Immigrants

The United States is based on the principles of liberty, equality, and freedom. These concepts are evident in the Declaration of Independence and the United States Constitution. However, not all Americans have enjoyed these so-called “inalienable rights” and many have struggled to attain liberty, freedom, and political, social, and economic equality. Choose one of the following groups and write about their collective experience between the years 1492 and 1865. How were they treated by the national and local governments and their fellow Americans? What rights and privileges were they denied? What hardships did they endure and why? Finally, did these groups offer any opposition to unjust treatment? If so, what?

Native Americans

African Americans

Women

Immigrants

Labor

The paper must meet length and formatting requirements.

3-5 pages (bibliography not included)
Double-spaced
12-point font, Times New Roman
1-inch margins
No cover page – place name and course info at top of first page
Bibliography required
The paper must include both secondary and primary sources.

At least three (3) secondary sources
At least two (2) primary sources

ANSWER

Immigrants

The quest for freedom and liberty and having equal rights in America has long been a struggle for minorities. Quite specifically are the troubles of African Americans, who the majority of whom were brought into the country through slavery. Slavery marked the height of their suffering, and many were denied their most fundamental right, freedom.[1]As each slave was actioned to a slave master, African American slaves endured various hardships, including providing free labor in the scorching cotton fields (Louis p.7, 2018). They also had to endure castration for fear of multiplying quickly. Some constitutional rights they were denied were the right to vote or be represented in the court of law. According to various state laws at the time, slaves were regarded as an object, and an object could therefore not speak or be represented in a court of law[2].

In addition, they were also denied social privileges. No slave was allowed to interact with any white person[3]. They were also not allowed to gather and socialize in mass numbers, as these were seen as recipes of a revolution or demonstrations against their slave owners (Catherine p. 40, 2020). Slave children were not allowed basic education, and it was illegal to associate with a book to pursue knowledge. Before the declarations of the abolishment of slavery on January 31, 1865[4]African Americans were not allowed to engage in politics or have a member of their ethnicity view for office to represent them. As mentioned, they had no right to vote.

However, this did not deter them from fighting for their freedom of speech, expression, liberty, and socialism. Those who were lucky to be spared by their slave owners and rendered free formed social groups that helped protect escaped slaves. Such unions helped fight the powers of oppression gradually until the national government took notice of their plight for freedom, thus granting them in 1865[5].

Bibliography

Armstrong, Catherine. “Concepts of Slavery in the United States 1865–1914.” The Palgrave international handbook of human trafficking (2020): 35-50.

Filler, Louis. Slavery in the United States. Routledge, 2018.

Shuster, Kate, Hasan Kwame Jeffries, and David W. Blight. “Teaching hard history: American slavery.” (2018).

[1] Filler, Louis. Slavery in the United States. Routledge, 2018.

[2] Shuster, Kate, Hasan Kwame Jeffries, and David W. Blight. “Teaching hard history: American slavery.” (2018).

[3] Armstrong, Catherine. “Concepts of Slavery in the United States 1865–1914.” The Palgrave international handbook of human trafficking (2020): 35-50.

[4] Filler, Louis. Slavery in the United States. Routledge, 2018.

[5] Shuster, Kate, Hasan Kwame Jeffries, and David W. Blight. “Teaching hard history: American slavery.” (2018).