Braydan Kopln

History 2200
Spring 2016

Becoming American
It all started when the Europeans first set foot in America and the American culture was
born. People came to America for many different reasons some came to find political and
religious freedom. Others came seeking economic opportunities and land ownership and dont
forget the adventurous people that came just to see what they could find in this great new land.
All these reasons and the driving forces behind them influenced the people to search for a better
way to live and govern a country. When it all comes together the American culture emerges,
where anyone can be their own boss and if there is a way for a rule to be bent it gets bent. The
journey wasnt easy, some races got marginalized and looked down on more than others. The
main races that got the short end of the stick as America figured itself out where the Native
Americans and African Americans. Many other groups of immigrants from all over the world
also got marginalized along the way but not like Native Americans or African Americans.
Looking back on how America unfolded, there was a learning curve that happened and might
never completely stop. With every curve America gets closer to a land with true equal liberty and
justice for all.
Throughout history people have marginalized other people for many different reasons
from skin color to language and level of education to religious views. But until America the
distance between different nations and races that might have conflict was relatively large.
America starts to grow and people from all over the world immigrate to one country. Because of
all the migration to America there ends up being a lot of different nationalities all really close
together. That makes it a lot more likely marginalization would take place. People marginalized
each other for almost anything and marginalize their own people. Still, a conflict remained
between younger and older generation Jews over how much Americanization was
desirable.(everyculture.com/Jewish-Americans/acculturationassimilation) the Native Americans
and African Americans had to overcome the most difficult marginalization that came happened in
America.
The Native and African Americans had the most difficult time assimilating. Not only
because of how they were marginalized, but they were the only 2 groups that didnt really choose
America. The Native Americans were already here and had their land taken. The African
Americans were brought over as slaves and forced to labor on plantations.

For thousands of years before Europeans the Native Americans lived as one with the
world. They lived all throughout the North America continent, made up of many different tribes
with cultures unique to each of them. For the most part they lived in peace with each other. The
real challenges start for them when people started migrating to America. The first people to show
up view the native life style as primitive and uncivilized. They are marginalized because of this
and their darker sink color. As more and more colonist arrive and start taking more of the land
the natives try and push back. In Virginia and North Carolina Algonquian-speaking nations under
the leadership of Opechancanough attacked the colonist. (The Ethnic Dimension pg.25) One of
the first acts of marginalization that takes place is legislation passed in October 13, 1675 by
Massachusetts that stated any native that enters Boston would be arrested. (Class Notes pg.6)
from then on they were treated like they were almost not human. Johnson v. MIntosh 1823 the
court ruled that from the Discovery Doctrine Europeans get free title of the land they discover
but the natives still get to live there. In 1830 the Indian Removal act was passed and the U.S
government started deciding where the Native Americans could live to free up land for
commercial use. This led to the Trail of Tears which refers to the journey 100,000 native
people had to endure. The Chotaw, Creek, Chickasaw, and Cherokee had to leave their native
lands and go to a reservation in Oklahoma. (The Ethnic Dimension pg.67) The Cherokee people
fought for years until the U.S. Army drove them out killing around 4,000 Cherokee in the
process. From here on the reservations they had to life on kept getting smaller and smaller
mainly because of natural resources were discovered on them also the rail road brought even
more whites further west. Somehow some of the Native American people and their culture
endured and the Self-Determination Act Amendment of 1994 finally had the government step
back and let the Native Americans dictate their future.
As America started to grow economically there was a lack of labor force needed for
Europes high demand of tobacco, cotton and other crops grown in the South. Plantation owners
created The Atlantic Slave Trade and brought around 450,000 Africans to America before being
shut down in the mid 1800s. Africans are rounded up and shipped to America as slaves, being
marginalized before even getting to America. Other Africans captured and sold them to the
traffickers that brought them a crossed the ocean. The reason Africans were treated this way is
the whites marginalized them for everything. Early Europeans with Protestant believes, viewed
Africans as heathens destined for hell. African religion seemed sacrilegious. Europeans were
incapable of seeing Africans as equals. (The Ethnic Dimension pg.95) When the civil war
finally ended slavery was abolished and they gained freedom. It was not freedom like the white
man knew they still had to endure being marginalized and fight until mid-1900 for equality. They
had to fight for every basic right. Like the right to use public transportation, the right to an
education, and the right to vote.
Legally excluded from the white world, blacks were forced to establish their own social,
political, and economic institutions. In the process of building a solid cultural base in the black

community, they formed a whole new identity: that of the African American. African Americans
recognized their African heritage, but now accepted America as home.(Everyculture)
This is when they first start being classified as African Americans. Finally after numerous
Supreme Court cases from Plessy v. Ferguson 1896 to Loving v. Virginia 1967 the African
American people finally are assimilated and for the most part get along with whites.
Marginalization wasnt just reserved for Native and Africans Americans. Almost all other
nationalities experienced marginalization in some form. Some of the other people that had to
overcome the challenges that being marginalized created. Included the Jewish people, people
from all parts of Asia, and Mexican/Spaniard people all experienced it in different ways. The
Jews brought a lot of it on themselves they didnt want to assimilate and kept a tight knit
community. Naturally when a group of people dont want anything to do with everyone else it
raises suspicions and rumors are created. The Asian people more specifically the Japanese during
the second World War were forced to live in internment camps. Most think it was to protect
America from espionage, but really they didnt want other American citizens doing harm to the
Japanese Americans. When gold was discovered out in California it brought Americans to the
west where Mexican ranchers had been living for some time now. Because they had been there
before this flood of Americans they had the prime real-estate. So the whites came up with laws
and taxes that drive the Mexicans into bankruptcy and take the land from them. After they lost
the land America goes back and forth with the Mexica people on immigration. To this day it is
still a topic in politics as long as the American Doller is more valuable than the Mexican Paso we
will see Mexican immigrants coming to America in search of a better life.
How people have been marginalized in America seams ignorant and even illogical at
times. But it was used as a way to protect and shape the American culture we know today. Before
people knew they could trust other people and accept them as part of America they used
marginalization kind of like a test to make sure the freedoms of America wouldnt be affected by
other views. As America goes forward it learns new levels of acceptance and understanding of all
the great people that make America, America. With every new situation America learns from it
comes one step closer to true equal liberty and justice for all.

Read more: http://www.everyculture.com/multi/A-Br/African-Americans.html#ixzz47wIYurvJ

Read more: http://www.everyculture.com/multi/Ha-La/Jewish-Americans.html#ixzz47rtzRjmm

For the essay portion, from the main groups of people studied in this course, Native Americans,
African-Americans and immigrants from all parts of the world, describe the most difficult
obstacles faced by each group, cite specific examples of marginalization and specific groups of
people that were subjected to these acts. Minimum length is three pages of text.

For the reflection portion answer the following question. How has this course increased your
awareness of the difficulties that immigrants faced in America in their quest to be accepted and
considered "Americans"? What information/knowledge from other courses you have taken has
added to your experience in this course? (Cite the courses) Minimum length of one page of text.