Some challenges that the American people have experienced over the centuries had a profound effect that completely changed the course of history. The second half of the nineteenth century presented many obstacles that defined the United States as the country today. Many notable communities have participated in developing the liberties Americans have today, but the role of Indians and African Americans during that time requires an in-depth analysis. Without the violent conflicts between these two communities and the citizens of the United States, it would have been impossible for the country to become the leader of the modern world. This essay will discuss the impact of these internal conflicts within the United States on its future development direction.
The first community that had a significant role during the late nineteenth century were Indians. The natives of the continent were met with extreme prejudice and were forced to become the lowest class of people for the time being until their patience ran out. Hahn writes that Americans considered Indian people “hopelessly backward and barbaric” (280). The history of their conflict began with attempts at peaceful resolution that have gone wrong.
Indians became a prominent issue for the government that was pushing forward into the continent for settlement and expansion. The initial reaction from the government can be only described as dismissive, as officials have requested immediate relocation of an entire nation of people, despite being divided, into special “reservations” (Hahn 282). There was a clear duality in the approach towards these communities.
While they had been given a portion of land, it was far from an ideal trade. People in reservations have been forced to submit to the laws imposed on them by the new local population via threats of violence and actual armed conflicts (Hahn 282). The dismissive nature of these interactions steadily grew into a full-fledged conflict between the U.S. citizens and Indians, who were driven to the point where resistance began to thwart the local networks and facilities (Hahn 283).
As more people were cornered to a particular piece of land via excessive force and violence, rebellions sparked among many tribes (Hahn 283). However, encounters such as the Sand Creek Massacre led to an eventual establishment of a proper governing system. Realizing the need to secure the safety of both U.S. citizens and Indian tribes, the government eventually took action to resolve these differences by reforming the entire Indian system (Hahn 284). Although issues remained, such a drastic move has forced the U.S. to admit the wrongful approach.
The second event that was truly disruptive for the course of U.S. history during the nineteenth century was the abolition of slavery. The government has been reviewing ideas about a thorough process of integrating freed people into society, and these measures for a transition led to the creation of the Freedmen’s Bureau (Hahn 277). Despite these changes, the chaos ensured throughout the oncoming years, causing many freed people to find themselves on the edge of poverty and despair. Even after becoming freedmen, these people were forced to endure living conditions that put them at a severe disadvantage.
The government had to come up with a plan to solidify the idea of equality between freedmen and U.S. citizens. The proposed idea for the redistribution of land was met with severe disagreement from the original landowners, as they feared that competition would bring their businesses at risk of bankruptcy (Hahn 308). Worrying that these policies would not be accepted, ex-slaves have promised to rebel against the government if the promises were not kept (Hahn 305).
These threats made the government more decisive, although they led to many localized conflicts between freedmen and locals. In return, any Black people’s assemblies were met with violent threats, which were sometimes brought into reality (Hahn 307). The impact of this event cannot be underestimated, as the multitude of deeply seated societal issues were swiftly brought to light with multiple volatile consequences. The Joint Committee on Reconstruction was created to assist states with the peaceful resolution of the issue. (Hahn 309). These threats of rebellion were necessary to force people to take a stance and act upon their promises.
In conclusion, these two distinct events that occurred during the second half of the nineteenth century changed the course of the history of the United States forever by giving the spotlight to the misrepresented communities. Both Indians and Blacks suffered greatly at the hands of American citizens of that time, and their violent rebellions have forced the government to review its approach to managing entire populations with a dismissive approach. While the loss of life is undoubtedly an unfavorable outcome, the way out of the situation these people were forced into required many sacrifices. As their voices have been heard, the American government has changed its ways to become more inclusive and open to opinions outside the privileged few.
Work Cited
Hahn, Steven. A Nation Without Borders: The United States and Its World in an Age of Civil Wars, 1830-1910. Penguin, 2016.
Discussion Of Gender Roles In Modern World
During human history, gender stereotypes have been widespread, and the community has defined the person’s role based on gender. Although in recent periods, culture is more loyal to the fact that women can do work that associates with men according to the standard concept. Thus, today there are no questions about whether women need to study and work. Recent researches establish that more than half of college students in the United States are women (Dubner, 2014 – present). The essential thing is that women are not just permitted to work, but all opportunities are open to them, from politics to the army. Hence now, gender roles do not matter in the most significant areas of life.
At the same time, the current century has brought new challenges to the theory of equality. For instance, the society supports the passion of men to play computer games but believes that women should be ashamed to have such a hobby (Dubner, 2014 – present). It is safe to say that gender development has already taken place, and women have more rights. Except I would like the attitude towards women in society to change in all aspects. It would be fair for women not to be condemned by society when they try to express their identity and not to hide their actual feelings. The suggested changes will admit the female half of the population to openly express their views and, perhaps, this would accelerate the development of an organization. For example, if women are not afraid to make adjustments to a Wikipedia article, their opinions will be available to the general public (Dubner, 2014 – present). Accordingly, it will be possible to assess certain facts from different angles.
For the proposed societal modifications to occur, it is necessary to grow a new generation without stereotypes. Parents can buy a child a doll and a truck and not specify that the baby should choose only one toy. (Dubner, 2014 – present). At the same time, women should be encouraged not to be afraid to stand up for their rights. In this manner, children will grow up and support the rejection of any gender inequalities for the benefit of society.
Reference
Dubner, S. J. (Executive Producer). (2014-present). Women are not men [Audio podcast]. Freakonomics Radio.
Communism In Dave Eggers’s “The Circle”
Dave Eggers’s The Circle is a novel about a same-name web organization that offers innovative products and services to ordinary citizens. Even though the literary piece considers the American context in the present time, it introduces some dystopian principles because the organization, the Circle, has a few features of a communist nation. Thus, Eggers uses many allusions to communism in his novel to criticize this social and political order and highlight the importance of personal freedoms.
The book under analysis presents many features of a communist society. Firstly, the Circle insists on the fact that personal privacy is outdated and even criminal. This statement refers to the case when Mae Holland, the main character, finds that her sexual encounter was uploaded to the Circle’s cloud (Egger 143). Even though Mae is in anger, she is convinced that nothing wrong has happened because personal privacy is not very important. This feature is characteristic of communist societies where people are motivated to disregard their rights and freedoms to achieve common goods. Secondly, another allusion to the political system under analysis is found when Mae suggests that the Circle membership should be mandatory for all citizens (Egger 266). Many communist countries have ruling parties that oblige people to enter them. Finally, the organization itself can be considered an example of such a party that wants to gain control over the masses. The justification of this claim is found when Mae offers to use the organization’s website to provide various government services, including voting and licensing (Egger 267). It demonstrates that the Circle is an example of a communist country.
There is specific reasoning behind providing the Circle with numerous communist features. On the one hand, the novel reveals that this political order can be dangerous for individuals. A suitable example justifies this statement when Mercer, Mae’s ex-boyfriend, decided to commit suicide to escape the Circle’s users and search tools (Egger 315). This situation demonstrates that depriving people of fundamental freedoms and rights can be similar to killing them. On the other hand, the book under analysis reveals that a personal tragedy is not a reason for the communist system to limit its pressure on individuals. When Mae visits her best friend Annie, who is lying in a coma, she decides that the Circle needs to know her thoughts (Egger 335). This decision seems logical for the organization that wants to control everything and everyone, but it means that the Circle does not have any moral or social barriers in achieving this goal. This information demonstrates that Egger uses the given organization to reveal that a communist country subjects individuals to specific threats and limitations.
In conclusion, The Circle by Dave Eggers is a dystopian novel depicting an Internet organization that wants to control everything and everyone. Even though the book describes modern American society, the latter is full of communist allusions. For example, they include the understatement of personal privacy, the implication of mandatory membership in the organization, and the desire of the Circle to provide government’s functions. These details were described in the novel to reveal that communist systems are harmful to individuals. When a person is deprived of their personal freedoms and rights, death can be a possible solution to escape this situation. Egger also concludes that this political order is dangerous because it does not have any moral limitations, implying that real-world societies should refrain from it.
Work Cited
Eggers, Dave. The Circle. Knopf, 2013.