Prior to the civil war, slavery acted as a major set back in the development of the west
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United States History
Prior to the civil war, slavery acted as a major set back in the development of the west. In the event of succession of the Southern states as discussed by Berkin et al (546), allowed the republicans who took over the federal government to develop the west through the construction of the Pacific railroad as stated in the Pacific Railroad Act as well as the Homestead Act both enacted in 1862. As Americans implemented the above mentioned acts in the attempt to develop the west, the federal officials were busy deciding the fate of the American Indians who had occupied most of the region. The developments in the west were limited by the scarcity of water due to the rainfall shortage that was experienced in the area. The questions that lingered were; what kind of developments would thrive in an area with low rainfall? What sources of water will be in use and who will be in charge of controlling the resource?
Due to the variation in ethnicity and race in the west as compared to other areas, the west was marked as a distinct place leading to the immense transformation of the American west. As many Americans migrated towards the west after the end of the civil war, the possession of guns and horses transformed the lives of Native Americans especially those living in the Great Plains (Berkin et al 547). The horse also transformed the lives of Indians living in the plains who were mainly hunters.
In conclusion, the developments experienced in the west following the civil war opened up the area for major developments and great opportunities to those who bravely chose to settle there. Developments were mainly in the areas of mining, agriculture and construction which provided employment for those living in the west increasing the wage levels.
The west has always differed from other nations in its race and ethnic composition including Native Americans, Mexican Americans and Asian Americans. In the period of 1854 and 1882 numerous Chinese immigrants entered the United States from South China that at the time had suffered economic distress, political instability and famine. In the west, the majority of them worked a miners, but they were also formed a major part in the railroad construction (Berkin et al 563). In addition, the Chinese immigrants worked as agricultural laborers particularly in the area of fruit growing.
In San Francisco as well as other cities in the west, the Chinese immigrants formed Chinatowns that were autonomous and independent communities. As explored by Berkin et al (563), in San Francisco, the immigrants formed kinships and district organizations with an aim of protecting and assisting each other. Such communities were largely dominated by men because only a small number of women were allowed to enter the American border with the intention of preventing an American born generation by the immigrants. As a result, prostitution and gambling were major vices that dominated this Chinatowns giving them a bad reputation as towns of vice.
The Chinese immigrants including other races such as Native Americans and Mexican Americans faced violence and discrimination by the whites. The California Supreme Court revoked the right of the Immigrants to be involved in court proceedings as witnesses in cases relating to white men. A heavy tax burden was also imposed on the immigrants as a way of encouraging them to migrate from the United States. The different economic factors caused a decrease in the wage levels and an increase in employment. The whites were nonetheless, blamed the immigrants for these problems leading to anti-Chinese rebellions in both San Francisco and Los Angeles in 1877 and 1871 respectively chanting the slogan “Chinese must go.” This lead to the “Chinese Exclusion Act” that prohibited the entry of Chinese immigrant to the United States unless they were teachers, tourists, students, merchants and officials (Berkin et al 563).
References
Berkin, Miller, Cherny, Gormly. Making America: A History of the United States volume 2 from 1865. USA: Cengage Learning Inc., 2005. Print.
