One of the controversial issue facing historians concerns how diverse ethnic groups forged national identity at the phase of 18 th century especially with the major ethnic crisis on American soil which involved Germans at Pennsylvania. Germans always voted to the opposition and this angered most Americans who claimed Germans seemed unassimilable alien bloc. Another group of individuals who were viewed with lots of resentment are the Dutch. They were stingy and this made them to be branded “Dutch treat” as a result of their generally superior status. The paper is anchored on the fact that the idea of national identity began manifesting itself due to revolutionaries started by loyalists. The reactions were aimed at playing down ethnic discord but it also gave people an image that no ethnic differences existed among them.
The entire period of 18 th century saw an interaction of people from diverse backgrounds. The mingling was as a result of the events of emigration ( United States, 1981) . This period saw even the Native Americans flee from their motherland, mostly to Canada and Britain. It is also within this timeline that the aspect of ethnicity developed its roots and since then, it still manifests itself up to date among the citizenry of the United States. The manner at which ethnicity was evident during that epoch is witnessed in the context of the book, “Coming to America”, where at some point, the inhabitants suggest that they ought to scrub their plates by clearing America of wood which in turn would make their nation shine bright thus lighting that darker side of the globe (Daniels, 2002). The analogy carried a deeper meaning sensitizing the Natives on the need to excavate people of African stature and only retain those whose complexion was purely white and red (David, 1998). The era marked an onset of ethnicity which ushered in execution of most immigrants, though it is important to keep in mind that even the whites considering themselves superior did not have a uniform ethnic attitude. They differed on grounds of geography, class, and religion.
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Jefferson in is Declaration of Independence, for instance, gave an address that people living and traversing the American soil are “One People”. On the other hand, George Washington inclined on the same message in his 1796 Farewell Address. He dwelled on oneness as well and that American people were of one citizenry through birth or choice of a common country, and also said that despite the insignificant shades of differences, they bear the same religion, manners and political principles. The constitution of 1777 backed up the acquisition of national identity thus making inhabitants live freely (Daniels, 1997). The Articles of Confederation gave provisions that entitled the free inhabitants all privileges and immunities in other states thus eliminating possible violation of human rights of people from other nations.
There was a coexistence of legal framework as per the Constitution and Naturalization Act of 1790. The Act dwelled on statutes and it legally gave out standards of naturalization based on revolutionary consensus which was still in effect then. Its conditions favored the white indentured servants on grounds of having stayed at the United States from the age of two years. Any white indentured servant who satisfied these criterion could be naturalized by being taken to any American court and the process completed by the jury. This feature, however, denied naturalization to black immigrants and those Asians that migrated to the U.S later. Nevertheless, the statues did not touch on anything that concerns the status of citizenship of persons who were of African origin in terms of complexion and were born there. Citizenship of free blacks, nonetheless, depended on the laws of particular states where someone hailed from because no national citizenship had been established until 1870.
Somehow, the controversial issue identified at the introduction has been answered partly. The analysis have shown that the idea of national identity began manifesting itself due to revolutionaries started by loyalists. These groups played down ethnic discord but it also gave people an image that no ethnic differences existed among them.
References
Daniels, R. (1989). History of Indian immigration to the United States: an interpretative essay . New York: Asia Society.
United States. (1981). U.S. immigration policy and the national interest: Staff report of the Select Commission on Immigration and Refugee Policy, April 30, 1981 . Washington, D.C.?: The Select Commission.
Daniels, R. (1997). Not like us: Immigrants and minorities in America, 1890-1924 . Chicago: Ivan R. Dee.
David M. Reimers, Unwelcome Strangers: American Identity and the Turn Against Immigration (New York: Columbia University Press, 1998).
Daniels, R. (2002). Coming to America: A history of immigration and ethnicity in American life. New York: Perennial.
