Stereotypes Of Native Americans In The Twentieth Century

A common strife found in books that hold our nation’s history is that of stereotypes. Often, native-born Americans formed and enforced a certain stereotype against the wide variety of immigrant groups that have entered our country. Natives to our country created a stereotype of racial inferiority for Irish, Chinese, and Italian immigrant groups in the twentieth century out of anger due to the possible threat of losing government strength and jobs, which, in turn, could lead to a lifestyle of poverty for families. Political cartoons were often used to further explain and demonstrate these feelings, and through close examination it becomes apparent how strong these opinions were, and ultimately how they had an affect on the lives of the immigrant …show more content…
Amundson suggested, “It was a large attraction to middle and upper-class native-born whites.” These white supporters compared the incoming Irish immigrants to apes. This comparison and stereotype gave whites a way to express their anger and concern with the Irish immigrant groups. One political cartoon that was drawn during the 1850s was used to compare what the Know-Nothing Party members perceived the Irish women to look like and what they thought was a normal looking woman. The title of the political cartoon is “Contrasted Faces,” with the woman’s name being Florence Nightingale and the stereotyped woman’s name being “Bridget McBruiser.” This political cartoon over exaggerated every facial feature, and ultimately degraded the average Irish woman. The cartoon provided Americans with a misconstrued opinion, ultimately spreading the negative outlook on the immigrant group as a whole. As discussed in class lecture, “Working men feared the effect that the Irish would have on their jobs and work life.” The Irish immigrants were eager and willing to work in the United States after leaving behind what they had in Ireland. As Takaki mentions in A Different Mirror, “While the Irish composed only 7.5 percent of the entire male workforce, they were disproportionately represented in the elite …show more content…
The Italians coming into the United States were the largest immigrant group of that time period, and most of them were men. As Dr. Amundson said, “These Italian immigrants were primarily from the southern part of Italy and Sicily, and they were considered peasant in Italy due to a tie to the land.” What the Italians had to offer wasn’t all that much, however they had a drive to further succeed and provide for themselves and their family, much like the Irish. Immigration in Italy was persuaded by unification, during a time when the Italians could no longer afford their life, and needed more work opportunities and money. The incoming Italian immigrants were not planning on making their passage into the United States a long term thing. After arrival and realization of the dislike that Americans had for them, the Italians knew it wasn’t going to be as easy and wonderful as they thought it may be. Americans, on the other hand, saw the Italians’ drive to succeed, and quickly tried to make it difficult for them. Americans gave them “pick and shovel work,” which forced the Italians to accept hard labor and work for a lower pay. Dr. Amundson described, “Their ability to make money was hindered because they always owed someone for their passage to the United States, and they constantly sent money back to Italy.” The Italians’ experience coming to America was extremely different than