Racism in America
- This is a preview of the essay.
To view the full text you must login!
Beyond the common struggles for success in late nineteenth century California,
many ethnic groups encountered racism and discrimination in their attempts to prosper.
Though California may have appeared as a land of opportunity and riches, the reality for
many was quite the contrary. Much of this hatred was fueled by the widespread belief that
whites were a superior race. Fear and ignorance led to many destructive acts following
the post gold rush years, the building of the Central Pacific Railroad and the acquisition of
land from Mexico and the Native American Indians.
During the mining days Mexicans were among the most discriminated Feelings
of hostility remained from the Mexican War and many Americans feared the foreigners
because they had experience working in the mines. Americans were fearful that Mexicans
would acquire most of the jobs that were available. Mining camps were enforced by
vigilante committees. As a result, the California Legislature enforced a foreign miner's
license tax, while Senator Thomas Jefferson Green implemented a twenty dollar a month
fee for non-citizensdeclared as the Mexican Miner's Tax."(178). This eventually drove
Mexicans out because they were unable to pay these newly implemented tariffs...