Green 1 Lisa Green 0580423 Professor Teresa Sumner English 231, Section 102 7 December 2012 Egalitarianism of Men

in the Nineteenth Century America The nineteenth century was the baby steps of the founding world, having recently created the colonies of America and dealing with the creation of a working government. During this time, egalitarianism was a growing problem throughout all of America, whether it being from racism and slavery, to feminism, or economic discrimination. Egalitarianism can be interpreted to having different meanings depending on what you are relating it to; philosophically it could mean the trends and opinions of which people think, or in a largely debated manner such as differences in religion. In a modern mind-set, egalitarianism has a universal meaning of equality. Equality affects all categories, be it religiously, economically, politically, and racially; it is the equality of all people. Egalitarianism is not seen in some parts concerning the nineteenth century due to man and their opinions on certain areas of concern. Racism is commonly expressed in early America during the nineteenth century between Indians, French, Spanish, English, etc. but it grew most prominent, and still is today, between the African Americans and the Americans. The African American were looked down upon by American white men, and were thought of as less than a human being. They were thought of as less than people; not allowed to vote and were owned and sold by slave owners to work on plantations. Slavery is a result in racism in America, having black men, women and children working all their life in fields and on plantations. The less valuable slaves were first placed upon the auction-block, one after another, and sold to the highest bidder. Husbands and wives

Green 2 were separated, brothers and sisters torn from each other, and mothers saw their children for the last time on earth (Brown 2638). Slavery broke our country and will forever have an impact on history and the future. It is one of the highest examples of humanitys authority over what they see to be of lower importance. The way I view it, slavery is the most important example when it comes to equality because it shows the exact opposite. Racism and slavery show that certain groups and types of people tend to believe that they have authority over others, being dominant towards the lower hand. The early nineteenth century was a time in which women were put down letting men have all of the authority. They would stay home and tend to the house or would be sent to work in cotton mills. Women were not allowed to vote, nor were they allowed to make any important decisions without consulting with their husbands beforehand. How had women acted in and upon in the world, despite their being housebound, denied education, hemmed in by laws (Stansell). Women had no authority in the world. They were tied down by inequality and were made to seem less than men, therefore not being able to reach their goals and live their life. It was not until womens rights movements started breaking out, the women of the nation started realizing their worth and standing up for themselves and for each other. Feminism was a great challenge to overcome in this time, being one of the most common concepts of inequality seen in the United States. Woman, reverberated across culture and time, coming to rest in the moment of realization and redemption, the nineteenth century (Stansell). Many women started public speaking about womens rights and formed womens rights movements to defend what had been buried long ago; their self-worth and dignity. The economy is a never ending variable in the government and society with taxes and growing prices on items and cost. The economy we have now was not what always existed;

Green 3 sometimes being better and worse at times. Especially in early America, costs and money was a hard thing to keep up with and control. In this time, people were focused around crops and plantations, owning farms and selling food and cattle or luxuries for an income. Men who were poor or did not own their own land or farm land were not allowed to vote nor have council in any important decisions that were made by the town or government. The equality of men was based solely on their place in economic society. Richer men got better treatment and had authority over men who were not as privileged. This is how society worked, and works; there was always someone who was better than someone else, having higher authority and who viewed themselves as more of a person than others. They would give themselves the right to put others down, to present their lower place in the world publicly. Admission to high schools until the late nineteenth century was through competitive examinations. To take the entrance test, students had to be recommended by their grammar school principal (Reese). The economy in early America also affected education and schooling. The poorer families could not afford to send their children to school, which in turn made it impossible for them to have a well-paying job and be able to adequately support themselves in the future. Inequality affected many experiences people go through in time during their life, especially during early America, which only made it harder for America to become stronger as a nation. Egalitarianism was not shown in the nineteenth century, such as inequality was. Through racism inequality was shown through slavery and racial discrimination throughout the country. Feminism and womens rights movements gave an outlook of inequality between men and women, the most simple of separations. Lastly, inequality in the economy and government was shown through the lack of being able to sufficiently raise a family and support oneself. It was not

Green 4 practiced until the civil war when Lincoln illegalized slavery and America started going through the steps to form a more equal country.

Green 5 Works Cited Brown, William Wells. Clotelle; or, The Colored Heroine. The Heath Anthology of American Literature. Vol. B. Ed. Paul Lauter. 6th ed. Boston: Wadsworth, 2006. 2638-2647. Print. Lauter, Paul, ed. The Heath Anthology of American Literature. Vol. A. 6th ed. Boston: Wadsworth, 2006. Print. Lauter, Paul, ed. The Heath Anthology of American Literature. Vol. B. 6th ed. Boston: Wadsworth, 2006. Print. Reese, William J. "American High School Political Economy In The Nineteenth Century." History Of Education 27.3 (1998): 255.Academic Search Complete. Web. 5 Dec. 2012. Stansell, Christine. "Woman In Nineteenth-Century America." Gender & History 11.3 (1999): 419. Academic Search Complete. Web. 5 Dec. 2012.