Ronald Takakis Iron Cages: Race and Culture in 19th-Century America Es

Ronald Takakis Iron Cages hasten and conclusion in 19th-Century AmericaAfter America declared its independence from British rule, the founding fathers faced a conundrum How to build and maintain a successful republican government that was ultimately dependent upon the passions and character of its people. Their result was to propose the construction of what historians have called iron cages, which were ideological devices intended to deter the corruption and folly that might consume a free people, and sort of promoterational and virtuous American citizens. Ronald Takaki expands upon this concept in his historical analysis, Iron Cages Race and Culture in 19th-Century America, explaining that these constructs functioned specifically to separate the livid man from blacks and infixed Americans, who were believed to be devoid of the civility required to build a democratic nation. As patriot leaders attempted to resolve the exclusiveness of American identity to Anglo-Saxon peoples, rhetoric and reality merged to form ideology In a land where all men are created equal, wake was constructed as a justification for why all men would not be treated equal. Takakis book illustrates how literature came to play a zippy role in the creation and reification of these racial ideologies. He states that, What white men in indicator notion and did mightily affected what everyone thought and did. Americans viewed the founding fathers as interpreters of both law and society. These same men, whom Takakinames refining makers, not only shouldered the task of explaining society, but were also implemental in its conception. Takaki explainsthat their ideas were disseminated, and American mores were subsequently shaped through writing. Hi... ... finds America intent behind a fourth iron cage, that which acts as an amalgamation of the republican, the corporate and the demonic. He explains that, Like the republicans of the American Revolution, we continue to insist on our pro per(a) of and capacity for being self-governing individuals. But we find ourselves again to a lower place the rule of a king - an authority exterior to the self. This time, however, we cannot as well identify the king and declare our independence. Despitethe prejudice, hate and violence that look to be so deeply entrenched in Americas multiracial close and history of imperialism, Takaki does offer us hope. Just as literature has the power to construct racial systems, so it also has the power to refute and slide by them The pen is in our hands.Works ConsultedTakaki, Ronald. Iron Cages Race and Culture in 19th-Century America