INSTITUTIONAL AFFILITATION
Immigrants add a unique dimension to American life and politics. In this essay, I will give a brief explanation on the significance of the Statue of Liberty, provide an overview of the current demographics of the U.S. and the problems faced by minority groups in the 1970s and the identity politics that accompanied this tumultuous time in America’s history.
SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STATUE OF LIBERTY
Between 1886-1924, almost 14 million immigrants entered the United States through the NY Harbor. While first and second class passengers weren't required to undergo inspection at Ellis Island, the majority of passengers in steerage class. The Statue of Liberty at Ellis Island served as an immigrant processing station after 1890. Early immigrants arrived from England, Ireland, Germany and Scandinavian countries. The long voyage across the seas were a sacrifice for mass migrations looking to escape persecution, political and economic instabilities in their home countries. The first object to be seen was the Statue of Liberty to serve as a beacon welcoming the weary and tired strangers to their new home. For many, this looming and larger-than-life figure served as a sign of better life for their family and future.
The U.S. has attracted people from all parts of the globe lending to its name as a 'melting pot.' According to the U.S. Census (2010), the population of the US is estimated to be 316 mm. The majority of Americans are still white (62.6%), Black or African-Americans make up 13.2%, Asians comprise 5.3%, Hispanics make up 17.1%. These statistics are quite unique when compared to other countries. Although one typically thinks of the United States as a diverse nation, it is not the most ethnically diverse countries. According to (Alesina et al 2002 (p.9) The thirteenth most ethnically diverse countries are all in Sub-Saharan Africa. The least diverse countries are South Korea, Japan and North Korea. While the U.S. may not be the most diverse country in the world, the authors claim that the US ranks high on religious fractionalization.
PROBLEMS FACED BY MINORITIES IN MID-1970’s
The passage of the Civil Rights Act in 1960 spurred social movements by African-Americans, Mexican-Americans and Native Americans to demand civil rights. During the mid-1970s race relations in the United States were a tumultuous time marked by urban uprisings, riots and social movements influenced by the civil rights era movement (1955-1978). African-Americans, Mexican Americans and Native Americans faced similar yet unique challenges in their struggles to achieve equality.
AFRICAN-AMERICANS
The struggle to achieve equality at this time was a pressing call for African Americans. The level of progress did not match the reality that everyday African-Americans faced in their lives. Although the Civil Rights Act of 1960 granted African Americans with civil liberties afforded to Americans, they were impatient with the level of change and the place that African Africans ought to take in their elevated positions in the U.S. Integration of African-Americans, particularly in the Deep South were problematic and minority groups found some solace in the passage of constitutional amendments.
Militant groups such as the Black Panthers were able to attract young men who faced unequal treatment at the hands of police. The Black Panthers who drew their lessons from revolutionary movements in Asia and Africa that, at the time were undergoing massive political and social changes striving to free themselves from their colonizers. The Black Panthers were especially appealing to young blacks based on its willingness to challenge police power by asserting the rights of armed self-defense for blacks. Their ten-point program called for “land, bread, housing, education, clothing, justice and peace.” The deteriorating physical and social conditions of inner cities marked large areas in the North and West regions of the country ravaged by inner-city poverty, unrest and urban decay. Between 1964-1971, there were as many as 700 urban uprisings (race-related) in predominantly black areas. The most deadly riots occurred in Detroit (1967), Los Angeles (1965) and Newark (1967).
NATIVE AMERICANS
The 1970s were also a pivotal moment for Native Americans, the original inhabitants of the North American continent to exert their self-identity. They were the poorest minority group where the unemployment rate was ten times the national average and 40% of the Native American population lived below the poverty line. Similarly, Native American families lived in dilapidated dwellings on the nation’s reservations. These conditions contributed to the American Indian Movement (AIM).
This movement urged Native Americans to re-connect with their local culture, protection of legal rights and restoration of lands that were illegally seized by the federal government. For nineteen months, Indian activists seized Alcatraz, an infamous federal penitentiary for its desolate surroundings. This symbolic act was done to show the appalling conditions of Indian reservations: “There is no running water; it has inadequate sanitation facilities; there is no industry, and so unemployment is very great; there are no health care facilities; the soil is rocky and unproductive.”
This movement fueled the rise of modern Native American activism and Indian rights became part of the public consciousness. The passage of fifty-two legislative proposals on behalf of American Indians to tribal self-rule was one major win for the movement. The end result of this movement was a success. According to Hobsbawn 1996,between 1960 and 1990, the percentage of Americans who reported themselves as ‘American Indian’ or ‘Native American’ quadrupled (p.40). The author noted that this could not be explained by normal demographic changes therefore one conclusion may be that an increased number of individuals are re-claiming their heritage.
MEXICAN-AMERICANS
During this time, Mexican-Americans (Chicano) began to openly exert and exercise their expressions of self-identity. The Chicano movement was not one collective social movement, but rather involved issues such as farm worker rights, enhanced education, suffrage and political rights. Chicanos confronted discrimination by using the existing institutions to make changes. Yet, “Chicano politics [and history] have always been imbued with a spirit of resistance toward Anglo-American oppression and domination.” (Gutierrez 1993:46). As a result, the visibility of Mexican-Americans increased within the Democratic Party. Lopez (2001) asserts that the civil rights movement by African Americans greatly influenced the Chicano movement by “the explicit articulation by Black Power proponents of a non-White identity as a basis for community solidarity and mobilization, and the conceptual link created by African-American protest between community demands for empowerment, racial identity, and legal repression.” The Chicano movement also spurred on Chicana movement to establish social, cultural and political identities for women of Mexican descent. However, change would not come so easy yet for females of Mexican descent. For Chicanas, women in student movements were denied leadership roles and delegated to perform menial tasks in subordination to the domineering male leadership.
Identity politics lay its claim on the injustice of members of certain social groups and the struggles facing these groups. Collective identities necessarily involve ‘us’ (outsider group) and ‘Them’ (insider group). By reclaiming power previous relegated to the dominant class (whites), minority groups could safely retreat, organize to end racist and sexist opposition. Minority groups resentful of oppression, powerlessness and even erasure can transform changes in one’s community.
This is evident with rise of Black Power in the 1960s and coincided with the Vietnam War. Activists saw the overlapping need to fight oppression and injustice by a deeply segregated South, yet African-Americans were called to fight for freedom elsewhere. Black Power called for black liberation, political autonomy and for people to realize self-determination, self-respect and self-defense.
The changing dynamics of what it means to be an American is constantly in flux. Immigrants and the policies attached to them remain more relevant than ever in this age of globalization and a borderless world. While the early founders of our nation could not have imagine the diverse peoples that have settled in this country, America’s exceptionalism continues to attract a diverse group of peoples that contribute to America’s political, cultural and social arenas.
WORKS CITED
Alesina, A., Devleeschauwer, A., Easterly, W., Kurlat, S., & Wacziarg, R. (2003). Fractionalization. Journal of Economic growth, 8(2), 155-194.
Gutiérrez, R. A. (1993). Community, patriarchy and individualism: The politics of Chicano history and the dream of equality. American Quarterly, 44-72.
Hobsbawm, E. (1996). Identity politics and the left. new left review, 38-47.
Marxist History: Black Panther Party. The Ten-Point Program. Retrieved at https://www.marxists.org/history/usa/workers/black-panthers/1966/10/15.htm
“Statue of Liberty.” National Park Service. Web. Retrieved at http://www.nps.gov/stli/historyculture/the-immigrants-statue.htm
“Ellis Island History.” The Statue of Liberty Ellis Foundation. Web. Retrieved at http://www.libertyellisfoundation.org/ellis-island-history
