Ronald Takaki a Different Mirr - 936 Words

American identity has been created by many events throughout the course of history. This country was founded on the clashing and mixing of many different cultures and lifestyles. One of the most important periods of time for this country was during the period of conflict between Americans and Native Americans over land rights. Americans had an idea of manifest destiny and that this land was theirs for the taking. The Americans were going to walk through anyone who opposed them in this quest for land. The treatment of the Indians during this time period was harsh, cruel, and violent to say the least. It is in this treatment that Americans came to view the Indians as a racialized other and where race began to matter. This early†¦show more content†¦They proceeded to kill thousands and thousands of Indians in the result of progress. Indians had become a racial minority on lands they had occupied for thousands of years (Takaki, 104). The thinking of early Americans lead to the culture that we have today which is purely based on race. The early Americans created an identity for the Indians, they were thought as a racialized other. They were seen as being uncivilized and a weaker people. This created an us versus them appeal to the situation. The English could not come over here and live together with the Indians. The Indians were a group that was unholy and beneath them. They had to progress their culture and their beliefs and mark out that of their opponents. Americans sought to cleanse the land of these savage beasts and further their own society. Their view of the Indians as a racialized other is what dominates our society today. Today were are still impaled by the thinking of men centuries ago that there is a us versus them culture. Race still in this country is still the top factor in life. Riots and violence are fought over racial issues. The thinking that people in this land should be divided by color and class is based on what ha ppened with the Indians. The actions taken in dealing with the Indians is what lead to the development of our culture