American People Discussion

Write a response for the following statements.

Trevor

Henry Grady’s speech was a very important speech that probably helped others understand the good that comes from the new south. Grady started with the idea that the old south is dead and the new south is well alive. His concise explanation before going into detail of the south helped paint a picture for the rest of his speech. These ideas were important for the development of the south. He brought forth ideas that brought new perceptions of other races and their value. Grady said that people are worth more than they used to be, whether it was a slave or a foreigner. The immigrant and free man are so much more valuable to society. He proved that point through his explanation of interest rates dropping from twenty-four to only six percent.[1] Grady continues his point with the fact that the new south is thriving from their new way of life. The new south makes around a $4 million from their crops and “home-raised” supplies.[1] Ideas such as these in Henry Grady’s speech were the ideas that people in the south needed to hear. People learning about and witnessing the prosperity coming forth from the new south compared to the old south shows what can come from individual freedom of man. These ideas would help the south to develop from the new and upcoming prosperous south to a future wealthier south than anyone could imagine when compared to the old south as Grady described.

[1] Brinkley, A. (2016). The unfinished nation: A concise history of the American people (8th ed., Vol. 2). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.

Chad

Chinese Exclusion Act 

The Chinese Exclusion act, signed into law in 1882 by Chester A. Arthur, was a racially unjust bill against Chinese immigrants. Originally the bill was only supposed to last 10 years but ended up being renewed and put into law until 1943. This was because during WW2, we let the Chinese immigrants help us in the war efforts against the Japanese. The original reason the bill was enacted was because when gold was found in California, many Chinese immigrants moved to the U.S. in order to quickly gain wealth. The bill was meant to stop the massive influx of Chinese immigrants coming into the United States. The Chinese Americans tried hard to fight for their constitutional rights, but they unfortunately did not get far. When it was renewed in 1892 (Under the Geary Act), current Chinese immigrants that were living in the U.S. before the bill was enacted, had to carry a permit around with them or have a “credible white witness” vouch for them. After the original act was set into law, the Chinese population in the U.S. heavily declined. Chinese immigrants and their families (even if they were born in the U.S.) remained ineligible to receive U.S. citizenship until 1943 through the Magnuson Act.