Final answer:
Racial conflict in the South was primarily centered on the legacy of slavery and segregation, while in the West it also included conflicts with Native Americans and other ethnic minorities. Both regions saw discrimination driven by white desires to control land and labor. Strategies to overcome discrimination intersected across regions, with minorities seeking social justice and equality.
Step-by-step explanation:
The racial conflict in the South and the West in the United States has been shaped by different historical contexts and factors. In the South, racial tensions primarily revolved around the institution of slavery and the subsequent legacy of segregation and discrimination against African Americans. With the Compromise of 1850 and the movement towards a nation divided between slave and free states, racial conflict became a defining feature of Southern society.
In contrast, the West was characterized by a diverse array of racial and ethnic tensions involving not only African Americans but also Native Americans, Mexican migrants, and other ethnic minorities. The expansion of homesteading, railroads, and agriculture in the West often led to the displacement and marginalization of these groups. For example, the Homestead Act and the building of the Transcontinental Railroad involved taking land from Native tribes and exploiting Chinese labor, respectively. The introduction of barbed wire and cattle drives also played a role in reshaping the ethnic and cultural landscape of the West.
Despite these geographical differences, the underlying motives for racial discrimination were similar in both the South and the West. In both regions, Whites sought to maintain control over land, labor, and political power by limiting the freedoms and rights of racial and ethnic minorities. This discrimination was rationalized through a belief in white superiority and the economic benefits of exploiting minority groups.
Furthermore, the strategies used by minorities in the North, South, and West to overcome discrimination often intersected. The struggle for civil rights in the 1960s, for instance, saw coalitions of different minority groups coming together to fight for equal rights. During this period, figures like Ella Baker emphasized that the sit-ins and protests were about more than immediate goals like ending segregation at lunch counters; they were part of a broader fight for social justice and equality.