The impact of white Americans’ sense of superiority on Americanism

For many years, white supremacy has been a divisive topic, and it continues to be a significant problem that has not been completely resolved. The white supremacy issue has been addressed by previous governments through institutions and laws, but little progress has been achieved. In contrast to other races like Hispanics, Asians, African-Americans, Japanese, and all other ethnicities residing in America during the 17th and 18th centuries, White Americans believed themselves to be superior. Several articles provide proof that white Americans thought themselves to be superior to other immigrant races living in the country.

First, white supremacy is clearly demonstrated in Barnett’s article on the Lynch legislation in America. Lynching in itself is brutal leave alone the fact that it was made a law by some few white people. Barnett notes that the whites argued that lynching was an unwritten law that was supposed to be applied to some people and not others. In such a case, victims that were subjected to lynching were not given a chance to defend themselves from the accusations, but they were rather subjected to death without complaint, and there was no right to appeal.

The unwritten law was so discriminative in such way that black people were not allowed a trial and no white woman could be compelled to take an oath when charging a negro for assault or attempted assault. Such law was barbaric and was aimed at discriminating against black people because some people were killed for alleged crimes, but later on, they were found to be innocent and without blame. The author further asserts that no colored man was safe from lynching as long as a white woman decides to charge him with assault or insult even if there was an ill motive by the white woman to place the charges on the person. Barnett states that white families living in densely populated areas occupied by black people are considered to be facing great danger as if black people are wild beasts. Such an assumption that colored people are wild has been packaged in such a manner that the world also believed in it. Worse of it all, is that lynching of the black people is usually done in public places and every time burning is publicized to take place, photographs are taken, excursions are run on the railroads, and there is jubilee among the whites. From the article, it is clear that the whites were lynching black people to show that the people of color are indeed unworthy of respect and therefore a moral monster that should not be sympathized for in the civilized world which is contrary to Americanism. According to the writer of the article, more than a third of the reported cases of assault or insult never happened.

White man’s Burden poem by Kipling is another evidence showing that indeed white Americans regarded themselves as superior compared to other races. The poem was written at a time when the United States was fighting with Philippine and other states such as Cuba, Puerto Rico, Guam to bring them under American control. During this period, America used to send African-Americans and other races to war while leaving the Native Americans back in the United States. Massive use of black people in the war was a clear indication that white supremacy was dominant at the time because whites were not sent to war. This is the reason why the poet urges the authorities in line three to send their sons to exile rather than use other races to gain empires. From this poem, it is evident that for other races to be assimilated as Americans, they had to serve in the military an idea that the writer differs with. The poet argued that true Americanism should be the vice versa where the native Americans themselves go to war to fight for their country.

In 1882 and 1892 the Chinese Exclusion Act was enacted in America to bar immigration of Chinese people into the United States. Analyzing the reasons for exclusion, it is clear that they were baseless and they do not warrant exclusion in any way. The author of the article “Chinese Exclusion” notes that Chinese immigration into America led to increased unemployment and industrial unrest within the country. One of the writers James Bryce in his works about American Commonwealth devoted two of the book chapters on propelling anti-Chinese crusade within California. According to Bryce, Americans were losing their identity because of the Chinese entry into the United States.

Due to increased concerns from native Americans, legislation was submitted, and a majority voted in favor of the referendum to have Chinese barred from entering the United States. Somewhere in the article, the author argued that Chinese usually have an inferior civilization compared to native Americans and this destroys the American population. Americans were asking some astounding questions on civilization and American identity. They were only obsessed with preserving their civilization, by all means, an aspect that in itself depicts white supremacy while looking down upon other races.

Works cited

”James D. Phelan, ”Why The Chinese Should Be Excluded” (1901) | The American Yawp Reader“. Americanyawp.Com. Last modified 2017. Accessed October 2, 2017. http://www.americanyawp.com/reader/19-american-empire/james-d-phelan-why-the-chinese-should-be-excluded-1901/.

James D. Phelan, ”Why the Chinese Should Be Excluded” (1901) | The American Yawp Reader. (2017). Americanyawp.com. Retrieved 2 October 2017, from http://www.americanyawp.com/reader/19-american-empire/james-d-phelan-why-the-chinese-should-be-excluded-1901/

Kipling, Rudyard, and Thomas James Wise. ”The white man’s burden.“ (1899): 8.