Travis
Northern
Dr.
Coronado
ENG
328
25
October 2016
A Shifting Spectrum
The
late 19th century was a fascinating time for relationships between
different ethnic groups. Throughout the
history of the United States, this was one of the most significant times for
ideas about race, as evidenced by the major events that precluded the era. Prior to the century’s closing decades came
the time of post-revolution, the war of 1812, slavery, contention between
abolitionists and slave-owners, the Civil War, and Reconstruction. Many
of these historical occurrences were enough to make individuals question their
perspectives about race, culminating in a period of transition for reflections
on ethnicity. One obscure journal
article from 1896, “Introduction of the Iron Age into America,” was one of
these perspectives. The writer, Otis T.
Mason, was an intellectual of the time that studied ethnology. As a result, the historical article is
written through a lens that gives readers insight into his perspective of
relationships between ethnic groups. Scholars
could use this writing to glean some information about some ideas regarding
race relationships and how they may connect to other writing materials—both
fiction and nonfiction—from the 19th century and throughout literary
history. “Introduction of the Iron Age
into America,” should be included amongst the canon of American literature
because it provides a 19th century perspective on race relationships
that can be used to extrapolate new information and forge new connections
within the environment of historical events and writings.
The
turn of the 19th century was considered a transitional time for race
relations for several reasons, the most specific being Reconstruction and the
aftermath of the Civil War. After the
Union victory, slavery was nearly abolished, and many Southerners needed to
change their ways of life if they wanted to survive economically. Because their existences were being called
into question, this political change brought about a shifting spectrum of
perspectives on minorities. While on the
one hand, the freedom of the slaves might’ve suggested a more progressive set
of ideas emerged from the 19th century, plenty of bigotry and racism
remained pervasive in multiple ways. For
example, one scholar writing about race in political cartoons said, “There is
little evidence that would suggest that racial attitudes in 19th Century
America, at least those depicted in editorial cartoons, suffered from an
overdose of liberalism. And as we have seen in the 20th Century, racial
conflict continued to exist” (Spencer 226).
While the political situation may have shifted a few steps toward racial
justice and equality, depictions of racial issues in the media and literature
still had a white supremacist influence.
Essentially, this quote explains why this era of the United States was a
transitional period. During this era,
African-American authors published books for the first time, abolitionists
controlled the government, and the states reunited as a slavery-free
Union. However, the Jim Crow laws were
born, hate groups were plaguing the South, and Native Americans were still oppressed
politically, socially, and personally. While
major discussions and changes were arising, race relations in the country were
still tumultuous, as shown by the media and literature of the time (as well as
the events leading into the 20th century). Therefore, one could consider the late 19th
century a transitional period for race relations in the United States.
Specifically
regarding the Native Americans, this was an interesting time for
reflection. The aforementioned scholar
also wrote that, “The issue of the place of the native Americans was far more
complex,” and that some media outlets portrayed the minority group as
“unrepentant savages” while others had more sympathy for the group (Spencer
226). While most of the historical
events occurring during this time dealt with the relationships between European-Americans
and African-Americans, there were shifting ideas regarding Native Americans as
well. The reason why the ideas presented
by scholars here are so significant is because they tie directly into Mason’s
article, “Introduction of the Iron Age into America.” The piece is an interesting reflection on
race relations between the white majority, the slaves/freedmen, and—most prominently—the
indigenous peoples. The scholarly ideas
and observations directly correlate with the information one can glean from
Mason’s work, and this is one of the multiple reasons it should be considered
for entry amongst the canon of American literature. To elaborate on this proposition, one must
dissect Mason’s personal history and his work to prove the article’s
significance and usefulness.
Otis
T. Mason was a driven scholar with a lifetime of esteem and credentials to support
his work. Living from 1838 to 1908, the
scholar spent much of his life studying, teaching, and writing about anthropology
(Coen 3). After travelling the country
with his family as a youth, the young Mason earned his degree at Columbian
University in 1861, and then spent his career editing serial journals,
collaborating with the Bureau of American Ethnology, and founding the Anthropological
Society of Washington (Coen 3). One his
most significant accomplishments in his life was earning a role curating at the
Smithsonian and eventually rising to head curator of the anthropology
department in 1902 (Coen 3). He died in
1908, after living a productive life of 70 years in duration. During his time as a curator he wrote “Introduction
of the Iron Age into America,” a reflective observational article in one of the
first issues of the then-obscure journal, American
Anthropologist. A close reading
reveals his lifelong career in ethnology and his position at the Smithsonian
Institute had a major influence on the piece, and it is this unique perspective
that makes the piece so worthwhile and prolific in the correct context.
The
article itself and its narrative are not particularly fruitful in a historical
sense, as it pertains to an era which many writers have already recorded. The primary focus of the article is North
America during the 15th and 16th centuries and how the
introduction of iron to the indigenous nations affected all of the ethnic
groups involved. First, he outlines his
analytic lens by explaining how to properly dissect the historical events and
gain information from them without any intrusions from outside knowledge. Next, he explains the effects of the
introduction of iron inflicted upon the different ethnic groups, with a
specific focus on the Native Americans.
Finally, he draws a number of conclusions about the Iron Age, and how
studying it should be a priority for scholars. He ends the document tying all of his subjects
together by stating, “I would also plead for a cooperative spirit among active
[researchers]. As the great modern inventions are the result of many special
minds organized into a higher creative unit, so shall we solve the problem of
culture by the same process,” (Mason 215).
This perfectly encapsulates the subjects of his writing, essentially
stating that the researchers can fill up any knowledge gaps pertaining to the
era by pooling their resources and evolving as a group in the same way that the
spread of iron amongst the different groups began the collective evolution into
the iron age in the 16th century.
This is also an extremely interesting way to end the article because it
gives a hint to the lens created by Mason’s ideas and how it affects the way
the article is written.
Mason’s
perspective is significant because it provides a mix of progressive and
regressive ideas that reflect the transitional period of ethnic relations which
occurred during the late 19th century. Many regressive ideas reflect in the style of
writing, specifically referring to the terminology used to refer to the minority
groups. In a summative statement near
the beginning of the article, Mason says, “A period of nearly four hundred
years elapsed between the first and the latest business transactions of whites
and negroes with American savages” (194).
Not only does this statement summarize the historical subject matter,
but it also summarizes the manner of the terminology he uses throughout his
text. He refers to European-Americans as
“whites” and “Aryans” while he refers to African-Americans as “negroes” and the
native peoples as “savages” and “Indians.”
This vocabulary is indicative of a bigoted set of ideas within which the
terminology demeans some groups while honoring others. Specifically, he uses insulting slurs and inaccurate
terms only when he refers to the minority ethnicities in his historical
narrative (of note, he does use the term “native peoples” on page 213, so he
chooses to use “savages” when he knows more respectful options exist). This is highly representative of the
lingering ideas from the early days of the 1900s when every state practiced
slavery and slaughtered the Native Americans to gain the land of the West.
However,
like the collective set of ideas that defined race relationships of the late 19th
century, not every idea in this reflection is regressive. One of the most prominent ideas in this
article is the idea that every group of people is a culture. Mason analyzes each group with careful examination
and touches on their cultural identities and impactful accomplishments, as well
as describing many of their progressions as people. For example, at one point, he states, “The
natives of the Southern States of the Union are now the civilized tribes of
Indian Territory, the Seminoles of Florida, some reservations of those who were
not removed, and smaller tribes and stocks that disappeared” (Mason 205). This excerpt stands in great contrast to the
regressive terminology throughout, because it is respectful, factual, and
historical. It takes a close look at the
tribes and explains their situation in a neutral, objective manner. He follows this pattern for the sections of
every group, giving the African-Americans and European-Americans the same
treatment and consideration. In doing
this, he presents a set of progressive ideas.
None of them are explicitly liberal or groundbreaking—just as the
scholars mentioned about ideas during the late 19th century—but after
the tumultuous history of racialization and oppression, treating the groups
with near equality in any regard was notably progressive in nature.
In
its terminology and its context, Mason’s historical background and ethnologic
lens offer scholars a clear view at a mix of ideas that strongly represented
the shifting race relations of the late 19th century. It should be included amongst the canon of
American literature because it can be compared to another of other documents to
extrapolate new information and forge significant connections between ideas and
writings. In comparing this document to
other 19th century historical reflections about race, fiction or
nonfiction, one can examine which ideas clash and which ideas cooperate to form
more conclusions about the differences in perspectives and conceptualizations
emerging from the time and demographic of this era. In comparing this document to anthropologic
lenses from different chapters in the history of the country, one can watch the
evolution of perspectives on race change from century to century, watching the
collective ideas become more progressive as time passes. There are so many scholarly uses for this
perspective, but most of them require a comparison to other works within the
collective canon of American literature.
With its addition comes the aforementioned connections and information,
strengthening readers’ understanding of the evolution of ideas surrounding race
and ethnicity.
“Introduction
of the Iron Age into America,” should be included amongst the canon of American
literature because it provides a 19th century perspective on race
relationships that would enhance scholarly study of the subject. Mason’s perspective is interesting in many
ways, a document worthy of analysis due to its context in history. Its mix of ideas reflects the shifting
spectrum of concepts that permeated the late 19th century, all
brought about by harrowing historical events that shaped the United States as a
nation. In this way, race relations are
integral to American history, and thus should be integral to American education. The 19th century was not only a
fascinating time for race relations, but it was also a crucial one that still demands
attention today. Recognizing Otis T.
Mason’s article “Introduction of the Iron Age into America” is a way to fulfill
that demand and improve the canon of American literature.
Here is the link to the complete article: http://www.jstor.org.libraryproxy.uwp.edu:2048/stable/658732?seq=25
Works Cited
Coen,
Leigh H. "Papers of Otis Tufton Mason." Smithsonian Institution
Anthropological Archives. Smithsonian Institution, 1983. Web. 29 Oct. 2016.
<http://anthropology.si.edu/naa/fa/mason.htm#introduction>.
Mason,
Otis T. "Introduction of the Iron Age into America." American
Anthropologist 9.6 (June 1896): 191-215. Web. 28 Oct. 2016
Spencer,
David R. "No Laughing Matter: 19th Century Editorial Cartoons and the
Business of Race." International Journal of Comic Art 11.1 (2009):
203-228. Art Full Text (H.W. Wilson). Web. 28 Oct. 2016.
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