The period between 1865 and 1920 they were is American history that covers changes that touch on issues like race, gender, and social class. During this period, social concerns of gender, colour, and class, which were the main factors of the society’s shapes and consequent historical trends, also came into play. These factors manifested their prominence at the time. They interacted with various societal dimensions and ultimately affected the course of history.
Race
The struggle for racial equality signified the post-Civil War epoch and the slavery legacy. The Reconstruction era, which came after the Civil War, was a time of hope for Negroes when they at last gained their citizenship and had the right to participate in political life. But the times were brief, and by the end of the century, white supremacy resumed, and it became a unifying force in the South again. The surge of Jim Crow laws suppressed integration through the unjust law, which deprived African Americans of their rights and kept racism embedded in the system. The Ku Klux Klan, which was a white supremacist group, has historically done this through violence and intimidation, targeting African Americans and anyone who happens to be their allies (Fletcher 5-10). Besides lynching, the physical and public murder of blacks not only became known but also caused fear and maintained racial superiority (Kollmer 9-10). The wrongdoings formed a country with profound lacerations on a romance with people of African descent.
Gender
A broad shift in the traditional gender roles and individual expectations towards them occurred in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The female suffrage movement characterized this melee, arguing for women’s privilege to vote and engage in political life. The fight for women’s right to education, we would not leave out gender equality, was also there, as this battle encompassed the idea that housekeeping and taking care of children were the only roles of women (Fletcher 5-10). The ratification of the 19th Amendment in 1920, which affirmed women’s right to vote, was a massive victory for the women’s suffrage crusade. Still, women were discriminated against and kept in unequal positions in various spheres of life, underscoring the notorious patriarchal sentiments inherent in that period. Notwithstanding these difficulties, women’s non-achievement and activism were the bulwark for subsequent generations of women’s rights struggles.
Social Class
From 1865 to 1920, the era witnessed a country-wide rise in prosperity and urbanization, such that urban living in America became a dominant way of life in the 20th century. The opposite side of the medal was that these developments brought economic growth and prosperity but also increased social gaps and social unrest (Kollmer 5-15). People longed to escape the poverty and abuse of small living places that were overcrowded and unsanitary in the city slums or suffered from the exploitations of slum landlords. The genesis of a highly industrialized upper class initiated a gaping disparity in wealth, which exacerbated the resentment simmering in the population, leading to strikes and demonstrations. Those movements rose as populists and socialists, propounding the changes that hastened the working-class struggle and giving directions for future reforms.
In summary, 1865 to 1920 was the time of the highest change and perturbation of America’s social structure. Race, gender and social class formed the basis of this age when they directed policies, treatment and the whole harmony of the society. The darkness and glimmers of this period remain relevant, only emphasizing how much these forces are coming to life in the history of the United States.
Works Cited
Fletcher, Charlene J. Confined Femininity: Race, Gender, and Incarceration in Kentucky, 1865-1920. Indiana University, 2020.
Kollmer, Matthew. The US Local Color Corpus 1865-1920 (USLoCo): A Critical Description with Notes for Applications and Preservation. Washington State University, 2022.
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