For the essay portion, from the main groups of people studied in this course, Native Americans, African-

Americans and immigrants from all parts of the world, describe the most difficult obstacles faced by
each group, cite specific examples of marginalization and specific groups of people that were subjected
to these acts. Minimum length is three pages of text.
Native Americans, were faced by the obstacle of losing their land in in the name of progress, indigenous
population became "inferior" cultures in their own land, and the nation committed such atrocities toward
Native Americans in the name of "progress". It was acceptable to make national decisions without involving
the natives in decision making process those who will be most drastically affected ( WEB RESOURCES 2
DESTROYING NATIVE AMERICANS) The natives were considered illiterate and they were removed from their
land for example, President Andrew Jackson offered similar rhetoric in his first inaugural address in 1829,
when he emphasized his desire to observe toward the Indian tribes within our limits a just and liberal
policy, and to give that humane and considerate attention to their rights and their wants which is
consistent with the habits of our Government and the feelings of our people. Yet, only fourteen months
later, Jackson prompted Congress to pass the Removal Act, a bill that forced Native Americans to leave
the United States and settle in the Indian Territory west of the Mississippi River. They faced injustices
and the treaties they signed with the government were not honored. Which forced the Native
Americans out of their land. In 1832, the Supreme Court ruled in favor of the Cherokees, but some tribes
still signed treaties giving the federal government the legal authority to "assist" them in their move to
the Indian Territory. This tragedy is the direct result of treaties, written and broken by foreign
governments, of warfare, and of forced assimilation. (WEB RESOURCE 2 NATIVE AMERICAN LOSES)

The village were set on fire campfire and the remains of a buffalo a row of Indians going down the path
single file. We opened fire as we were accustomed to doing and killed two of the Indians chased them
right on into a white camp and found to our dismay that we had been chasing Government Indians.
The killing of buffalo reduced the number of resources available to independent Native Americans. For
many Native Americans, the federal governments reservation system became the only means for
survival. For example, the Dawes Act of 1887 dissolved many Indian reservations. An 1888 report from
the Indian Rights Association, The Condition of Affairs in Indian Territory and California, questioned
Americas treatment of Native Americans: The whole management of Indians has been abnormal . . .
Everything is controlled by arbitrary laws and regulations, and not by moral, social, or economic
principles. The report concluded that opening Oklahoma up to settlers and moving Native Americans
farther west would be unjust, cruel and disastrous.

Nevertheless, the federal government opened Oklahomas unoccupied lands to white settlers in 1889.
Four years later, the government purchased more than 6 million acres from tribes to pave the way for
the Oklahoma land, the massacre of the Indians the battle of the wounded knee, the hanging of
prisoners, the trail of tears, when the natives were evicted to the lands across Mississippi, they were
transported in winter and many of them died of hunger and diseases (OLSON & BEAL pg 67,68) . The
final assault when the Homestead Act of 1862 allowed thousands of white settlers to secure acres of
free land, and they killed the buffalos which were the source of diet to the native Indians, the whites
kept killing them and that showed how merciless they were(OLSON &BEAL pg 69, 70 The Final Assault)

AFRICAN-AMERICANS

African Americans faced the most obstacles because of the color of their skin they referred to as evil,
less human and they were marginalized to the bottom of social ladder. History casts a dark shadow on
the entire issue of black assimilation in the United States. For hundreds of years, people of African
descent were oppressed and exploited purely on the basis of the blackness of their skin. The era of
"freedom" that began in the mid-1780s in post-Revolutionary America excluded blacks entirely; black
Americans were considered less than human beings and faced discrimination in every aspect of their
lives. Many historians argue that slavery's legacy of social inequality has persisted in American
societyeven 130 years after the post-Civil War emancipation of slaves in the United States.

Legally excluded from the white world, blacks were forced to establish their own social, political, and
economic institutions. In the process of building a solid cultural base in the black community, they
formed a whole new identity: that of the African American. African Americans recognized their African
heritage, but now accepted America as home. (EVERYCULTURE.COM/AFRICAN
AMERICAN/ACCULTURATION AND ASSIMILATION) African Americans segregation event when the 13th,
14th and 15th amendment gave them equal rights some states especially the southern states found
away of circumventing them so they could keep oppressing and exploiting back people. Some states
such as Virginia changed their social status from indentured servitude to lifelong slavery and have their
children born into slavery.( MODULE 3 PACKET, pg 11 SUPREME COURT DECISIONS)

OTHER IMMIGRANTS

The obstacles face by other immigrants face was determined by various factors; such as color of their
skin, if they wanted to marginalize you to black , language, level of education , skills or if you were
Mongolian, or Asian or Chinese or you religion. For example, Acculturation and Assimilation

Since all but two of the original colonies were founded by Englishmen, were administered by English
officials, were protected by England's army and navy, and were led by English-trained clergy, lawyers,
and educators, they adapted English models in their laws, constitutions, educational system, social
structure, and cultural pursuits. From the colonial period it remained fashionable for wealthy
Americans to send their sons to England for a year of college, and English styles in literature, poetry,
music, architecture, industry, and clothing were the models to emulate until the twentieth century.
Throughout the colonial period Americans supported England's wars enthusiastically, and when
resentment and resistance to English policies developed in America in the 1760s and 1770s, Americans
looked to Parliament for redress of their grievances, which they perceived as emanating from a
tyrannical King and his corrupt ministers. Numerous colonial towns created in this period were named
in honor of William Pitt and John Wilkes, two popular English Parliamentarians who opposed George II
( EVERYCULTURE.COM/BRITISH AMERICA/ACCULTURATION AND ASSIMILATION) When British came to
US they easily assimilated and held political offices and they easily assimilated. Religion was another
factor if the immigrants were Anglican, protestant assimilated faster than any other religion, such as
Catholics, Jews, some states had religion toleration.(MODULE 1 packet, pg 1 ) show all thirteen
American colonies and religions tolerated. Some immigrants such as Chinese faced difficult for
example the Chinese were singled out for discrimination through laws enacted by states in which they
had settled; they were the first immigrant group to be targeted for exclusion and denial of citizenship
by the U.S. Congress in 1882. Their encounter with Euro-Americans has been shaped not just by their
cultural roots and self-perceptions but also by the changing bilateral relations between the United
States and China. (EVERYCULTUE.COM/CHINESE AMERICA/HISTORY OF CHNESE IMMIGATION) On basis
of religion, though immigrants can to United States for religious freedom sometimes it is not the case.
For example, Iranians who are Muslim in US were subjected to being referred to as violent fanatics, the
relationship between the Iranian American population and the surrounding population since the 1979
revolution appears to be one characterized by fear and prejudice on the one side, and by anger and
sadness on the other. Those belonging to the Muslim religion in particular are often subjected to a kind
of nationwide backlash that identifies all members of their religion as violent fanatics or terrorists. In
1985 a proposed religious and cultural center for Muslims to be built in central Oklahoma was
abandoned due to the protests of local citizens who feared the project would establish a site for a
terrorist network in their midst. In addition, the U.S. government has often reinforced the stereotype
that all Iranians are potential terrorists.(EVERYCULTURE.COM/IRANIAN/INTERACTIONS WITH SETTLED
AMERICANS). In conclusion, immigrants in America faced difficulties and are still facing discrimination
in different aspects.
Reflection

This course has made me have a different view on immigrants, races, and how segregation and
marginalization were some of the many tools used in forming United States, how Native Americans were
robbed of their land in the name of progress, the southern states treated blacks regardless of them
being the unwilling immigrants and how they were referred to as evil because of the color of the skin,
how they were considered less human, or property because they were owned by slave masters and
they could do what they wanted with the slave, the condemned living conditions, how their status was
changed to lifelong servant, how their children were born into slavery, how they were exploited and
discriminated, marginalized how can someone be so full of such hatred, even when the amendment for
equal rights were not honored and they found a way of mistreating blacks. Other immigrants that are
facing or faced difficult because of religion, color, language barrier. This course made me realize that
some people might poor not because of their fault but the system might not be in their favor. But all in
all people who are facing discrimination must keep on trying and not give up.