Equality and Opportunity in America, 1865-1914 T

This paper will discuss the connected themes of equality and opportunity in the United States between the Civil War and the First World War. The American dream has always been that economic and social success is available to anyone, regardless of his or her background, who is willing to work hard enough. This paper will discuss the argument that equality and opportunity did not apply in the same degree to all individuals and groups in the United States during this time period. Racial and ethnic minorities did not all have the same opportunities to advance themselves economically and socially; in addition, those starting out in life with economic disadvantages were seldom able to achieve the dream of success which was held before them in popular culture. The first part of the paper will examine this dream and promise of success as it was understood in the late 19th and early 20th Centuries; the second and third parts of the paper will discuss the racial and economic realities which denied large numbers of Americans realization of this dream.

Throughout the history of the United States Americans in general have accepted the notion that anyone could be successful in this country if they worked hard enough. Acceptance of this notion became exceptionally strong in the late 19th Century, following the Civil War. Industrialization of the American economy accelerated during this time period and success in life became

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the beginning of the 20th Century, Southern Whites had even managed to politically disenfranchise the Blacks once more through devices which silenced the Black political voice and effectively prevented them from voting. Another racial minority group excluded from American society was that of the American Indians. Their position was rather unique because they had actually settled North America before the Europeans; as more Europeans arrived in North America, more Indians were displaced from the land. Compared to African Americans, Indians received more respect from the Whites; they were seen as "noble savages," courageous and dignified but not civilized. As such, they were not as deserving of the land as White settlers and were driven into reservations. Eventually, they found themselves in a situation similar to African Americans, officially entitled to all of the rights of citizenship but actually possessed of few. Their only chance of realizing some of the economic fruits of the American dream was to join the travelling "wild west" shows, reenacting for White audiences the loss of their land. Hispanics in the Southwest faced a situation similar to that of the Indians. Those families settled there prior to 1848 faced w
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Some common words found in the essay are:
Poor Whites, African Americans, War American, Civil War, Hispanics Southwest, North America, Supreme Court, Americans Indians, Southwest Immigrants, Protestant English-speaking, african americans, american society, american dream, equality opportunity, civil war, racial minorities, economic success, north america, late 19th, 20th century, 2 spring 1981, daedalus 110 2, 110 2 spring, late 19th 20th, chicago university chicago,
Approximate Word count = 2114
Approximate Pages = 8 (250 words per page)