Reading Response #3 Not Like Us - Abeerah Qureshi
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Lone Star College, CyFair**We aren't endorsed by this school
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HIST 1302
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History
Date
Dec 18, 2024
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3
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Qureshi 1Abeerah QureshiJanuary 28, 2024HIST 1302Reading Response #2Would you attribute the onset of nativism in the late 19th century more to cultural oreconomic factors?While both cultural and economic elements played roles in the rise of Nativism during the late19th century, I would primarily attribute it mainly to cultural factors. This period, oftenremembered as the "Gay Nineties" and the "Roaring Twenties," also saw a darker side, asdetailed by Daniels, where deep-rooted Nativism led to aggressive behaviors towards AfricanAmericans, American Indians, and various immigrants, manifesting in violence, hostility, anddistrust at its mildest.From 1890 to 1924, the United States experienced an unprecedented wave of immigration,bringing with it new customs, languages, and religious beliefs that unsettled many, especially thewhite Protestant majority. These immigrants were seen as outsiders, disrupting the traditionalAmerican lifestyle with their presence. Economically, they were blamed for contributing to thefinancial hardships of American workers and farmers by intensifying job competition, whichresulted in lower wages and substandard living conditions. They were also accused ofintroducing diseases and ideologies that contradicted the established white American norms.Daniels highlights the intensity of Nativism with examples such as the Chinese Exclusion Act of1882, which not only prohibited Chinese immigrants from becoming naturalized citizens but alsohalted the immigration of Chinese laborers. All Chinese immigrants had their own intentionswith their travels to America, “Many, perhaps most of the immigrants intended to work for atime in California and then return to China as “rich” men. Some actually did so, but most ofthose who survived remained poor and became settlers rather than sojourners,” (Daniels 3).
Qureshi 2Similarly, African American immigrants faced discrimination, exemplified by the Civil RightsCases of 1883, where “discriminating against African-American citizens in public places byprivate means was constitutional” (Daniels 34). These decisions, though directly impactingAfrican Americans, echoed a wider societal view that deemed non-white, non-Protestant, andnon-Anglo-Saxon individuals as lesser.Such legislative actions underscored nativist attitudes, showing a clear preference for immigrantsfrom northern and western Europe who were considered more aligned with American values andless threatening to the nation's cultural and racial identity.In summary, the late 19th century's surge in Nativism was predominantly influenced by culturaldynamics. Although economic concerns were present, it was the era's cultural and racial biasesthat more profoundly influenced nativist sentiments and policies. Daniels's research reveals thatefforts to limit immigration and maintain national cultural uniformity were deeply driven by afear of the "other," highlighting a significant preference for preserving the cultural and racialpurity of the American populace over economic considerations.
Qureshi 3Work CitedDaniels, Roger. Essay. InNot like Us: Immigrants and Minorities in America, 1890-1924, 20-46.Chicago, IL: Dee, Ivan R., 1997.