is america evolving a new civilization?
Because of its unique original racial mix, and the type of immigrants it attracted, the United States may prefer to see itself as an 'American civilization' or as a 'Judaic-Christian civilization' - but most observers see it as an 'African-American-Latino civilization' separate and distinct from other western nations.
America was founded with European and African populations - the two races evolved together in a new land - but in Europe the picture was very different.
Europe, until the end of WWII, was always peopled by white races. It had never imported into its culture other races as slaves or indentured servants on the enormous scale that America had.
The granting of citizenship and residency to non-white populations at the end of the colonial era came as a shock to most European nationals because until then very few Europeans had ever seen a non-white person in the flesh. There was no referendum to vote on whether or not European populations wanted non-white immigrants. It was foisted upon the people by their governments.
Established in their new countries, working largely in low ranking government positions that their former masters were able to use their influence to place them in - many of the ex colonial immigrants quickly worked through the ranks to relatively high positions of backroom power.
This sort of instant power was never available to the African Americans. They arrived in America as slaves and remained that way until 1865. And it took another 100 years before the Black Rights movement enabled their people to be finally treated with some semblance of equality.
The non-white European immigrants retained strong ties with their old countries and their old cultures and religions - sending home money to their extended families and bringing in an endless flow of new immigrants through marriage and family reunion schemes that they were able to promulgate easily with their 'instant' positions of relative power.
Voting rights also gave them an immediate and powerful source of influence. As their numbers increased, their ability to sway political parties became significant. They became a formidable lobby group.
In America, a bloody Civil Rights Movement was necessary in order to create the same advantages for the descendants of the African slaves that the black ex-colonial migrants were being granted freely and immediately upon their arrival in Europe post WWII.
America was founded with European and African populations - the two races evolved together in a new land - but in Europe the picture was very different.
Europe, until the end of WWII, was always peopled by white races. It had never imported into its culture other races as slaves or indentured servants on the enormous scale that America had.
The granting of citizenship and residency to non-white populations at the end of the colonial era came as a shock to most European nationals because until then very few Europeans had ever seen a non-white person in the flesh. There was no referendum to vote on whether or not European populations wanted non-white immigrants. It was foisted upon the people by their governments.
Established in their new countries, working largely in low ranking government positions that their former masters were able to use their influence to place them in - many of the ex colonial immigrants quickly worked through the ranks to relatively high positions of backroom power.
This sort of instant power was never available to the African Americans. They arrived in America as slaves and remained that way until 1865. And it took another 100 years before the Black Rights movement enabled their people to be finally treated with some semblance of equality.
The non-white European immigrants retained strong ties with their old countries and their old cultures and religions - sending home money to their extended families and bringing in an endless flow of new immigrants through marriage and family reunion schemes that they were able to promulgate easily with their 'instant' positions of relative power.
Voting rights also gave them an immediate and powerful source of influence. As their numbers increased, their ability to sway political parties became significant. They became a formidable lobby group.
In America, a bloody Civil Rights Movement was necessary in order to create the same advantages for the descendants of the African slaves that the black ex-colonial migrants were being granted freely and immediately upon their arrival in Europe post WWII.
Labels: african americans, America, civil rights, colonial era, slaves, western civilization, wwii
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