The problems of racial inclusion, exclusion, and segregation are not new to American culture. Racial and ethnic identities were separate and determined naturalization, according to the first constitution, which the people ratified in 1790. Whiteness was a requirement for citizenship in the US; other races, such as the slaves, who were primarily black or Hispanic, were devalued. As a result, segregation, exclusion, and inclusion in American society are historical issues that originated during the slavery and immigration eras and were based on factors such as race, schooling, origin, ethnicity, faith, and political influence. A historian David Roediger explains how race and ethnicity were determinants of privileges and civil rights like the right to vote and head government offices. The whites were also classified based on ecological and ethnic factors, for instance the Asians Indians and Syrians were considered Caucasians and therefore nonwhites. Other groups of immigrants like the Latin Europeans were not included in the document mainly due to the race difference and hence they were also not naturalized.
Whitening
Science of pigmentation was used in differentiating the whites from nonwhites, the criteria in which some groups like the Italians and the Irish were considered white while the Chinese and the Japanese on the other hand as nonwhites was also not clear. Such immigrants were however attached to their ethnic groups despite being considered as whites. The "not yet white" debates arose with regard to these immigrants who were considered white but had ethnic differences. Workers were grouped as the whites and the Jews who were also divided into good Jews (the whites) and poor Jews (the blacks). The Irish immigrants were good because they did everything their mastered told them without hesitation to gain acceptance. The blacks were referred to as "smoked Irishmen" from their race, and so regardless of the race everyone sought recognition. The blacks had their own culture and despite the need to become US citizens they preserved their cultural identity. Ethnicity and racism was present even in the immigrant groups, the Irishmen were considered as not yet black because of their ethnic group and could not be equated to the whites.
During the slavery period, ethnicity was a determinant of whiteness, the immigrants who were classified as whites were rarely subjected to slavery or discrimination as compared to other racial minority groups. Whiteness was therefore a ticket to privileges and protection. George Martinez adds more on whiteness, mainly referring to the Mexicans who wanted to be identified as whites to yield the social, political, and economic benefits of whiteness. Their request was however turned down by the court, since it was determined that only a fifth of the Mexican population are whites, most inhabitants are the Chinese, Japanese and the Blacks. Upon the appeal of the same, it was found that earlier treaties between the Mexican and the U.S government had allowed Mexicans to gain American citizenship and therefore it was assumed they were whites. The Mexicans were listed as whites an act that showed how political powers are capable of influencing racial classifications. In the contrary, other individuals from mixed race blood could not prove their whiteness for instance, a child from a German dad and a Japanese mother was considered non- white.
Racial segregation in public facilities and services
The Mexican used their whiteness to solve the issue of school segregation in court. The court decided that the Mexican children should not be segregated from the other white students on the basis of race since they were considered whites. However, segregation was allowed owing to linguistic challenges and farming patterns. Some of the other privileges enjoyed by the Mexicans from whitening is exclusion from petit and grand Jury and were protected under the law. The Mexican American also used the race to try and gain protection from oppression after the Lopez Tijerina case decided that they should not be defined as a group thus giving them equal rights to education. During the 1950 Census, the Mexicans were included as US citizens. Despite all these efforts, the Mexican Americans still experienced discrimination in schools, Job opportunities, low pay, public facilities, and services and representation in congress like other immigrants. The Mexican Americans also experienced neighborhood segregation, they were only allowed to live in the Mexican colony and they could not own or rent houses in any other town. They also lost cases on exclusion from public facilities like hotel accommodations, the same law that declared them whites failed to protect them and give some of the privileges enjoyed by the traditional whites. The White was still the dominant race in America, the legal consideration of Mexicans as whites was an irony since they were despised and segregated due to their racial mixture and origin. Some of their contrasting appearance and behaviors were often linked with their other race which showed that they were not considered white yet by the agro-Americans.
Political Powers, Religion, and Education
Even in today's society, people from different races struggle for power for representation and inclusion purposes. When a person of a specific race is in an influential position the members are lest assures that their interests are presented. The argument was there even in the 19th century during the Anglo-Saxon superiority. The policies created in the domestic governments were made with aims of making particular races superior or inferior. The segregation laws were passed and inferior races like the blacks were segregated. The Anglo-Saxons also used their religious belief as the "God's chosen people" to engage in racist practices. Other races were discriminated and their actions were justified by claims that God intended to make the whites superior over other races explaining the occurrence of the American Indian genocide.
Fears of Race Mixing
Inclusion or separation is present in social facilities and events, physical separation in neighborhoods is among the common segregations based on race. Riots in social events like in the April 1940 incidence in Los Angeles are some of the causes of segregation in the region with the authority in charge. There was enmity in the different racial and ethnic groups in America and hence the fear of possible riot, such events were highly regulated and some banned by the authority. This factor broadened the social antagonism among the Mexicans, whites and the blacks. The growth of the music industry like the Rhythm and Blues (R&Bs) attracted youths from different races and neighborhoods, the blacks, whites, Mexicans and others, this was however discouraged by the authority and they focused on increasing the enmity. The blacks and the Mexican were considered violent and the root cause of riots in events and therefore they were closely monitored when they showed up in public places like the beach and sometimes even questioned by the police for security purposes.
Later on, leaders in Los Angeles agreed to form a music Bureau that would nature young talents and bring reforms and cultural union. Discrimination was also present in music festivals, some claimed that the Mexican teens who made presentations were 'forced' 'tailored' and rather not out of talent. Soon, the Mexicans were excluded from participating in the festivals. Los Angeles administration failed to acknowledge the cultural diversity in music and poetry and therefore considered the Mexicans incompetent. In most of these dancing and music events socialization between one race and another was minimal, the Mexican American girls who danced with African American men were tagged as "nigger lovers" and thus earning a "bad reputation." Pop stars like McNeely rose and attracted fans from all over the state and other parts of the country. He was at times banned from performing in concerts and schools since he would bring together people of all races some of who were considered as peace destructors. The situation got worse in the 1940s when the R&Bs stars gained more popularity, William Parker the Los Angeles chief of police became more aggressive in fighting racial mixing through more patrols, putting up physical boundaries, and detaining the youths who went against these policies. The whites were barred from buying R&B records from the African American and attending their shows. Moral degradation due to the use of "obscene lyrics" was one of the reasons for discouraging airing or the sale of these music records and street and public dancing events.
Conclusion
Although minimal, segregation, inclusion, and exclusion by race in America are still present in the 21st century. Its existence is linked with the American history of slavery and immigration when whiteness was a leeway to privileges such as human rights, citizenship, political power, and less oppression. The white was the superior race while the blacks, Hispanics, Mexicans, among others, were inferior races and ethnic groups. Religion, political power, origin, and education determined the inclusion and separation criteria to protect White American culture. Mixing of the races was discouraged in social events like in the case of Los Angeles for peace purposes and to protect the whites from immoral languages and scenes. These ethnic and racial cleavages in U.S history are some of the reasons why labor was unstandardized to cater for different classes and ethnic groups, giving rise to labor movements.
