All of the terms in this selection are connected with the topic of America’s 20th-century social and political history. All of the terms and people discussed in their four pairs are either connected with a particular government policy or a response to the emerging social trends by the people of the US. They highlight some of the major problems evident in the America of the preceding decade, ways in which the government has harmed its people, and how these people responded to injustice.
Ten Point Program was a document created for the Black Panther Party, a political organization furthering the rights of America’s black population. The document contains a set of regulations, guidelines, and convictions upheld by the party, made with the US Bill of Rights and Declaration of Independence in mind. The program detailed some of the party’s aspirations, including universal freedoms and protections for black people and proper treatment from systems of power (Black Panthers). Philip Randolph was a political figure and a labor rights activist prominent during the Civil Rights movement. His activism was incremental to the formation of the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters, the first labor union made for African-American people (A. Philip Randolph: AFL-CIO). Randolph has contributed to the banning of work discrimination against black people.
Similar to the fight against discrimination led by black people, Stonewall was an uprising against police violence from people of the LGBT+ community. Stonewall riots were a series of confrontations between law enforcement and gay rights activists outside the Stonewall Inn bar on June 28, 1969. In the face of continued harassment and a police raid, the members of the gay community at the bar have incited public unrest against the unjust actions of the police (Stonewall riots). The riots have become a starting point for the current LGBT+ movement. “Don’t ask, don’t tell” was an official US government policy issued by the Clinton Administration in 1994. The legislative action was aimed at regulating the topic of same-sex attraction in the context of the military (Beals). While disallowing discrimination in presence of a person being gay, trans, or lesbian, the policy was explicitly aimed at limiting the ability of LGBT+ people to express their identity. A person was not allowed to be openly gay or exhibit “gay tendencies” for fear of losing their position.
The war on drugs, much like “Don’t ask, don’t tell,” was the government’s misguided attempt at controlling the moral quality of their people through discriminatory action. In 1970 the country’s control over drug use and distribution became much stricter, seeking to eliminate the problem. A series of actions and restrictions were made to prohibit the use of drugs, but the enforcement of the law only contributed to violence and discrimination in vulnerable communities (A Brief History of the Drug War). By effectively framing discrimination against black people and anti-war enthusiasts to be about fighting drugs, the government was able to control the part of the population is found to be detrimental. The prison industrial complex, essentially, can also be classified as a way for the government to discriminate against certain parts of society (Davis). The term refers to the practice of putting more people in prisons, as their cheap labor is being used to amass profit for corporations in control of the prison system.
Speaking on the topic of labor and unions, Eugene Debs was another important figure to the American workers, especially in the field of transportation. Eugene Debs was an American socialist and activist, and the first president of the American Railway Union (Eugene V. Debs). He organized strikes and protests against the railway industry, fighting for the rights of workers in that field.
The response to Hurricane Katrina was insufficient and ineffective at addressing the problems caused to the people of New Orleans. The direct impact of the hurricane was not large, but the flooding caused as a result has set devastation the region. Many have faced loss and grief in the face of tragedy, with many more have lost their homes. Those affected had to wait on rooftops without food or water, and even those that were rescued had no way to find housing security or safety (“Big Noise Dispatches No. 3”). The response time to the crisis was painfully slow, with the rescue and evacuation efforts taking up at least 5 days to take action.
FEMA, an agency designed to handle such matters, was ineffective and slow at responding to the danger, securing the city against it, or leading the rescue efforts after the fact (NewsHour). President George Bush was similarly criticized for a lack of a prompt response, and for not returning from his vacation in the face of a national crisis. I feel that the lackluster response from the government organizations and the president was fueled by implicit racism. The majority black population of New Orleans was not worth as much consideration or care to the people in charge as the populations of more “white” cities. As stated in the Hour Talks Politics program, previous hurricane dangers were accessed in a much more appropriate fashion and were not allowed to deal with nearly as much damage as Katrina (“Hour Talks Politics”).
Before the 1880s, immigration in America was rather simple and open, with all kinds of people being freely allowed to come into the country. In 1875, however, immigration legislation became the responsibility of the federal government, starting the period of immigration-related restrictions and rulings. The period was hailed by legislation such as the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, which explicitly prohibited Chinese people from immigrating into the country.
Since the 1920’s similarly, a quota was established to regulate the number of immigrants from each particular country, restricting the entrance to America based on a person’s birthplace (Immigration in the 1960s). Even with this system, particular groups were favored more than others, leading to more people coming from Northern Europe. The immigration policies and legislations have historically restricted entry to particular groups of individuals based on their race or ethnicity, making the ability of people to enter the country unequal. Since the government holds power over deciding how people immigrate, on what terms, and who is allowed to be an immigrant, the dynamic creates ample opportunity for discrimination.
The patriarchy of early America was a large and overwhelming force for the women of the period. Not being able to have basic rights or education, women were subjected to being controlled and objectified by the men in their lives. While many of them were unsatisfied with such a turn of events, not everybody had the strength of will or the ability to speak out against the systemic issue. Some women, however, found the ability to take up the stage and speak up against the ills of the patriarchy.
Sojourner Truth’s speech, “Ain’t I a Woman?” is one notable example. The woman speaks up to voice her perspective on women’s rights, as a common person and an emancipated slave. Truth speaks about being able to do the same things men do and asks them to figuratively give women their rights as equals and as a part of society (Arnove and Zinn). Margaret Fuller’s Woman in the Nineteenth century was similarly a very important piece of feminist media that sought to advocate for marriage equality for both men and women (Arnove and Zinn). The writing can be considered the first published feminist work made by a woman and is especially relevant to understanding the struggles against patriarchy at the time.
Lastly, Harriet Hanson Robinson’s “Characteristics of the Early Factory Girls” can be noted. The text discussed the struggles of women in the workplace and calls attention to the facet of women’s rights untouched by the previous two individuals (Arnove and Zinn). The work has offered a female-oriented look at factory girls, aimed at making a change in society. In the professional sphere, women were both relied on as a part of the workforce and considered lesser at the same time, contributing to their discrimination. Robinson’s portrayal helps her audience to understand the full role women have played in the environment around them, and the crucial role they have in society.
References
“A. Philip Randolph: AFL-CIO.” AFL. n.d.
Black Panthers. “The Ten-Point Program.” Black Panther’s Ten-Point Program. n.d.
“Stonewall Riots.” Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. n.d.
Beals, Ryan. “Decade after ‘don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ Repeal, a ‘Hurtful’ Legacy Remains.” NBCNews.com. NBCUniversal News Group, 2020.
Davis, Angela. “Masked Racism: Reflections on the Prison Industrial Complex.” Colorlines. 2015.
“A Brief History of the Drug War.” Drug Policy Alliance. n.d.
“Eugene V. Debs.” Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. n.d.
“Hour Talks Politics.” Films on Demand, Films Media Group, 2009. Web.
“Big Noise Dispatches No. 3.” Films on Demand, Films Media Group, 2007. Web.
NewsHour, PBS. “FEMA Faces Intense Scrutiny.” PBS. Public Broadcasting Service, 2005.
“Immigration in the 1960s.” Boundless. 2019.
“Early American Immigration Policies.” USCIS. 2020.
Arnove, Anthony, and Howard Zinn. Voices of a People’s History of the United States. New York: Seven Stories, 2009. Print.