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Beginning of Slave Trade
Although the slave population in some areas of the South actually exceeded the white population, on the whole, when the slave trade to North America began, whites outnumbered Africans. The white slave traders treated their 'cargo' as sub-human. The Middle Passage of the journey to America was particularly horrible, with slaves being kept in very small spaces for very long periods of time. -
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Treatment of Minorities
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Increased Migration From Germany
Due to the instablility of their home country, many Germans came to America for new opportunities. The Germans were not given a warm welcome when they arrived in New York. They eventually established themselves in Pennsylvania, mainly as farmers, where there was much more tolerance. This shows that at the beginning of waves of immigration, the Americans were not completely hostile, as they would become in the near future. -
Great Awakening and Anti-Catholicism
There was much more anti-Catholic and anti- immigrant sentiment after the Great Awakening and other religious revivals. It seemed that as the colonists' faith strengthened, they became more intolerant of other religions brought by minority groups. -
Battle of Tippecanoe
The Americans also treated the Native American minorities poorly, as first shown in the frequent wars and conflicts with the Indians. The Battle of Tippecanoe is an example of the constant violence on the border lands. Actions like these led to future exploitation of Indians during Jackson's era. -
Intolerance to Mormons
When Joseph Smith began writing about his beliefs, he gathered a small group of followers. This religious minority was driven out by various states and eventually developed a central settlement in Salt Lake City. This is an example of the strong religious beliefs present in America. The religious views brought by the colonist to America were very much a part of the American culture, and any other views directly challenged this tradition. -
Nativism in 1840
During 1840, and into the 1900's, there was an increase in immigration from Europe. German, Italian and Irish immigrants came to America searching for a better way of life. There was incredible hostility towards these minorities. Movements like Nativism sprung up which argued for a decrease in immigration. Immigrants sometimes could not find jobs and were often exploited by their bosses. -
Conditions for Minorities in the Workforce
Many immigrants that came to the United States were exploited as cheap labor becasue they had to get jobs out of necessity. Working conditions were often very dangerous, hours long, and pay low. This has been a common and recurring pattern in history- minorities are looked down upon despite the fact that they are contributing enormously to the workforce. -
Chinese Exclusion Act
The Chinese Exculsion Act banned the immigration of Chinese to the United States. This is an example of the direct measures that the government was willing to take to stop immigration. They did not seem to notice the amount of labor the Chinese contributed to the workforce. This was true of many ethnic minorities.
