Race and Ethnicity in The United States - Historical Trends and Influences

Historical Trends and Influences

Historical trends influencing the ethnic demographics of the United States include:

• Patterns of original settlement
  • Original settlement of the Americas by a variety of Native American peoples, including Alaska Natives.
  • Original settlement of Pacific islands by Polynesian people, including Native Hawaiians, Samoans, the Chamorro people in Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands.
  • Original settlement of Puerto Rico by the Taíno people.
  • Original settlement of the United States Virgin Islands by the Ciboney, Carib, and Arawaks.
• Colonization
  • Colonization of the Thirteen Colonies as part of British America.
  • Spanish colonization of the Americas, influencing the later acquisitions of Florida, the Southwest, and Puerto Rico.
  • Colonization of what is now eastern Canada and the area between the Appalachian Mountains and the Mississippi River as New France. Historical events, including the Expulsion of the Acadians influenced the ethnic mix especially in Louisiana and northern New England and New York State.
  • The Netherlands and other historical colonial powers influenced the ethnic makeup of what are now the United States Virgin Islands.
  • Spanish, German, and Japanese occupation of the Northern Mariana Islands
• The Atlantic slave trade, bringing many Africans to the South and Caribbean.
• Severe reduction of Native American populations in the contiguous United States by disease brought by European colonists combined with armed conflict with Europeans
• Forced migration
  • Deportation and flight of United Empire Loyalists after the American Revolution
  • Territorial conflict with Native Americans and the Indian removal policy of the 19th century displaced many remaining native populations.
• Immigration
  • Historical immigration to the United States from all countries of the world and throughout the history of the country, usually for economic or political reasons. The History of laws concerning immigration and naturalization in the United States and illegal immigration to the United States have influenced the ethnic balance of that immigration. Various groups have been denied entry due to discrimination, economic protectionism, and political conflict with their nation of origin. Other groups have received favored status, such as refugees and nationals of allied nations.
  • Transatlantic migrations from Europe, especially in the 19th century, created ethnic enclaves in many Eastern cities and settling many rural areas east of the Mississippi
  • Immigration from Asia has had the most influence on the West Coast, but has also created dominantly Asian neighborhoods in many major cities.
  • Immigration from Mexico has strongly influenced the Southwest.
• Westward expansion of the United States
  • The Royal Proclamation of 1763 restricted the western boundary of European settlement to the watershed east of the Appalachian Mountains; despite the Confederation Congress Proclamation of 1783 and Nonintercourse Acts prohibiting private purchase of Native American lands, the territory between the Mississippi River and Appalachian Mountains granted to the United States by the Treaty of Paris (1783) was gradually opened to white settlers through public purchase of Indian lands.
  • The Homestead Act promoting settlement west of the Mississippi after the Louisiana Purchase
  • Mormon settlement of Utah
  • California Gold Rush
  • Oregon Trail
  • Klondike Gold Rush promoting settlement of Alaska
• Internal migration
  • Especially as transportation systems have improved over the centuries, it has become relatively easy for many Americans to move from one part of the country to another, given the lack of internal borders and dominance of English in most areas. Many do so for reasons of economic opportunity, climate, or culture.
  • The Underground Railroad brought African-Americans from enslavement in the South to the free North before the American Civil War.
  • After the abolition of slavery, the Great Migration and Second Great Migration, brought African-Americans to Northern and Western cities from the South.
  • "White flight" during the suburbanization period after World War II, followed by "black flight"
  • The American Industrial Revolution, promoted urbanization of what was previously a largely agrarian society
  • Economic events have driven migration, for example during the Dust Bowl, World War II, the decline of the Rust Belt
  • Railroads, promoting migration westwards and streetcar suburbs that created significant ethnic shifts in urban areas.
  • The majority of Native Hawaiians who moved to the mainland U.S. have settled in California.
  • The advent of air conditioning has promoted migration to the Sun Belt, especially after the opening of the Jet Age which promoted vacationing and part-time living in warmer areas (snowbirding).

In some cases, immigrants and migrants form ethnic enclaves; in others, mixture creates ethnically diverse neighborhoods.