in hopes of discovering gold. This attracted thousands of people from all around America. Women played a key role in the Gold Rush. They had lots of jobs when it came to migrating west.
Immigrants have always been an important part of United States’ population. Each year, there are hundreds of thousands of immigrants, from all around the world, including legal and illegal, come into the United States for job opportunities, new life, or the American Dream. “Immigrants have contributed significantly to the development of the United States. During the Lincoln administration, immigrants were actually encouraged to come to America, as they were considered valuable to the development of the country.” (Soylu & Buchanan, 2013). They believe that the US will give them more freedom, protection, and opportunities, which sometimes it becomes the major issues for immigrants. That’s why “the U.S. population is becoming more racially and
Europeans and people throughout the world came to America to evade religious oppression and begin anew with a culture that was like no other. In the nineteenth century, Ralph Waldo Emerson made a statement of how America was declaring cultural independence from their European ancestry. The United States became a melting pot of the world; blending people, language and heritage creating opportunity for even the the lowest and most hated ethnic groups. Slaves began to have their own unique culture and literature for the first time. America had it’s own literary movement sparking creativity that evolved into significant components of modern culture.
Our 32nd President Franklin Roosevelt once said the famous words of,” Remember, remember always, that all of us, and you and I especially, are descended from immigrants and revolutionists.” (Roosevelt, Franklin) In the dilemma we face today people love to bring this up as an excuse. In all the years our great country has been established, we have always thrived upon immigrants, because even we are descended from immigrants. However when others come here to our country and are not documented and drastically change our country, then we must fight back against them to reclaim what is ours. We live in a nation where each culture and a single person is just a single important piece to make our country great, but there are recent visitors to our country which have made it a struggle to keep thriving as the great nation we are. The struggle I speak of is not immigration but illegal immigration. Illegal immigrants have caused a struggle politically, in the government and have affected you even in your own schools and work. We must rectify the immigration system to help our predicament because the effects of illegal immigration may surprise you.
Millions of immigrants over the previous centuries have shaped the United States of America into what it is today. America is known as a “melting pot”, a multicultural country that welcomes and is home to an array of every ethnic and cultural background imaginable. We are a place of opportunity, offering homes and jobs and new economic gains to anyone who should want it. However, America was not always such a “come one, come all” kind of country. The large numbers of immigrants that came during the nineteenth century angered many of the American natives and lead to them to blame the lack of jobs and low wages on the immigrants, especially the Asian communities. This resentment lead to the discrimination and legal exclusion of immigrants, with the first and most important law passed being the Chinese Exclusion Act. However, the discrimination the Chinese immigrants so harshly received was not rightly justified or deserved. With all of their contributions and accomplishments in opening up the West, they were not so much harming our country but rather helping it.
Because the colonies welcomed all people, regardless of religion, race, or skin color, they were an intriguing destination. This proclamation excited and interested many people in Europe, resulting in a influx of various types of Europeans migrating towards the colonies (112). This migration of Europeans really was the beginning of America beginning known as a culturally diverse society. This westward continental movement helped aid America emerge as the first country that is accepting of all cultures with no consequences. As a result, this helped America come into its own as a place where freedom and liberty were principles it was based on. Migration of the Europeans across the Atlantic to the colonies, was a key component of America’s transformation because it helped with the expansion of the country and resulted in America being a tempting destination to