White Supremacy

Introduction

The paper is going to reflect on some of the major acts that were passed by the United States of America congress with the aim of preserving White Supremacy in the country and this denying the other ethnic or racial groups in the country from dominating in any fields be it Politics, Social or Economical fields (McDonnell, 3). The acts that the paper will mainly discuss includes the Chinese Exclusion act of 1882 and the Dawes act of 1887 as some of the acts that were passed by the United States of America congress as a way of suppressing the other racial groups and providing a lot of privileges to the Whites who lived in the country, this were some of the initial measures that were passed by the united states of Americas congress as a way of ensuring the whites dominate all the sectors of the country and only offering the other races with minimum opportunity to excel in the country (Chin et al, par 3). The research of this paper will be conducted from through reading of books and journals that covered these two acts.

The United States of America being a country that was initially inhibited with Native Americans (Red Indians) as the main inhibitors of the country and never occupied the entire country because of their small population, in the years 1776 the European colonialists led by Christopher Columbus came into contact with the country(Zhang, 69). Where they found out that the country was very productive and favored their stay, they eventually extended there territory by migrating into United States of America and making it their native home country and as they were not wiling to go back to their European countries. The European prolonged stay in America made it easy for the whites to dominate the country this is by providing the whites with opportunities and privileges that aimed at ensuring that they dominated all the sectors of the social, political and economical aspects of the country and that is still being witnessed today.

A lot of speculations have been spread in the past about these two legislative acts, as some indicated that these were some ways that were used by the United States of America congress to suppress the dominancy of other racial groups in the country for the sake of giving the white American the dominance of over the other races that were in the country (Tindall et al, 3). This paper is going to clearly provide the necessary details that were included in these two acts, at the same time explaining on these acts and there impacts on America, the paper will also check on how these two acts contributed in maintaining white supremacy in the country that's was initially inhibited with Native Americans.

The Two Legislative Acts

Chinese Exclusion act of 1882 was a federal law of the United States of America that was passed and became a law in the year 1882 May 8^th and was signed by Chester. A. Arthur. It was as a result of the revised Burlingame Treaty of the 1868 (Zhang, 70). The act stated that the United States should suspend all the immigration of Chinese into the country for about 10 years, this was aimed at reducing the numbers of the Chinese in the country who were getting into the countries in large numbers and their increasing populations was threatening the whites who feared that the Chinese increasing population will soon dominate the countries economy and other sectors.

Dawes act of 1887 was also another white supremacy act that was passed by the United States of America congress in the year 1887 in February 8^th and signed by US senator Henry. L. Dawes (Dawes Act, sec 2). The law was aimed at the distribution of land to the Native Americans living in the Indian Territory, the law advocated to the division of the tribally held land to individual owned parcels thus resulting to the creation of excess land that will provide room fro the settlement of non white farmers / settlers and the creation of infrastructures such as roads and railway lines.

The following section the paper is going to highlight on the acts this is how these acts helped in promoting white supremacy in America, the paper will at the same time reflect on the effects these acts on American and conclude by highlighting of the problems that were faced by the groups the acts were subjected to. How The Chinese Exclusion act of 1882 Promoted White Supremacy. It should be noted that these two acts were passed at a time when the Europeans settlers population in America was rapidly growing and the other racial groups were also increasing in the country and these were ways in which the country's government was trying to accommodate the increasing numbers of Europeans settlers into the country to the extent of supporting the European settlers than the other races that are in the country at the moment.

The Chinese Exclusion act of 1882 was as act that was aimed at reducing and barring the entry of Chinese into America, this was because of their increasing population in states like California, San Francisco and Los Angeles, and they were in these states as a result of offering a lot of cheap labor in the American industries and mining firms. They were the most important workers in the American mining and manufacturing industries and this was a good strategy that the manufacturers and factories used to maximize there production and thus exploiting the Chinese for there cheap labour and this improved the productivity of the American industries.

The productive and aggressive nature of the Chinese was a real cause of the implementation of this act Chinese Exclusion act of 1882; their industries nature threatened the white Americans as they felt that the Chinese will be in a position of taking over the industries and lead the economic activities of the industries denting the white American the room to continue dominating the industrial and economical fields (Chew et al, par 2).

The law was aimed at excluding all the immigration of the Chinese into America either the skilled and unskilled Chinese citizens into the country, the law stated that all the Chinese who are in America should be legally be in America this is by possessing the legal documents that will ensure they are legally allowed into the country, the American government also stated any Chinese who was found in the country without any proper documents will be deported to there native country, the acts also required any Chinese who was initially in the country and went back home should reapply with the united states of America for approval before being allowed back into the country again.

Effects of The Chinese Exclusion act of 1882 on America

The Chinese Exclusion act had some positive and negative effects on America as a country. Some positive effects of this act included the restricting of the numbers of Chinese population in the country, the act was passed by the government because the numbers of the Chinese population in the country was in the rise and they posed a bigger threat of taking over the economy activities of the country thus the government wanted to regulate their numbers in the country and also ensure that they don't marry any white woman in the country this helped in monitoring the numbers of the Chinese in America (Zhang, 75). The act also a major relieve to the American workers who sighted that the Chinese were the reason that made it difficult for the employers to improve their working conditions as the Chinese were willing to work despite the working conditions they were exposed to.

The act had many disadvantages as it affected the relationship between America and China and other Asian countries, the contribution of the Chinese into the American economy was very good but when they were subjected to the Exclusion the economy was reduced as a result of the demonstration from the American citizens who wanted there working environments improved. The other setback is the baring of American exports into China and other Asian countries this was as a way of imposing pressure on the country to lift the ban on the Chinese immigration.

How the Chinese suffered from the Effects of The Chinese Exclusion act of 1882

The act affected the Chinese in that they were not supposed to unite with there families and relatives as it restricted the numbers of families in the region, they initially had to be separated from their families completely thus making it difficult for then to unite with there families (Chew et al, par 4). This included the Chinese who were already in America fro fear of being denied the opportunity of going back into America. The act also denied the Chinese there human rights; this is when the Chinese and other Asian citizens were denied the opportunity of marrying any white Americans and incase of a marriage it.

How The Dawes act of 1887 Promoted White Supremacy

The Dawes act of 1887 was a legislative act that was passed by the United States of America congress under the influence of Senator Dawes. This was a way in which the American congress decided to alienate the naïve Americans at the expense of the European Americans; this is by the introduction of a law that aims at settling the natives in specific areas that will not only by themselves(McDonnell, 5). It will also keep them off the Europeans who are to be settled in the Native Americans land are able to conduct their activities without being disrupted with the natives and this was one way of ensuring that the natives were kicked out of the productive pieces of land to more arid areas in the country and at the same time providing the white settlers with the proper land that is suitable for agriculture and other commercial activities while the natives were pushed to the arid and hilly regions that cant support agricultural activities.

This act promoted white supremacy this is when the natives were being subjected to a pressure that aimed at making them extinct this is by sending them in areas there were not productive and these were some of the issues that contributed to the extinction of the native Americans who were subjected to very harsh environmental conditions that were able to ensure that they couldn't fit in America.

Effects of The Dawes act of 1887 on America

The act stressed on providing the white Americans with the best pieces of land that will promote agriculture and it was seen as a positive impact in the country. The introduction of this act the American industrial and agricultural sector was in the rise as this increased the countries economy this is because the white settlers used there farms for commercial agriculture activities as they exported there farm produce resulting to an improved American economy (Stremlau, 265-286). It also resulted to the constructive use of the as opposed to the ways the natives used the productive land as they used it for the use of the livestock and gathering of the foods.

The negative effect of this act is that it resulted to the conflict between the native and the white American settlers the conflict resulted to the war that was as a result of the resistance of the native Americans and the whites who were taking over there native land

How the Natives suffered from the Effects of The Dawes act of 1887

The native's suffered in different ways an example is when the natives loosed their cultural practices to adopting the new western cultures that eroded their cultural practices thus resulting to the adoption of western cultures that they never supported in the past this making the white cultures to be promoted sufficiently to white supremacy in America(Churchill, 50).

It also destructed the communal living lifestyle of these natives, this is because they were confined in a small place that would allow them to perform there cultural practices that they were used to do before the deployment of the white on their native land thus each native had to practice his/her activities on the small piece of land they had acquired this is because they had no space for the pervious actions they were indulging on previously.

In conclusion from the research that have been conducted it has been clear that the United states of America congress passed these acts as ways that will enable them spread the supremacy of the whites against any other racial group that would be intending or imposing any form of threats on the whites. These acts aimed to ensure white supremacy in American thus the acts really helped in suppressing the other racial groups from raising and taking over from the white Americans.