Minorities in the United States

Aim: Analyze the shifts in the federal government’s policy towards minority groups in the United States from the 1840s to the 1930s. Key Terms: Indian Removal Acts (1830s) Homestead Act 1862 Dawes Act (1887) “fifty-niners”/ “Pikes Peakers” Chinese Exclusion Act (1882) Nativism Essential Questions: What were the conditions in the West following the Civil War? How did the federal government contribute to the economic development of the west? How did the government play a role in preventing equality amongst minority groups?

U.S. Treatment of Native Americans Native Americans were forced off land and moved West in the early 19th century. Indian Removal Acts of the 1830’s (President Jackson) forced Native Americans off of their land and thousands died…this became known as the Trail of Tears. 1850-1890: Several Indian Wars – thousands of Native Americans killed. The buffalo, which Native Americans depended on for food, clothing and shelter, were slaughtered by whites that wanted to build railroads. Native Americans were forced on reservations (small areas of land). Thousands of Native Americans were killed by the weapon technology of the whites.

Chinese Exclusion Act (1882) Unemployment was high on the west coast of America. Many Americans felt that Chinese immigrants were taking away their jobs. President Chester A. Arthur signed the Chinese Exclusion Act, which stopped Chinese immigration for 10 years and did not allow Chinese to become U.S. citizens. It was not until 1943 that the law was repealed.

“Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America…until the expiration of ten years after the passage of this act, the coming of Chinese laborers to the United States be, suspended; and during such suspension it shall not be lawful for any Chinese laborer to come, or, having so come after the expiration of said ninety days, to remain within the United States.”

Nativism The policy of protecting the interests of native- born inhabitants against those of immigrants.

Homestead Act of 1862 Granted 160-acre farm to any American citizen or prospective citizen willing to live in the Great Plains and work on the land for five years, improve it, and pay a fee of $30. Turned out to be a cruel hoax because the land given to the settlers usually had terrible soil and the weather included no precipitation. Many homesteaders were forced to give their homesteads back to the government.

Women in the West Women were scarce. In many places, the ratio of men to women was more than 100 to 1 Women could claim land under the Homestead Act. Worked side-by-side with men on the family farm. On the frontier, the harsh demands of wresting (to gain) a living from the land forced men to accept women as equal partners in the pioneer endeavor.

Fifty-Niners & Pikes Peakers The “fifty-niners” or “Pikes Peakers” rushed west to get minerals, gold, and whatever they could from the Rockies.

Mexican Immigration and Labor after the Frontier is Closed: Late 1930s: crop fields in Mexico were harvesting smaller bounties, & employment became scarce. 1924: the U.S. Border Patrol was created. Undocumented workers were fugitives. During the depression: visas were denied to all Mexicans who failed to prove they had secure employment in the United States.