Deculturalization

Motives

The belief in the inferiority of other cultural groups, as well as a desire to advance their national and international interests, motivated Anglo-Americans to deculturalize other cultural groups. Literature in sociology, psychology, and education, as well as documents of the U.S. Senate, reveal that, in general, Anglo-Americans considered other cultural groups subhuman in nature. When other groups were granted conditions of humanity, they were considered inferior. Language (a lack of facility with Standard American English), motivation (how the group prefers to learn), culture (values, beliefs, customs, and traditions), and genetics were the domains of the inferiority Anglo-Americans ascribed to dominated groups. Euphemisms for deculturalization include “Cultural Transformation,” “Americanization,” “Civilization,” and “Education.” Presidents, senators, and other politicians wanted Native American and Mexican lands, as well as the island of Puerto Rico, for the United States. Anglo-Americans also wanted the free labor provided by enslaved Africans and the cheap labor provided by Asian cultural groups. Land and labor made deculturalization tactics promising.

Tactics

Occupation, forced removal, isolation/segregation, dependence, and denial of education were the primary deculturalization tactics. Anglo-Americans first occupied the land of the Native Americans and began the process of removing them from specific areas of their homeland to unfamiliar surroundings. The Trail of Tears was a notable example of forced removal within the North American continent. Mexican inhabitants were initially allowed to remain in their homes and communities, but significant portions of what was formerly Mexican Land (California, Colorado, New Mexico, Nevada, Arizona, Utah, Texas) were incorporated into the United States under the Treaty of Guadalupe of 1848. Similarly, Puerto Ricans were allowed to remain in Puerto Rico after the island was invaded by the United States in July of 1898 and came under military rule.

Two additional tactics used in the deculturalization process were isolation and forced segregation. Segregation bolstered Anglo-American claims of superiority and of the inferiority imputed to dominated groups. Native Americans were isolated on reservations. Africans were removed from their African homelands and forced into slavery in what is now the United States. Losing their cultures made African Americans and Native Americans particularly dependent on Ango-Americans for their survival.

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