African American Culture In The Period 1820-1940

In the period 1820 to 1940, there was a large culture shock in America. During this time, there were several educational, political, economic and cultural events that took place in America including the Industrial Revolution, Abolitionist Movements, the Civil War, Immigration, and many more. As a result of these events, many cultures in and out of America were affected. Cultures in America, like the Native Americans and African Americans, went through struggles that would shape America’s future for these people. As for the other cultures, many of them immigrated to America due to a combination of two things: opportunity and conflict. Opportunities that allowed people to start a new life pulled immigrants to America, while ongoing conflicts …show more content…
Before the Civil War, African Americans were held captive as slaves and were put into a harsh environment. These slaves participated in the task and gang system. The gang system was a more brutal system because it forced slaves to work sunrise to sundown with no goals, and they were forced to work with little to no food and sleep. On the contrary to the gang system, the task system had slaves work until they met a certain goal for the day, and anything extra was given to the slaves to sell for money. The plantation structure of power was headed by the master, and he oversaw the production of the slaves. In the fields and households themselves, the farm hands or farm workers watched over the slaves in the fields, while the plantation owner’s wife was in charge of the house slaves. The idea behind the system of power in the plantations was that these masters were like “fathers” to the slaves, and the slaves were like “children” to their master. This idea made it seem like slaves would not know how to take care of themselves without the guidance off their masters. This was very wrong because many of the slaves were whipped, beaten, or abused if they did not follow orders correctly. They maintained control of their slaves by making sure they were uneducated and lived in fear of their masters. The racial superiority of white men was …show more content…
Another group that was affected were the Mexicans. The Mexicans were originally residents of the Southwest up until 1848. During this time, the White Protestant American occupied the three territories of the Spanish/Mexican because of the Mexican war. The three territories were California, New Mexico, and Texas. The role that the White Protestant had in California was democracy, in Mexico they had all the power, and in Texas they have taken over all eastern parts. The U.S. took over Texas from a dispute on whether Texas has ended the Rio Grande. General Vallejo was arrested and then the Bear Flag Republic was established. After this incident, Commander John D. Sloat had started a war in California and he sailed to “Monterey Bay and declared California a possession of the U.S.” The White Protestant Americans showed their dominance by enacting “laws aimed at Mexicans.” After the Mexican Revolution ended, they had decided to immigrate to the U.S. These Mexican immigrants left their home country because of the industrialization growth and for protection. Many of the men and their families came as sojourners and they found their place in agriculture, mining, railroads, construction, and steel mill factories. The White/Anglo segregated them and “enacted laws aimed at Mexicans.” The Mexicans decided to go on a strike to demand for an increase in wages.