Theodore Roosevelt Racialized Nation 1890-1900
The period between 1890 and 1900 was a crucial period for the development of the American nation. The nation was in shambles following the civil war thirty years before then and issues such as poverty and hatred had started to creep in the nation. The economic stability of the nation was struggling which depended on the gap between the rich and the poor. International developments especially in Europe threatened the position of America, which prompted the need for action. The Cuba war presented America wit an ideal opportunity to prove itself in the international realms as a powerful nation. Further, the war was seen as a mechanism through which unity between the poor and the rich, the southerners, and the northerners as well as different races could attain unity. The economic depression pushed many Americans to this course, Roosevelt being the most notable influence.
Roosevelt achieved great victory in the Cuba battle, which led to his crowning as a hero in America. His position gave him the chance to climb to the top positions in the political realms, and a chance to create the kind of America he had hoped for in many years. Although all the Americans participated in the wars, Roosevelt did not recognize the inferior communities especially the blacks whom he considered too underdeveloped to belong to the American nation. He diminished the contribution of the blacks in the achievement of success in Cuba to maintain the superiority of the white race in America. Roosevelt envisioned a nation comprised of the whites and the blacks, in his eyes, would compromise the values he held deeply for the nation of America. Additionally, Roosevelt’s participation in the Cuba war was born out of the conviction that the Cubans were an inferior race incapable of leading themselves. Racial segregation became a norm in America henceforth.
Civic Nationalism and Its Contradictions 1890-1917
Civic nationalism was born out of the desire to unite the immigrants and the native-born Americans during the reign of Roosevelt. Although Roosevelt did not recognize the blacks as equals to the rest of the American communities, he embraced the European immigrants openly. The native born Americans did not accept people with different religious beliefs or those from inferior communities in the European nations. In fact, natives suggested discrimination acts towards these immigrants, which did not resonate well with Roosevelt. Although America was a protestant-based nation, Roosevelt received the Catholics and Jews from the European nations with open arms, which elevated his political position in the nation. Additionally, Roosevelt gave the immigrants positions of leadership in his government in the efforts to propagate civic nationalism in the nation.
Regardless of the efforts to unite the Americans, Roosevelt did not consider the position of the blacks because he only wanted a white nation and the blacks would not attain the necessary intellectual virtues during his lifetime. Racism stood in the way of the full realization of the civic movement. On the other hand, the civic aspect of embracing the European immigrants was seen as a mechanism towards overcoming the challenges of modernity evils. The civic movement gave birth to the freedom of worship in America to allow the Jews and the Catholics to practice their faith. Additionally, the blacks saw this movement as a hope for their future acceptance to the American community.