In regard to societal diversity in the United States, in high school, I learned about slavery in American culture, sectionalism, and the rise of abolition. The broad topic convincingly portrayed the origin of race and ethnicity from the pre-colonial period to the present. For example, enslavement and the indentured captivity of whites, blacks, and Indians laid the groundwork for the development of racial and ethnic relations throughout the colonial era. Since the 1960s up till the present day, the unmet pledge of all-inclusivity for all communities in the United States has been the most significant sociopolitical problem in America. Therefore, it is apparent that I learned enough from the high school history curriculum concerning race and ethnicity. Overall, the mitigation of poverty levels of various states in America was catapulted by the development of slave labor; its absence would have stagnated the economic prospects of such states.
Poverty variance in the United States is incongruent in relation to states. For example, I reside in Miami, Florida, where the poverty level is at 13.0% at the same time as that of New Hampshire, which experiences a meager poverty rate of 6.4%, doubling that of Florida (FactsMaps). This implies that in Florida, poverty levels are average compared to Mississippi, which is ranked at the worst with 21.1% (FactsMaps).
Thus, Florida is averagely better in terms of poverty due to various structural inventions. In particular, due to Standard Oil was engineered by Henry Flagler, who created an imperial power in Florida using a slave labor system to structure railways, hotels, and resorts (Bowman and Kathy Roberts Forde). Therefore, such enterprises have proved to be the cornerstone of Florida’s economy that has elevated the state’s poverty levels. Typically, the state of Mississippi had the most enslaved people, and in the census report, the state is the most poverty-stricken; hence, this implies a high number of ethnic and racial prejudices still exist, and they are confined to particular states.
Generally, ethnic and racial bigotry remains to be a menacing aspect of achieving total inclusivity in America. For example, the forced captivity of blacks and Indians has since affected many states to date. Specifically, some states, such as Mississippi, experience elevated levels of poverty due to the ramifications of slavery. On the same note, states such as Florida perform averagely better in terms of poverty level thanks to slave labor.
Works Cited
Bowman, Bryan, and Kathy Roberts Forde. “How Slave Labor Built the State of Florida — Decades after the Civil War.” Washington Post, The Washington Post, 2018. Web.
FactsMaps. “Population below Poverty Level by U.S. State – FactsMaps.” FactsMaps. 2018. Web.