Dehumanization In America

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ainst any unfair treatment or harmful work environments. Slaves became a highly valued commodity, further dehumanizing African Americans and harming any potential for any acquisition of rights in the South. An important aspect of Takaki’s description is the important realization that for the two hundred and fifty years of enslavement, the primary motivation for this powerful institution had in mind only the interests of the elite plantation owners with the support of the a government still in the process of building and unifying an already very diverse population of individuals migrating from different ends of the earth. This dynamic allows social scientists a glimpse into the lives of African Americans; left without a voice and a growing …show more content…
180). The reality of trying to strike it rich and bring back a large sum of earnings, however, spoke to a much more difficult process in an increasingly hostile atmosphere. White Americans were realizing the impact the continual immigrant population increase had on the availability of jobs and Chinese immigrants soon faced the unfortunate implications of legislature determined to preserve a “white” civilization, including foreign miner’s taxes so steep that “by 1870, California had collected five million dollars from the Chinese, a sum representing between 25 to 50 percent of all state revenue” (Takaki, 1993 pp. 180). Short of physically thwarting Chinese from migrating to America, the legislature did it’s best to undermine and take advantage of the efforts made by Chinese immigrants through the collection of taxes as well as denying the immigrants the ability for naturalization through the “1790 federal law that reserved naturalized citizenship for ‘whites’” (Takaki 1993 pp 180). In effect, Chinese immigrants were exploited without any consideration of their rights, mainly because the denial to citizenship meant Chinese immigrants …show more content…
In the African American experiences, the key interactions at play were the oppression of whites through dehumanization and objectification to the level of property. This relationship, simplified, is defined by an national approach to individuals that have been purchased and having lost any human identity. Slaves were treated to no rights and often suffered endlessly at the hands of their masters. The Asian American experiences differed in the way that the majority of Asian Americans came voluntarily to America and therefore threatened the hold whites had on society and culture. Asian ethnic groups brought with them their traditions and customs and though faced with racism, were able to form communities that ultimately helped establish support systems that prevailed through decades of racism. The intensity of racism was often subject to variation due to international events such as World War II that affected many Japanese individuals (Baker, Lopez Figueroa, Mosupyoe, B. Yee Mark, 2004 pp. 176). Ultimately, immigration laws were revised and racism towards Asian Americans lessened as international relations were improved and therefore the Asian American population continued to grow. This trend has not ceased; Asian Americans
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