Ideologies that Shaped US History from 1820s to 1910s

1 Ideologies that Shaped US History from 1820s to 1910s
2 The New South
3 The Role of Geography in US History
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Ideologies that Shaped US History from 1820s to 1910s
Introduction
For close to two centuries, the American people have espoused the ideology of universal equality with regard to gender, race and class. The disparities occasioned these inequalities undermine the American dream which professes freedoms, individualism and unlimited opportunities. The main structures that have shaped the ideologies through which relations are created include citizenship and labor. Boundaries have been drawn based on communities which share a common order in terms of rights, protection and respect, while labor defines the economic order of the society through levels of autonomy, economic status, and the quality of life. These two elements have always favored the white over the racialized minorities and women and they have formed arenas for expression of exploitation, exclusion and oppression.
Citizenship and Labor
The government was crafted on the basis of control by white male who then predominantly enjoyed freedom and participated in governance because they were regarded as the producers. One’s citizenship status was tied to their labor status. The lack of citizenship rights minimized the ability of individuals to access privileges such as job opportunities, formation of unions, education and training (Glenn & Tam, 2004). Citizenship was attributed to being “male white”, which qualified one to be a worker citizen. Based on labor and citizenship, other elements such as gender relations, race identities and meanings were defined.
Concepts of liberal citizenship and free labor evolved concurrently fuelled by the transformations that occurred on the social, economic and political fronts. People were restricted to a geographical area determined by labor needs, unlike what real citizenship as prescribed in the US constitution should embody through federal, state and county jurisdictions. Localizing citizens created racial and class disparities due to the fact that individual actors interpreted and enforced the boundaries law based on social practices of particular regions or local communities.
From the reconstruction to the progressive eras, aspects to do with citizenship and labor were dominant in discussions across America because of slave trade abolition, industrialization, urbanization, imperialist expansion into Latin America and massive immigration (Glenn & Tam, 2004). Social boundaries were redrawn and there began the discussions about the change in conceptions regarding race, sex and class.
White Supremacy
In order to understand the advent of the white identity in the US, supremacist concepts across the world must be interrogated. America was jostled by four European nations namely, France, England, Spain and Holland. The English won in the ensuing wars and controlled the region called the United States of America. Slave trade, which originally began by Portuguese people in the 15th century, had already had a toll on the American landscape owing to the many colored people from Africa, Asia and Mexico that had been enslaved by the European emigrants. ...