The Other America -by Vivek Sainanee

The urban poor made up almost 1/4 of the American population. These were the people that were below the poverty level. In the 1950s, many of the middle-class whites decided to move to the suburbs to start again. On the other hand, much of the black population moved to the urban areas. Unfortunately, the poverty level increased, and many minorities had to live in slums . The proposition of Urban renewal proposed a solution to this problem. It proposed that they tear down the poorly constructed buildings of the current neighborhood. Then, they would build new housing that could fit as many people as possible in the smallest amount of space possible. The proposition did not come into place, however, and parking lots, shopping centers, highways, parks, and factories were built instead of the new housing.


During the Second World War, much of the workforce was off fighting the war. During this time, American Government started a plan in which Mexicans known as braceros were allowed into the US to contribute to the work force. The braceros mostly harvested crops. The Longoria Incident was a Mexican American hero of World War Two who was killed, but the government in his home town refused to pay the funeral services. Many Native Americans gained citizenship, fought for rights, and joined the American army to fight in World War Two. In 1953, the United States Federal Government announced they would cease to take responsibility of the Native American tribes. This became widely known as the termination policy. The Bureau of Indian Affairs, however, took charge by starting a relocation program to help Native Americans settle in cities. Many of the Native Americans in cities were not able to get decent jobs. Many were subject to racial prejudice and many did not have access to health care. By 1963, the government realized what they were doing and abandoned the termination policy.

by Vivek Sainanee

The Other America by David Hwang

Michael Harrington's The Other America: A Poverty in the United States uncovers the extreme conditions many poor Americans endured during the post World War II era. Forty million, or one in every four Americans lived below the poverty line during this time of supposed economic prosperity. Much of these 40 million impoverished Americans were members of minority groups that include Latinos, African Americans, and Native Americans.
A large portion of this crisis was caused by the mass movement of middle-class white Americans moving into the suburbs while millions of African Americans migrated from the rural south to the inner city in hopes of finding jobs. With the loss of the economically valued middle-class in these urban centers, many businesses along with public services failed.
To help remedy the crisis, the National Housing Act of 1949 was passed to provide much needed housing in the urban area. The act intended to convert rundown areas into clean, affordable housing. Instead, much of the demolished property was used for factories, highways, and shopping centers.
Despite the numerous problems in their economic situation, African Americans made momentous leaps in civil rights. Mexican Americans inspired by the success of the African American civil rights movement. Ignacio Lopez founded the Unity League of California to promote and register Mexican-American voting. Native Americans made some steps toward equality with the Passing of the Indian Reorganization Act. However in spite of these immense gains, equality was still far from reach.
With civil rights still in its infancy, and the economic situation in the tank, the post war U.S. should not be always remembered as a pristine and joyous era. Instead one should remember this nation as a whole. There should be no memory of another, but only one and true United States.