The United States is popularly acknowledged to be a democratic society, where people from different racial, ethnic, and cultural backgrounds coexist harmoniously. This seemingly democratic society is even reinforced by the popular “American Dream” where everyone wants to succeed regardless of their social backgrounds. However, this harmony and pursuit of the “American Dream” has been a process, which has been characterized with struggle. This essay describes the concept of an “American citizen” from 1865 to the present with the special focus on African Americans, Native Americans and the Spanish Americans, popularly known as the Latinos. The analysis will be done from the perspective of social, cultural and economic factors.
Perhaps it is essential to define what it means by being an American citizen to understand the process. Historian James Truslow Adams in, The Epic of America, tried to explain American citizenship by coining the term “American Dream” in 1931. He described it as “that dream of a land in which life should be better and richer and fuller for every man, with opportunity for each according to his ability or achievement 1 .” Adams came up with the American Dream because of the history of the nation. It constituted of immigrants who wanted freedom and success in the New Land. Therefore, to be an American citizen meant to be given the opportunity and freedom to participate in improving one’s life and building the nation.
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1865 was the year that the American Civil War ended. The cause of the war had been the ideological differences between the north and the south in regard to the use of slavery 2 . The south depended on agriculture for its economy and the slaves, who were mainly blacks, were an important resource. The slaves were mistreated, paid no wages, and were not allowed to participate in normal social and economic life. Nevertheless, the south was defeated in the civil war but was reluctant to yield to the demands of the north as well as to civil rights activists. The north now had the responsibility of not only reconstructing the south but also dealing with the status of the freed slaves. The southerners argued that blacks were not American citizens, a dispute that compelled the Congress to enact the popular Fifteenth Amendment, which gave African Americans the right to vote in 1870 3 . However, racist hiring practices dominated in the south especially in the cotton, iron, and tobacco industries.
From 1870s to 1900, the United States made great steps in industrialization and was on its way to becoming a capitalist society. Industrialization created the middle-class, a process that had other consequences. Women began to agitate for equal employment rights. For a long time, women had been treated as second-class citizens, with no right to vote and unequal employment opportunities. Their agitation led to the 19 th Amendment, which gave women the right to vote in 1920. Consequently, there was the first attempt of the Equal Rights Act in 1923 but failed at the committee stage 4 . The 1920s to 1930s was also a period of the Harlem Renaissance that witnessed the blossoming of the African American culture. It was also known as “The New Negro Movement”, which was meant to deconstruct the stereotypes about African Americans 5 . The period promoted literacy and artistic capabilities of African-Americans. As a consequence, many African Americans moved from rural areas and settled in urban centers.
It seems the Harlem Renaissance would trigger the civil rights movement of the late 1940s and early 1950s. However, the movement came to immense prominence in the 1960s as an opposition to segregation. The segregation meant that the blacks and whites would not eat in same hotels, travel on the same bus, or attend same schools. The notable figures in the civil rights movement were Martin Luther King Jnr. And Malcolm X 6 . While the two leaders strived for the same goal, they differed in ideology. King advocated for nonviolence while Malcolm X wanted the use of more radical means to advocate for equality between the blacks and whites.
Although African Americans almost dominate the struggle for equality and the concept of American Citizenship, Native Americans and Hispanics have also decried the way they are treated. In 1961, frustrated Native American university students held demonstrations to advocate for the rights of Native Americans 7 . They argued that the conservation laws were against their cultural and economic practices, especially fishing. They, therefore, wanted the government to give them immunity to continue with their practices. The Mexican American civil rights movement also emerged in the 1960s to protest against discrimination in schools, agriculture, politics, as well as in other formal and informal institutions. The movement, which was prominently known as the Chicano movement, was led by Cesar Chavez. The protests by these two groups came as a consequence of America’s quest to establish an empire. The conquering of the natives as well as acquisition of regions such as Texas would later on spark calls for fair treatment and inclusion 8 .
Conclusively, American citizenship is better defined by the struggles of the African Americans, Native Americans and the Latin Americans. It is about being given the freedom and opportunity to pursue their dreams. African Americans struggled for freedom and equal opportunities. Native Americans have always struggled for respect for their cultural and social practices while Latin Americans have always advocated for fair treatment in both formal and informal institutions. Therefore, American citizenship is about giving all citizens equal treatment and opportunities regardless of their social, cultural, economic, racial or ethnic backgrounds.
Bibliography
Hakim, Joy. A History of US: Reconstructing America: 1865-1890 . Oxford University Press, 2012.
Lecture notes. “American Empire. Late 19 th Century”.
Lecture notes. “The Roaring 20s”.
Locke, Joseph, and Ben Wright. "27. The Sixties. THE AMERICAN YAWP". 2018. Americanyawp.Com . Accessed October 4 2018. http://www.americanyawp.com/text/27-the-sixties/ .
Silver, Leah. "Social Class in America". 2011. Social Class in America . Accessed October 4 2018. https://leahasilver.wordpress.com/.
1 Silver, Leah. "Social Class in America". 2011. Social Class in America . Accessed October 4 2018. https://leahasilver.wordpress.com/.
2 Hakim, Joy. A History of US: Reconstructing America: 1865-1890 . Oxford University Press, 2012.
3 Hakim, Joy. A History of US: Reconstructing America: 1865-1890 . Oxford University Press, 2012.
4 Lecture notes. “The Roaring 20s”.
5 Lecture notes. “The Roaring 20s”.
6 Locke, Joseph, and Ben Wright. "27. The Sixties. THE AMERICAN YAWP". 2018. Americanyawp.Com . Accessed October 4 2018.
7 Locke, Joseph, and Ben Wright. "27. The Sixties. THE AMERICAN YAWP". 2018. Americanyawp.Com . Accessed October 4 2018.
8 Lecture notes. “American Empire. Late 19 th Century”.
