Changes in the Race Relations
The era of reconstruction in America sought to reintegrate the Confederate states into the union with the aim of achieving full equality both on political and civil grounds for the African Americans. Previously, the African Americans were mainly slaves in the southern states where they had no rights and worked under harsh conditions with no or minimal pay. The reconstruction was implemented by the Congress and lasted between 1866 and 1877. The effects of the civil war were adverse, and the Congress wanted the southern states to unite with the northern states and find a way in which the whites and blacks could live together in a non-slave community ( Quigley, 2015 ). The first major change in the racial relations after the reconstruction was the Thirteen Amendment to the constitution. This amendment came as a relief to the African Americans because it banned slavery thus giving freedom to the blacks who have been serving as slaves in the southern states. Following this amendment, the blacks were now protected from forced labor as well as working in an unconducive working environment.
Another change that occurred in the race relations was the Fourteenth Amendment which sought to address the issue of citizenship and rights and equal protection under the law. The African Americans were to be given citizenship and have equal rights and protection like the whites ( Maltz, 2014 ). They were to own property, acquire land, seek their own employment, start their businesses and enjoy government services. This move reduced racism and protected all the people as citizens. The Fifteenth Amendment, on the other hand, protected racial discrimination on the matters of politics by granting every person the right to vote and take part in any political activity irrespective of color or race. The move changed the politics and lives of many blacks who were initially secluded from political matters.
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Consequences of Industrialization
The industrial revolution started in the United States in the 1800s and went through to the American civil war. As the civil war ended, industrialization in America was still limited as most of the work relied on the hand labor. After the civil war, however, there was a dramatic change in the industrial growth as many businesses opened up and machines were introduced in the manufacturing sectors. The methods of production improved in most industries leading to a rising in the value of goods and services produced by America. New products were introduced, and the American rich natural resources were utilized to produce goods and services ( Blumer, 2018 ). America began to surpass most of the leading economies in the world including Germany due to the rising economy and increased manufacturing and production of valuable goods.
Industrialization further attracted several investors who started big businesses mainly in the urban centers. The lives of many people were affected by the industrial revolution. Because businesses were booming in the cities and urban centers, many people moved from rural to towns to seek employment opportunities. The lives of the many people who secured jobs changed substantially as they could earn a living. However, as many investors opened up large businesses, there arose class divisions of both the wealthy, middle and lower class groups. While the wealthy people had accumulated a lot of wealth from business, there was a group of people who still lived in extreme poverty, especially those who remained in rural areas ( Blumer, 2018 ). Immigrants also started coming to the United States to seek job opportunities leading to flooding of the population in the urban areas. Even as the economy of the country grew, the war-torn south still lagged behind as it struggled to rebuild themselves from after the war. Most people in the south were black and white farmers who practiced small scale farming due to small pieces of land. They remained poor even as other people continued to accumulate wealth and grow economically.
The Rise of the Progressive Movement
Religion played a key role in promoting and championing for the progressive movement that led to liberalization in America. Many religions believed that the causes of social injustices and problems that Americans faced after industrialization were mainly due to corruption in politics and the negative impacts of industrialization. Through their belief in social morality in the society, religious leaders stayed at the forefront in calling for the progressive movement to solve the social and economic problems that the society faced ( Gould, 2014 ). Religious leaders viewed such social injustices as immoral and need the intervention of the government to find a solution.
One of the reform movements that helped define the progressive era was the social reform movement. This movement aimed to ensure that there was social justice and that social evil such as corruption and bribery were eliminated. Its members had the intention of making America a better place for all Americans to live. Another movement that defined the progressive era was the women suffrage movement which was formed to fight for reforms that will give women equal rights in the society ( Gould, 2014 ). The movement wanted women to have equal employment opportunities, voting rights and any other right that the men were enjoying.
The progressive movement led to the nineteenth amendment of 1920 which sought to provide both men and women equal voting rights. The amendment notes that every citizen has the right to vote and that no individual shall be denied that right based on their gender. This constitutional amendment led to the constitutionalizing of the women suffrage and providing all the women as well as women with the right to vote. The women rights movement began in the 1830s and played a key role in the prohibition of slavery among other amendments to the constitution that followed after. During the progressive era, women rights movement continued to play a key role in seeking reforms.
Role of American Imperialism
Imperialism is the policy of a country to extend its powers and influence to other regions by use of either military forces or colonization. The United States has many times in the past played an active role in assisting other nations to gain independence. Even though the US has constantly claimed to remain neutral in taking colonies and to remain an advocate of democracy and freedom, the country has on many occasions provided military assistance and extend its power. One of the impacts of American imperialism was its intervention when Cuba was struggling for independence from Spain. America provided military assistance to Cuba, and this led to the Spanish-American War in 1898 ( Welch, 2016 ). The United States declared war on Spain where they emerged victoriously. Spain felt that the US was interfering with the affairs of other nations and out of this conflict, the war was declared. This war was not for freedom, and the major reason for the entry of US into it was imperialism and to show the world that the US still have influence and power.
Imperialism also played a role in the escalation of the World War I. even though the war began in Europe, the best option for the United States was to stay out of it because it had nothing to gain from getting involved. But it proved difficult for America to stay neutral because it wanted to show and extend its influence and power using the military and other means. American interests began to lean towards the allied powers, and this gave the US the push to get into the war ( Welch, 2016 ). It got its forces to the war, and its entry only made the war escalate and get serious. With the aim to increase its influence over the world and show other nations that America is still the superpower, the American forces joined the war and fought against other nations. If not for imperialism, US had no interest joining the World War I.
References
Quigley, D. (2015). Second Founding: New York City, Reconstruction, and the Making of American Democracy . Hill and Wang.
Maltz, E. M. (2014). Moving Beyond Race: The Joint Committee on Reconstruction and the Drafting of the Fourteenth Amendment. Hastings Const. LQ , 42 , 287.
Blumer, H. (2018). Industrialization as an agent of social change: A critical analysis . Routledge.
Gould, L. L. (2014). America in the progressive era, 1890-1914 . Routledge.
Welch Jr, R. E. (2016). Response to Imperialism: The United States and the Philippine-American War, 1899-1902 . UNC Press Books.
