Today’s USA is a very attractive land for many people throughout the world. It is a modern, progressive, and highly developed country. However, a better part of people does not even realize what it took before all these good things of life were achieved. This country came through such challenging processes as conquest of the New World, the Civil War, Reconstruction, and Western expansion. Professors Winthrop D. Jordan and Charles Johnson, in their works, provide their research about the processes of development of the back then the USA and touch upon such problematic issues as the establishment of slavery, the Civil War and present a closer look at Western Expansion, its art, and ideology.
The authors concentrate on problems and challenging situations that immigrants faced in the New World. The conquest of America had unpredictable aftermaths, such as the mass death of people caused by many diseases. After Europeans settled on the territory of America, they brought with them bacteria and viruses, which the immune system of Indians could not fight. An overwhelming number of Indians died. Mass deaths caused ictus of cholera and smallpox. Immigrants were searching for a place with clean air and freshwater. This was one of the reasons for westward expansion. Many things lead to the western expansion, for instance, US government politics of free land division (Johnson 278). The fertile west was attractive for the newcomers; however, they had to work hard on this land. People moved to the west to gain prosperity, wealth, and personal piece of land. The idea of western expansion was critically received by the Native Americans. The tribes which were peaceful at first later became violent and savage against new settlers because their rights were roughly neglected. Indians, who dominated in this region before the conquest, were mostly depopulated. The western expansion is characterized by people’s uncertainty, doubts, and turmoil. Westward expansion was an embodiment of the American Dream. People imposed huge hopes on this process; however the vision of the light future was lost, when the Government failed to realize into reality equality for all people. It is common knowledge, that the Government passed the law according to which slavery was prohibited and all enslaved people of color were granted freedom. Nothing changed (Jordan 72-73). The black population of America was drastically limited in its rights, could not vote and take high job positions, in addition, black Americans had to live in segregated neighborhoods. They also were economically weak and had no options, but again to work for white Americans.
All in all works by professors Winthrop D. Jordan and Charles Johnson present an exhaustive stance on historical processes which took place in the back than the unpredictable USA. While reading these research papers reader comes to know about the comprehensive presentation of how the country was developed, what mistakes could be avoided, and what actions lead to shameful historic facts such as the establishment of the Institution of slavery. These works show that we must respect our country because it has come through so many probations.
Works Cited
Johnson, Charles R. Smith, Patricia. Africans in America: America’s Journey Through Slavery. New York: Harcourt Brace, 1998.
Jordan, Winthrop D. The White Man’s Burden. Historical Origins of Racism in the United States. Oxford University Press, 1974.