The US Minority Groups Essay

A federal government oversees the roughly 50 states that make up the US. Whites, the predominant ethnic group in the US, have controlled the majority of economic sectors while providing few chances for other groups. Irish, German, African-American, Scottish, and Native Americans are a few of the minority communities in the US. Unexpectedly, the European people regarded the local indigenous people as a minor ethnic group. As a result, the paper will concentrate on how three minority groups—German Americans, African Americans, and Native Americans—were accepted in the US by 1840 and discuss the difficulties they encountered on the way to achieving their current success. African-Americans are blacks brought in the US as either slave or freed slaves after the end of slave trade. The fight against slavery began in the early 1830s with advocates coming from various parts of the world especially in Europe and Americans (Baumgartner, 2017). Even though the fight against slave trade began as early 1830s, the act continued until late 1900s. In 1840, some few African elites joined hands with adversaries to stop slavery, which was at its peak. However, the fight did bear fruits in some parts of the US; Texas State made it illegal for whites to enslave individuals of black origin. Moreover, the state made it unlawful for blacks to walk with weapons to help build a peaceful coexistence among the whites and blacks.

However, the situation was worse in other states; South Carolina instituted the “Black Codes” which made it impossible for the African-Americans to earn money, have high-quality apparel among others in 1841. In the same year, the Supreme Court discovered that slaves who aboard the Amistad ship were free. The development made the State of Texas enact laws allowing residents to catch and report escaping Africans to law enforcers. In 1842, The Supreme Court decided that states should not assist individuals to find fleeing slaves. Furthermore, Georgia State lawmakers refused to grant free Africans citizenship right. However, in 1843 Sojourner Truth and William Brown began spreading the message of anti-slavery through public lectures.

In 1844, William Still one of the anti-slavery campaigners helped more than one thousand slaves to escape from bondage and because of this deed, he received the title “Father of the Underground Railroad. In the same year, North Carolina declared freed slaves non-citizens while Oregon State passed a law prohibiting slavery. Despite the efforts made by abolitionists, Texas became a slave state in 1845 while Missouri permitted interstate slave trade in 1846. In 1847, Missouri made one of the greatest development in history when it refused to acknowledge the education of the freed Africans. However, Rhode Island passed a liberty law in 1848 while Virginia allowed the freeing of slaves by either will or deed.

The American Indians

Even though the Native Americans are the indigenous people of the US, the whites never considered them their equals. Noteworthy is that migration and adaptation marked their life in the early 1840s, which never influenced their participation in the politics. In 1841, forty-eight wagon reached Sacramento through Oregon Trail; the first section of the Native Americans to make such a long journey. In 1842, the Supreme Court held a meeting with the US officials to establish “fiduciary standards” in undertaking their responsibilities regarding the American Indians (Rosen, 2007). As a result, the Court charged the US government with safeguarding trust and duties of the natives.

In 1843, the second Seminole war, which led to the death of thousands of Native Americans, ends. In 1846, Captain Fremont organized a troop to attack a group of Indians known as (Wintum) near Sacramento River massacre more than 120 people. The beginning of 1847 marked the westward migration along the Oregon Trail. In 1849, the federal government transferred the Bureau of Indians Affairs from the Department of War to the newly established Department of the Interior.

The German-Americans

The immigration of German began as early as 17th century. In 1842, Prince Carl of Solms-Braunfels spearheaded the Adelsverein attempt to establish new Germany in Texas. In the same year, more than 6,000 German immigrants settled in Texas State. The great famine that occurred in Europe led to mass migration of Germans in 1845 (Gurock, 1998). In 1848 witnessed another band of German immigrant known as the Forty-Eighters searching for political freedom from the ruthless regime of Hitler. Noteworthy is that German immigrants did not directly participate in the US political development yet they focused on the labor movement especially during the construction of the railroad (Trumbauer & Asher, 2005).

In summary, the minor groups in the US have experienced various political, social and economic advancement to realize their current success in the political and economic arena. The abolitionist played a significant role in preserving the dignity of the blacks who the Whites perceived as trading commodities.

References

Baumgartner, K. (2017). Building the Future. Journal of the Early Republic, 37(1), 117-145.

Gurock, J, S. (1998). Central Europe Jews in America, 1840-1880: Migration and Advancement

Rosen, D. A. (2007). American Indians and state law: Sovereignty, race, and citizenship, 1790-1880. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press.

Trumbauer, L., & Asher, R. (2005). German immigrants. New York: Facts on File.