American History Essay: The Struggle for Equality
Since the end of the World War II the events of American history were largely related to
the struggle of different social groups for equality. The most important issues concerned the
struggle of African Americans for equality and the struggle of women for equality, but other
groups were also inspired by their struggle. It should be noted that historical factors influencing
the rise of this struggle were related to the outcomes of the World War II as well as to issues of
American foreign policy after the World War II, such as the Cold War and the Vietnam War. In
general, these historical factors have determined the new meaning of equality in American
society and the ways helping different social groups to gain it, but it also determined obstacles to
the struggle for equality as well. The analysis of historical events and documents shows that the
struggle for equality reflected the rising awareness of importance of all social groups in
American society, while the social groups, who possessed this awareness, for the goals of their
struggle were appealing to the fundamental principles of American democracy and used
democratic methods of political struggle. On the other hand, the conservative worldview of the
Cold War era sometimes made obstacles to their struggle because it was perceived as dangerous
for American political system.
Hence, the roots of the struggle for equality could be found in the course of the World
War II in which different groups of people, including women, African Americans and Latin
Americans have made a large contribution to the victory of the United States in the war. During
this period, a high number of African Americans continued to leave the rural South and to go to
the large industrial cities of the North where their labor was very important for the wartime
economy demanding the increase of industrial production (Locke and Wright,
americanyawp.com). For similar reasons, during the war the US government contracted
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, thousands of Mexicans for working in American industry and agriculture (Locke and Wright,
americanyawp.com). Women of all races and nations, in their turn, also joined working in
industry after a high number of men have been mobilized to war (Locke and Wright,
americanyawp.com). At the same time, American citizens of all races and nations similarly
contributed to the victory serving as soldiers in troops. However, after the end of the war this
situation has been changed and all social groups had to return to their previous roles.
At the same time, these social groups have already possessed the experience of freedom
during the wartime period. All they have become aware of their importance as citizens. In this
context, the activists from various previously oppressed social groups in the postwar period were
developing a new conception of equality. In contrast, to the formal conception of equality of the
past, the new approach considered equality as the absence of privileges making some social
groups more important than another. Especially, it concerns the feminist movement, the
representatives of which began to protest against the limitation of the social roles of women. For
example, in her article of 1949, Edith M. Stern (75) protested against the reduction of the role of
women to the role of a housewife stating that this reduction is preventing the education of
women and hence it does not allow them to get other roles in society. According to Edith M.
Stern (76), such patriarchal system made the status of women similar to the status of slaves and
in this context she emphasized that the lack of equality for woman, as well as the lack of
equality for all people of color, contradicts the principles of democracy. In this light, these ideas
of Edith
M. Stern could illustrate how people from different social groups have developed in the postwar
period their common new conception of equality and began their struggle for it.
Similarly to women, the people of color living in the United States appealed to the ideals
of democracy in their fight for social equality. First of all, it concerns the history of the Civil
This study source was downloaded by 100000856941565 from CourseHero.com on 11-30-2022 12:28:21 GMT -06:00
https://www.coursehero.com/file/74907135/2020112322121020201116125055american-history-essay-2docx/
Since the end of the World War II the events of American history were largely related to
the struggle of different social groups for equality. The most important issues concerned the
struggle of African Americans for equality and the struggle of women for equality, but other
groups were also inspired by their struggle. It should be noted that historical factors influencing
the rise of this struggle were related to the outcomes of the World War II as well as to issues of
American foreign policy after the World War II, such as the Cold War and the Vietnam War. In
general, these historical factors have determined the new meaning of equality in American
society and the ways helping different social groups to gain it, but it also determined obstacles to
the struggle for equality as well. The analysis of historical events and documents shows that the
struggle for equality reflected the rising awareness of importance of all social groups in
American society, while the social groups, who possessed this awareness, for the goals of their
struggle were appealing to the fundamental principles of American democracy and used
democratic methods of political struggle. On the other hand, the conservative worldview of the
Cold War era sometimes made obstacles to their struggle because it was perceived as dangerous
for American political system.
Hence, the roots of the struggle for equality could be found in the course of the World
War II in which different groups of people, including women, African Americans and Latin
Americans have made a large contribution to the victory of the United States in the war. During
this period, a high number of African Americans continued to leave the rural South and to go to
the large industrial cities of the North where their labor was very important for the wartime
economy demanding the increase of industrial production (Locke and Wright,
americanyawp.com). For similar reasons, during the war the US government contracted
This study source was downloaded by 100000856941565 from CourseHero.com on 11-30-2022 12:28:21 GMT -06:00
https://www.coursehero.com/file/74907135/2020112322121020201116125055american-history-essay-2docx/
, thousands of Mexicans for working in American industry and agriculture (Locke and Wright,
americanyawp.com). Women of all races and nations, in their turn, also joined working in
industry after a high number of men have been mobilized to war (Locke and Wright,
americanyawp.com). At the same time, American citizens of all races and nations similarly
contributed to the victory serving as soldiers in troops. However, after the end of the war this
situation has been changed and all social groups had to return to their previous roles.
At the same time, these social groups have already possessed the experience of freedom
during the wartime period. All they have become aware of their importance as citizens. In this
context, the activists from various previously oppressed social groups in the postwar period were
developing a new conception of equality. In contrast, to the formal conception of equality of the
past, the new approach considered equality as the absence of privileges making some social
groups more important than another. Especially, it concerns the feminist movement, the
representatives of which began to protest against the limitation of the social roles of women. For
example, in her article of 1949, Edith M. Stern (75) protested against the reduction of the role of
women to the role of a housewife stating that this reduction is preventing the education of
women and hence it does not allow them to get other roles in society. According to Edith M.
Stern (76), such patriarchal system made the status of women similar to the status of slaves and
in this context she emphasized that the lack of equality for woman, as well as the lack of
equality for all people of color, contradicts the principles of democracy. In this light, these ideas
of Edith
M. Stern could illustrate how people from different social groups have developed in the postwar
period their common new conception of equality and began their struggle for it.
Similarly to women, the people of color living in the United States appealed to the ideals
of democracy in their fight for social equality. First of all, it concerns the history of the Civil
This study source was downloaded by 100000856941565 from CourseHero.com on 11-30-2022 12:28:21 GMT -06:00
https://www.coursehero.com/file/74907135/2020112322121020201116125055american-history-essay-2docx/
