History Essay: Promoting Diversity in America (1865-1920)

This essay provides a comprehensive overview of the diverse landscape of America from the Reconstruction era through the 1920s, examining the social, political, and economic transformations that shaped the nation. It explores the impact of immigration, highlighting the influx of European and Asian immigrants and the challenges they faced, including the Chinese Exclusion Act and the Gentlemen's Agreement. The essay also delves into the issue of race, focusing on the loss of civil rights for African Americans, the rise of Jim Crow laws, and the Great Migration. Furthermore, it analyzes the rise of populism in response to agrarian distress and the political alliances formed to address economic grievances. The essay argues that political parties, despite existing prejudices, promoted diversity. The essay concludes by connecting these historical issues to contemporary workplace diversity initiatives and legal frameworks. This essay, available on Desklib, offers insights into America's complex history.

Running head: SOCIOLOGY
History Essay
Name of the Student:
Name of the University:
Author Note:

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Introduction:
The essay provides an insight into the diversity of America from the reconstruction era
through the 1920 post the civil war. Post civil war, United States, needed to not only recover
from the war but at the same time handle the western expansion along with the grappling of
various newer economic reforms(Abu-Laban & Lamont, 1997). One of the greatest issues has
been the slavery and the rising level of diversity post the Civil War. In South, even though the
former slaves had opportunities and freedom but they faced older prejudices that became newer
barriers. There were immigrants who came in huge numbers from the Europe and Asia and were
faced with social and political restraints. Then there were women who constantly looked for their
rights. Thus, as a whole, America became largely diverse by the year 1920s. The essay revolves
around how the political parties between 1865 and 1920 promoted diversity and ‘melting pot’
despite stronger prejudices.
Three Specific Examples:
Immigration:
During the period 1865 to 1918, United States of America (USA) witnessed a diverse and
unprecedented stream of the immigrants that totaled close to 27.5 million. Overall, 24.4 million
migrated from Europe which also comprised of 2.9 million migrants from Britain, 2.2 million
migrants from the Ireland, 3.8 million migrants from Germany, 2.1 million migrants from
Scandinavia, 7.8 million migrants from the Russia and the central Europe and 4.1 million from
Italy (Angel, 2018). In addition, close to 1.7 million migrated from Canada. These immigrants
have been pushed away from their homelands due to threats related to religion and poverty. The
availability of farmland, jobs and the kin connections attracted them towards America. Besides,

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the other attractive opportunities of USA have been mines, construction sites and economic
opportunities at the factories. Except the Asians, America extended a welcoming hand to most of
the immigrants. After the intense anti-China agitation in west and in California, the Congress put
across the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 (Chen, 2015). America also put forward the
Gentlemen’s Agreement for stopping the immigration of Japanese (Cullinane, 2014).
Race:
In the end of 1870, African American lost many of its civil rights attained during the
reconstruction era that made it increasingly subjected to the racial discrimination. There has been
an increase in the racist violence that included race riots and lynching that led to stronger
deterioration of the living conditions of the African American in Southern states. This situation
led to the establishment of Jim Crow Laws (Goldberg, 2017). There were many who flew to
Midwest in the year 1879 which was an exile that intensified during the Greater Migration that
commenced before the World War. In the year 1896, the supreme court of United States
efficiently upheld Jim Crow system of the racial segregation through separate but an equal
doctrine.
Populism
There have been series of droughts during then 1880s that led to the devastation of the
West. By the year 1890, the agrarian distress remained at its all time higher. The lease put
forward by Mary Elizabeth informed the farmers that they required raising less of corn and more
of hell (Mudde & Kaltwasser, 2013). Thus, working with the sympathetic Democrats of the
South and the smaller third parties of the West, the farmers made an alliance in pushing for the
political power that led to the emergence of the Populist Party (Leon, 2014). The elections of

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1890 brought newer party in coalition that controlled not only parts of the state government in
the Western and the Southern states. The pragmatic section of Populist focused on issues related
to railroads, land and money that included the unlimited supply of the silver coins. After the
elections of 1892, unlimited supply of the silver coins has been one of the key issues. This
however faced opposition from the financial and the conservative class as they believed that
coinage of silver instead of Gold would lead to inflation.
Opposing View:
The thesis statement that “Political parties between 1865 and 1920 promoted diversity
and ‘melting pot’ despite stronger prejudices” held a stronger position compared to its opposing
view as it led to not only the growth of thee industry but also led to the growth of the country as
a complete empire. This was the period that led to the extension of the idea of the Social
Darwinism to the international affairs of the United States (Hunt, Layton & Prince, 2015). The
country could extend the borders with purchase of the Alaska, Hawaii Islands, Puerto Rico and
the Philippines following Spanish American War thereby making it one of the impenetrable
countries. The promotion of diversity also allowed USA in exerting influence in number of
regions across the world that included Latin America and Asia. The Roosevelt Corollary and the
Open Door Policy provided justifications for the involvement of United States with China.
Conclusion:
The concluding section of the report portrays how the diversity issues shapes or impacts
the issues in the workplace or the desired profession. One of the recent diversity initiatives have
been in the positive discrimination at the workplace. In America, the office of the Federal
Contract Compliance program has put across regulations for the contractors in order to inquire,

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benchmark and undertake positive action for ensuring accurate representation of the individuals
and the veterans with disabilities. For the employees interacting with the finance sector in the
United States there has been an establishment of an office under Section 342 of Dodd Frank Act
for monitoring and ensuring fair inclusion of the women and the minorities for each of the
vendor and the company governed by Act.
In context of the equity regulation of pay there has been congressional debate in United
States for last couple of years which was subsided by President Obama who introduced the Lilly
Ledbetter Fair Pay Act for supplementing the existing legislation related to the equity of pay.
This Act was seen to effectively extend the time during which individuals were able to bring in
the discrimination and claim for equal pay. There were also introduction of other bills that
allowed the women and the other victims in easily challenging the inequality in pay.
The diversity of the reconstruction era also brought about a transformation in the moral
and the sexual harassment policies in United States. The Supreme Court of United States not
only paved the way for the gay marriages but also plans to put forward anti discriminations
statutes for protecting the LGBT members based on sexual orientation.

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References:
Abu-Laban, Y., & Lamont, V. (1997). Crossing borders: Interdisciplinarity, immigration and the
melting pot in the American cultural imaginary. Canadian Review of American
Studies, 27(2), 23-43.
Angel, J.L. ed., 2018. The Politics of a Majority-minority Nation: Aging, Diversity, and
Immigration. Springer Publishing Company.
Chen, J.J.,(2015). The impact of skill-based immigration restrictions: The Chinese Exclusion Act
of 1882. Journal of Human Capital, 9(3),298-328.
Cullinane, M.P.( 2014). The ‘Gentlemen's’ Agreement–Exclusion by Class. Immigrants &
Minorities, 32(2),139-161.
Goldberg, D. E. (2017). The Retreats of Reconstruction: Race, Leisure, and the Politics of
Segregation at the New Jersey Shore, 1865-1920. Oxford University Press.
Hunt, V., Layton, D., & Prince, S. (2015). Diversity matters. McKinsey & Company, 1, 15-29.
Kevin M. Schultz. (2018). HIST: Volume 2: U.S. History since 1865. 5th ed.
Krout, J.A., 2013. United States Since 1865.
Leon, G. (2014). Strategic redistribution: the political economy of populism in Latin
America. European Journal of Political Economy, 34, 39-51.
Mudde, C., & Kaltwasser, C. R. (2013). Exclusionary vs. inclusionary populism: Comparing
contemporary Europe and Latin America. Government and Opposition, 48(2), 147-174.