Racial Conflicts with African Americans and Chinese Americans in America

Between the late 19th and early 20th century, a more diverse America, specifically in the South and West, had begun to noticeably come into existence. In South America, a number of African Americans are known to have first been present as slaves to the white men for many years, until after the North’s success in the Civil War. Moreover, soon after China’s devastating loss in the Opium War against the British, as well as around the time of the California Gold Rush, copious amounts of Chinese immigrants were found to be overflowing into the Western part of America. With the United States becoming noticeably more of a diverse group of peoples, the white men who felt they were superior to a majority of other races can be perceived to have been widely discriminatory against a multitude of them. Specifically speaking, African Americans in the South and Asian Chinese American immigrants in the West had both experienced some degree of racial conflicts originating from certain contributing political, economic, and social factors.

After the Civil War had ended, the destruction of African American slavery as a political system had been accomplished. With the 13th Amendment having been ratified, slaves gained their freedom from the white man’s control. Also, with the 14th Amendment, anyone who is either born or naturalized in America is thereby an American citizen and deserves all of the rights that are granted by the Constitution. In addition, with the 15th Amendment, anyone who is a citizen of the U.S. has the right to vote no matter their race, color, or previous servitude (Davidson 339). However, despite these adjustments to the Constitution, it did not mean that as soon as the Amendments were to be ratified that all African Americans wo...

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... African Americans and Chinese Americans to become completely equal. Through the economical factor, both African Americans and Chinese Americans were unable to obtain the jobs they imagined since certain whites who felt superior believed only their race deserved them. Meanwhile, white landowners became wealthy due to the cheap labor from African Americans and Chinese Americans, which also allowed for an increase in white’s land value. Through the social factor, both African Americans and Chinese Americans were able to live their lives as long as they separated themselves.

Works Cited

Davidson, James W., DeLay, Brian, Heyrman, Christine L., Lytle, Mark H., and Stoff, Michael

B. “U.S. a Narrative History.” New York: McGraw-Hill. 2012.

Takaki, Ronad. Strangers from a Different Shore: A History of Asian Americans. Revised ed.

New York: Little, Brown, 1998. Print.