How Did The Changes After The Civil War Imperialism

The Civil War and Reconstruction period, Gilded Age, Imperialism, and World War I all brought challenges, expansion, and transformation to this nation and it’s people. These periods would change the nation, “In the years following the Civil War, formed and their white allies, North and South, would seek to redefine the meaning and boundaries of American freedom” (Give Me Liberty 555). The Civil War split apart the nation due to slavery differences between the North and South. The historical narrative from 1865 through World War I involves the challenges faced with inequality and violence resulting in the transformation of geographical space, cultural landscape, and political institutions. The Civil War exacerbated existing racial discrimination

Despite these issues, America was improved in many ways, including the construction of great transcontinental railroads, industrialization, innovations in technology, and big businesses. The telegraph, refrigerator, and new ways of transporting goods were invented during the Gilded Age. New forms of freedom were created for minority workers with the rapid expansion of the industrial system. There was a growing population because of the second industrialization leading to mass production, distribution and marketing. It might have seemed that everything was well, but class division was becoming more visible. Even with wealthy cities, there was still massive amounts of impoverishment. The poor had little opportunity to prosper, “The poverty which in the midst of abundance, pinches and embrutes men, and all the manifold evils which flow from it, spring from a denial of justice.” (39). The inequality between the wealthy and poor or white and colored is all because of xenophobia. Xenophobia is the fear of people from other countries and ethnic backgrounds. This fear was what made the class division and inequality more and more apparent. Big businessmen such as J.P Morgan would exploit their workers and committed unethical business behaviors. Exploitation was one of the many reasons why the poor were not able to get out of the lower class. The idea of those who adapt will survive

There was cultural, domestic, and overseas expansion such as foreign trade and competition for foreign land. The United States was trying to make sure the British didn’t conquer parts of Latin America, so they secured it. The country was expanding overseas, “Not until 1903, after a war that took the lives of more than 4,000 American soldiers and 100,000 Filipinos, was American control of the Philippines secured” (68). The country believed if the had control over the water they had control over the world. While the United States was on its way to become a world power, there was the domestic issue of Jim Crow laws. These laws demanded the segregation of black Americans in any public place resulting in disenfranchisement. People became violent because they did not want blacks any where near white Americans or on their side of the area, “Blacks who sought to challenge the system or who refused to accept the demeaning treatment that was a daily feature of southern life faced not only overwhelming political and legal power but also the threat of violent reprisal” (58). Even black troops who fought for the country were segregated from white troops.There was this idea of “separate but equal”, “In Plessy, the Court gave its approval to state laws requiring separate facilities for blacks and whites” (53). Hawaii was wanted by the U.S because it would be a great resting point