assignment

application of the Blauner Hypothesis

- considers two different initial relationships (on a continuum) — colonization and immigration — and hypothesizes that:

— minority groups created by colonization will experience more intense prejudice, racism, and discrimination than those created by immigration

— the disadvantaged status of colonized groups will persist longer and be more difficult to overcome than the disadvantaged status faced by groups created by immigration

colonized minority groups:

- are forced into minority status by superior military, political power, technology of colonizer

- are subjected to massive inequalities and attacks on their cultures

- are assigned to positions from which any form of assimilation is extremely difficult and perhaps even forbidden

- are identified by highly visible racial or physical characteristics that maintain and reinforce the oppressive system

- experience greater prejudice and discrimination at the beginning, which continues longer than immigrant groups

immigrant minority groups:

- are at least in part voluntary participants in the host society and have at least some control over their destination and their position in the host society

- do not occupy such markedly inferior positions as colonized groups do and retain enough internal organization and resources to pursue their own self-interests

- boundary between majority group and immigrant group is not as rigid, especially if both are perceived as being racially similar

- commonly experience more rapid acceptance and easier movement to equality as boundaries between groups are not so rigidly maintained, especially when the groups are racially similar

groups that are treated as both immigrants and colonized, have a status intermediate between that of immigrant groups and colonized groups

using the Noel Hypothesis to explain why black indentured servants (and not the other 2 groups) became enslaved

- all 3 groups encountered ethnocentrism

- all 3 groups experienced competition with the majority group

- differential in power is the key variable here

— at beginning power between Europeans and Native Americans was fairly equal

— — in some ways the Native Americans had greater power: greater numbers and their weaponry was better than the muskets and cannons of this early period

— Native Americans had good organization (after all, they were not ‘subdued’ until late 1800s)

plantation system of agriculture

- emerged in south where crops were more likely to need a lot of hands on labor

- to maximize profits this labor should be low cost and easily controlled

— slavery solved this problem

- indentured servants used at beginning, no longer viable

— the contracts meant that their labor was owned for only 4 – 7 years

— word was spread in Britain and surrounding areas that the living conditions in the colonies was difficult

— once the contract was over, giving them ‘freedom dues’ was an extra cost (and, since land was often part of the freedom dues, possible competitors were created)

- slavery allowed plantation owners (landowners) to generate profits, status and success

- bringing persons into the colonies from the African continent was very cost-effective

- attempts at enslaving Native Americans (Indians) did not work

— knew the layout of the land and could more easily run away

— when running away, easy to blend in with other Native Americans

— over time fewer and fewer Native Americans left in the eastern colonies (warfare, disease, being relocated)

8/10/17

3 groups were exploited to acquire land and needed labor that could be easily controlled

- Native Americans were exploited for their land

- African Americans were exploited for their labor

- Hispanic / Mexican Americans were exploited for both labor and land

paternalistic relations

- especially in the southern colonies which used a plantation based economy to flourish

- plantation based economy — a small group of elites who are wealthy and own land

- paternalism emerged as the relationship between elite owners and slaves

— very large power differentials

— huge inequalities

— elaborate and repressive systems of control over minority group by majority group

— barriers between groups are caste like (ascribed characteristics)

— elaborate and highly stylized codes of behavior, of communication between groups

— overt conflict was rare (too great power differentials)

ascribed – those characteristics we are born with such as sex, race

achieved – characteristics that individuals gain through effort (skills, status such as having a BA)

- our society today puts greater emphasis on achieved characteristics without recognizing the limiting factors of ascribed characteristics

paternalism – the group with greater authority / control restricts the autonomy of another group, supposedly in the best interests of the less powerful group (in reality the concerns / needs of the less powerful group are not considered)

slavery

- slaves were defined as chattel (property) and had no civil or political rights

- master determined the type and severity of punishment

- slaves were forbidden by law to read or write

- marriages were not legally recognized and masters separated families

- slavery was a caste system, or a closed stratification system (a child’s status (slave or free) is based on the status of the mother – also known as the one drop rule

- a rigid, strictly enforced code of etiquette had slaves show deference and humility when interacting with whites

- unequal interactions allowed elites to maintain an attitude of benevolent despotism toward slaves

— often expressed as positive emotions of affection for their black slaves

Mw 2/5 mwf 2/7

the powerlessness of slaves made it difficult for them to openly reject or resist the system, however, slaves:

- revolted

- ran away (many with the help of the abolitionist Underground Railroad)

- used the forms of resistance most readily available to them—sabotage, intentional carelessness, dragging their feet, and work slowdowns

with the development of the institution of slavery, a distinct African American experience accumulated and traditions of both resistance and accommodation developed side by side

African American culture: created as a response to slavery

- found in folklore, music, religion, family and kinship structures

understanding the creation of slavery

- power differentials

- inequality

- institutional discrimination

— legal and political institutions created to give power over slaves

terminology: American Indians, Indians, Native Americans, First Peoples, Indigenous peoples, AmerIndians (all refer to same group)

American Indians (Native Americans)

- at least 500 different cultures in Americas prior to arrival of Europeans

— a lot of variation in subsistence technologies, cultures, languages, sizes, home territory, histories

— therefore there is no one entity of ‘Native Americans’

- 1763: England said the tribes were “sovereign nations with inalienable rights to their land”

— each tribe was to be treated as a nation-state

— would be compensated for any lands taken

- as Europeans arrived in east and moved west, lands were taken from Native Americans

— also, food sources, culture taken away

- many tribes, nations, cultures have been lost

— even many groups that still exist have lost languages, aspects of culture

— other groups are much, much smaller than before arrival of Europeans

— — some death due to warfare; a lot more due to diseases (some deliberately imposed) and destruction of food sources as land was taken

Native Americans and the Noel Hypothesis:

- initially not great differences in weaponry, resource bases between Europeans and Native Americans

— over time EuroAmericans gained greater power in all areas and were able to defeat Native Americans

sovereignty – to what degree are a people self-governing

- can a people enter into a treaty with another people?

— if so, how binding is that agreement?

- in 1763 Britain ruled that the different tribes should be considered “sovereign nations with inalienable rights to their land”

— therefore lands could not be simply taken away; decisions would be made with treaties signed

— any lands taken would be compensated for

- after Revolutionary War, the new government did not acknowledge sovereignty of the Native American groups

gender relations

- as there were different cultures, tribes had differing family systems, including a great deal of variety in gender relations

— some tribes were patriarchal

— though many tribes practiced gendered division of labor; some tribes allowed women a lot of power

- upon contact with EuroAmericans the gender relations of many tribes changed; some becoming more patriarchal, some less patriarchal

— overall: change in gender roles