Ethnicity and Race in American Life

Standing in a crowded room waiting for the USCIS Assistant to call my name, I can see hundreds of unfamiliar faces. The faces differ in skin, hair, and eye color. These individuals are different heights, weight, speak various languages and immigrated to the United States.  Their physical characteristics cannot nearly define where they have come from, or what they have done to get to where they are today. Thousands of individuals, like the ones filling this room, come from all over the world to America hoping for success and prosperity. They must leave the country they once called home, and immigrate to an unfamiliar country where they must adjust their lifestyle and tradition. Every immigrant shares a common desire; to one day become an American citizen. Today is the day I “officially” become an American.  

Throughout history the rhetorical question “What is an American?” has remained unanswered. The French author Michael-Guillaume-Jean de Crevecoeur attempted to define an American, “He is either an European or descendant of an European, hence that strange mixture of blood, which you will find in no other country” (Daniels 101). I strongly disagree that an individual must be from European descendents to be considered an American. I, for example, immigrated to the United States from Mexico with my family in search of a better future. I was two years old when I first came to America. I have no childhood memories of the two years I spent in Mexico. The United States is where I grew up, and even though I wasn’t born in this country, it’s the land I call home.

Crevecoeur also mentions, “ He is an American, who, leaving behind him all his ancient prejudices and manners, receives new ones from the new mode of life he has embraced, the new government he obeys, and the new rank he holds. He becomes an American by being received in the broad lap of our Alma Mater” (Daniels 101). I am not sure what Crevecoeur means by leaving behind ancient prejudices and manners; but immigrants definitely have to make drastic changes to their lifestyles in order to adjust in the United States. Crevecoeur adds,”the notion that an immigrant could shed his culture the way a snake sheds his skin is nonsense” (Daniels 102). It is entirely up to the individual to either keep or lose their cultural traditions, values, and morals. My family continues with the same morals, values, and traditions as we had in Mexico.

Crevecoeur continues by saying “Here [in America] individuals of all races are melted into a new race of men, whose labors and posterity will one day cause great changes in the world” (Daniels 101-102). The United States is made up of thousands of individuals who have traveled from all over the world and have overcame numerous obstacles to achieve success. America is known as a “melting pot” due to the racial and ethnical diversities of every citizen. The numerous individuals that have immigrated to America do not melt into a new race of men, they simply have the same purpose as every other citizen of this country, the ambitious goal to succeed and prosper.

When I think of an American; there isn’t a specific race, ethnicity, or culture that comes to mind. America is the country it is today because of all of the immigrants that have suffered through indentured labor and humiliation to achieve the American dream and succeed. There is no race, ethnicity, or culture that defines an American; it’s the ambition, dedication and determination to succeed that make an individual an American. 

Chapter 3: Slavery and Immigrants from Africa

I am disgusted by the thought of slavery itself. I don’t know how there are some cruel individuals who believe that they posses the authority to mistreat a human being. Whether it’s physical or emotional, I strongly believe that it is unacceptable.  It is a shame that historians of Europe and the United States largely ignore the significance that slavery has had in world history and the development of capitalism. African American’s had a huge impact in history, I cant imagine how drastically different our country and world would be if it wasn’t for the crucial labor that millions of innocent African Americans endured.

            It is clearly evident that if it wasn’t for the labor of African immigrants, and all immigrants overall, the world would be completely different. As chapter two mentioned, immigrants were forced to indenture themselves to labor for some planter or company and they were taken advantage of. Slaves weren’t any different; they were forced to work endless hours manufacturing rum, sugar cane, cotton, etc. and were treated as if they were nothing. I can’t believe how West Indian planters decided that it was more expedient to work their slaves to death and then buy more. It seems as if the slave owners viewed African American slaves like a shoe, they would use them until they were completely warn out then they would simply throw them away and buy a replacement.

Immigrants made the largest contribution to the capitalist economy all over the world. I find it to be a racial discrimination that historians simply ignore black history, not only black immigrants who were slaves but also have not paid much attention to black immigrants from the Caribbean. It’s amazing how by the end of the colonial period, roughly every fifth American was either an African immigrant or descendent of one. It’s truly unfortunate that the evidence and material required for writing more about African American history doesn’t even exist since social historians want literate proof. However, African American’s were nonliterate people, they could not express how they felt in letters or diaries, the majority of them didn’t even know how to read or write because they didn’t have the “right” to be educated. White slave traders wrote the only contemporary documents generated about slaves. The slave owners obviously didn’t realize and didn’t care to know about the hell that the slaves were going through.

            I cannot believe the “Myth of the Negro Past”!!! How can people actually believe that Africa was a cultural desert that had no contributions to the rest of the world and that slaves were “primitive savages without even the vestiges of a viable culture” and that whatever Africans might have had in the Old World had been completely vanished? It is more than evident that Africa has a cultural diversity like any other country. The only reason why African slaves didn’t practice their cultural beliefs is because the slave traders prohibited them to.  The amount of lost culture is very unfortunate. Can you imagine how many different rituals we could have witnessed if thousands of slaves would have been able to practice their cultural routines?

            I’m amazed that African slave trade existed for over four centuries. Nearly ten million persons were kidnapped from Africa and most were sold in the America’s. It is thanks to these innocent slaves that we now have a capitalist economy and great manufacturing system. These individuals have been taken advantage of and the least historians can do is give them recognition on their contribution in world history. 

Coming to America: Chapter 1 & 2

As I look over my shoulder, I see the place where I grew up, my heritage, and the land I call home. I can see the hillside covered with beautiful flowers and cactus. I take another glance and I notice the beautiful colors of the Mexican flag the red, white, and green all a symbol of my home and a part of me. I look ahead of me and unknowingly see what will now be my home and future. I can see tall buildings, pavement, and city streets filled with anxious people. I notice another flag, one that I am unfamiliar with; it is red, white and blue. Numerous individuals have no other option but to leave the land they once called home to pursue their life dreams, find a stable career, provide a safe living environment for their children, and hope for success in foreign land. My family is no exception.

            “Migration is a fundamental human activity” (Daniels 3). I believe this passage is very true, and it amazes me that it has remained true throughout history. The human race was able to spread throughout the entire globe because of migration. I found it very interesting how in historic times there was already an established distinction between migration and immigration. Since my family and I moved across an international frontier, we are considered immigrants. Nonetheless, every individual immigrant or not plays an important role in history.

I was stunned when I read that the first person of which scholars are aware of, Lucy, was first found migrating by foot. More surprising is the fact that her footprints were still legible after three million years! I found it very humorous how Daniels used “so-called age of discovery” to describe the European voyages that lead them to land where people had already established themselves. His sarcasm demonstrates how ethnocentric Europeans were throughout history.

The fact that Europeans felt superior then the other individuals in the nation definitely bothers me. “Most Europeans also assumed that they and their stock were inherently superior to the various people the subjugated. With some notable exceptions, Europeans has a contempt for the cultures and peoples they encountered, an attitude that would soon evolve into modern racism” (Daniels 4). It’s very unfortunate that racism began in thousands of years ago and still remains today, although not as severe. Racism has been witnessed most with African Americans, but certain apply to all cultures.

People migrate across the globe for distinct motives and many of them had no idea what they were getting themselves into. It was very sad to read that since migration to America was so expensive, many immigrants were forced to indenture themselves to labor for some planter or company. I believe that this remains true. The price to move from one place to another is unbelievably expensive and a financial burden on many individuals. I know many individuals that have come to America with a farm labor contract that requires them to work with a specific company regardless of the situation. They are taken advantage of when the only thing that the innocent immigrants want is to better themselves and secure their families future. It is shame that individuals believe that they have the right and authority to discriminate a particular immigration group when history has clearly proven that everyone has immigrated from somewhere foreign to the land we now call home in search of a better future. 

A Journal of Pacific Maritime History

As I sit on the sand the salty ice water approaches my toes, I let the sand run through my fingers and listen to the seagulls on the Pacific coastline, and all of my focus is driven to the beautiful sun setting into the ocean. I am amazed by the fact that seventy one percent of earths surface is covered by the ocean. I can’t even begin to imagine the quantity of artifacts, lives, and histories that are hidden deep inside the large body of water that lies before me.  I, like many other individuals, rarely take the time to actually consider how much history, is yet to be revealed with the numerous amounts of historical artifacts and evidence concealed in the sea.

It amazes me how much society underestimates our ancestors that astonishingly voyaged their way around the world. I believe they were extremely courageous individuals that were capable of crossing dangerous and large water barriers to disperse around earth. Our ancestors also managed to discover various coastal adaptations required for survival while voyaging.  Their intelligence allowed them to construct composite forms of watercrafts. They somehow understood the sophisticated technology and engineering required to construct a boat to get them across the huge ocean. Without any education, these individuals worked out of desperation and managed to survive off of marine resources and maintained a strong boat that got them across vicious open waters to a land where they had the opportunity to colonize.

It’s unbelievable how many years it has taken archeologist and maritime historians to discover the antiquity of maritime people. Many families spread around the earth’s surface during a period of dramatic sea-level changes. There were many glaciers during the time of their voyages.  It disappoints me how many archeological evidence is eroding in the ocean due to global warming and the rapid sea-level rise. It is truly unfortunate that most of the coastlines our ancestors used is now submerged deep inside the ocean, making it nearly impossible to discover more ancient seafaring history.

As scholars continue to search for evidence for systematic seafaring, island colonization, and marine hunting, fishing, and shellfish they come to realize that the theories, that were once thought to be true, are being contradicted by artifact found in the ocean and it’s geographical evolution over time. I strongly agree with the most recent theoretical scholar prospective “individuals have always had the capacity to rapidly adapt to a challenging condition. This human ability to innovate during periods of heightened environmental stress is one of the hallmark characteristics of our specie and has been central to out ability to enter and expand throughout the entire breadth of the New World since the last Ice Age.” It’s evident that as time progresses, assumptions scholars are making today is either going to be contradicted or further proven correct. However, something that will certainly remain the same is our amazing ability to adapt correspondingly to situations that rise in our lives. That same courage and strength that we have today, is the strength and courage our ancestors used to survive years of voyage across the oceans, a challenge that is slowly but surely being revealed through time. 

The American Indian and the problem of History

I am amazed by the fact that scholars believe they have the right to simply eliminate someone’s history. It is shameful how so many historians claim that Native Americans have not participated in “history” and are only mentioned when they have encounters with the European White’s who claimed to have created “history”. Even worse often when they are recognized they are referred to as barbaric and an uneducated culture. I cannot believe that such intelligent individuals including historians, anthropologists, and archeologists cannot come to a logical consistent conclusion and therefore must imply that Native Americans lack a history and future. Scholars never gave Indians the opportunity to demonstrate how intelligent they truly are and how civilized there communities were before Europeans invaded America. They overlooked supporting evidence such as linguistics, cultural, and political structures that the Native Americans used before European’s even knew of their existence. I sincerely believe that scholars must take into consideration every aspect of Native Americans and not only focus on what benefits the European White’s. Native American’s were well established in culture, and social behaviors. They had many rituals and tribal practices that they believed benefited their existence many of those traditions are still carried on in the remaining tribes of modern day America. Unfortunately, Europeans viewed Native American’s as barbaric because they were incapable of communicating with them, or lacked the desire to try. Visitors would take advantage of the Indians hospitality and would inflict violence in their villages. Native American’s could have taught a lot to the European culture, such as rather than killing for number, pride, money, or even greed based motives, Native American’s viewed killing as a gift from the God’s who provided them with warmth, food, and even shelter from their hunting. The suffering that Native American’s endured is one of America’s most ugly blemishes and the affect of that is still felt today in the very depleted culture of Native Americans who have few, scattered reservations. It is an ongoing struggle trying to balance traditional culture with modern life, not only with Native American’s but also with all immigrants of the United States. It seems that the great American melting pot can be more like the great American segregator of race and culture. I personally can relate to this article because my family and I are immigrants from Mexico. It is difficult to stay connected to ones roots and traditions while being surrounded by such diversity in this country. Keeping our native identity is an ambitious challenge, but regardless of natural, social, and religious environments our past cannot be changed by anyone or anything and although our past might influence our future it doesn’t guarantee it. European’s cultures and traditions are very diverse from Native American’s and many other individuals; they cannot expect a national identity, which requires us to abandon our own cultures and values because they aren’t the “dominant” class. One day I hope that all recognizes Native American’s true history instead of disregarding the importance of their past.