Themes in the American 19th Century Society

Themes in the American 19^th Century Society

American history can be chronologically analysed through the trends that it followed over the decades of the 19^th century. This analysis provides a clear thematic approach to the chronological continuity of the history. Anthropological concepts form the basis that symbols, beliefs and systems promoted by the civil war continue to take a centre stage in the American ideology. Two major themes dominated the history of America in the 19^th century. These themes include political and economic freedom and slaves’ emancipation.

Spike Lee’s film,” Bamboozled” that features blackface montage performers outstands among other films. It distinctly shows how the Americans treated the Africans during the 19^th century. The worst part of it is that they still consider the Americans to view them in like manner as it was over one century ago. The film shows that the change is long overdue for the Americans, and it is time for them to view the Africans equally as people who are civilized and dependable.

The civil war that began that continued through to 1865 became a defining factor for the political and economic differences between the Southern and Northern regions. The war resulted into the devastation of the South with adverse economic and social impacts being felt even in the 20^th century. Due to the civil war, the North gained popularity evident in its industrial expansion. The war also had negative impacts on the social aspects. There were no proper medications with most injuries being addressed orally while serious ones achieved through amputation. Even though, there were intolerable social conditions, America achieved a strong economic growth in the 19^th century that helped it to address the various social challenges that affected the country through to the 20^th century.

The other evident theme in the history of America in the 19^th century is the slavery. Slaves mainly originated from Africa, and this brought about racial discrimination as they were considered inferior, passive and uncivilized. Despite this discrimination, history proves that there existed some love between the masters and their slaves (Kukla, 2003). Despite the destructive and brutal conditions of slavery, the slaves still adopted strategies to defend themselves. They developed distinctive culture comprising of elements borrowed from both European and African cultures. The first aspect of this coping was religion. The slaves practiced Christianity that was mixed with traditional African beliefs. This religion provided them with endurance and hope of deliverance fro slavery. Since the slaves had no freedom of speech, they found other ways of expression such as oral traditions and narratives with slave origins. The narrative and oral traditions were also forms of education that added to their coping strategies.

Basing arguments from the slave narratives and the history of slavery, life in America during this era was unbearable. The living conditions were poor as slaves earned very little and majority worked for free without any compensation. The absence of freedom of speech making the slaves to device other mechanisms of expression further explains how hard the life was during this period. Even to the natives, life was not easy as civil wars rocked the nation. The impacts of civil wars were felt by every individual both socially, economically and politically. The repercussion of war is hatred, division and death, and every individual has to feel their effects in one way or the other.

In conclusion, the American civil war shaped up the lives of the people both negatively positively. The slaves needed freedom and fair treatment from their masters and despite oppression they still adopted religion and oral traditions that enabled them to express themselves to socialize and to encourage one another. Moreover, civil war and slavery coupled with racism and oppression make life unfavorable for the inhabitants of a nation.

Reference

Kukla, J. (2003). A Wilderness so Immense: The Louisiana Purchase and the Destiny. New York: Knopf.