Legacies of Colonialism, Essay Example

Colonialism and how it took place in different parts of the world left a legacy that is largely infused in the contemporary world. Western nations ensured that they took control of various areas, leaders, and moved many indigenous people from their homeland. Forced migration and movement of people was done in form of slave trade where people were sold to solve labor shortages that their colonial masters faced. Today, many nations around suffer from various implications of colonialism which include environmental degradation, violation of human rights, instability, and racism among other issues.

One impact of colonialism is colonial boundaries which divided communities between two or more countries. Colonialism was as a result of imperialism was happened to be the highest stage of capitalism. It is agreeable that colonial boundaries led to the formation of large territorial entities which brought together different communities which were previously independent (LEE 7). After U.S. won the American-Mexican war the Texas border was pushed down 100 miles from el rio Nueces to el rio Grande. As a result, South Texas stopped being part of Mexican state. As a result, after they were separated from Mexico, native Mexican-Texan stopped viewing it as home. In addition the land that was previously owned by Mexicans was later on swindled from its initial owners.

Today, it has become a daunting task wielding these ethnic groups to a single nation-state. More seriously, some of these boundaries created by colonialists divided some ethnic groups in such a way that some groups were spread between two or three nation states whereby you find a people speaking a particular language spread all over three countries at one time. Also, those sold to the west to work as slaves introduced some of the cultures such as the type of food they eat and the cultural behaviors (Yarbro-Bejarano 24). Also, their movement resulted in birth of mixed race people which was previously deemed as impossible before the colonial period. Additionally, colonialists introduced their culture to their colonies.

Today, most of their colonies practice the things they learned from their masters such as Christianity and going to school. Also, mostly, traditional Africans relied on oral traditions and storytelling to preserve their culture but after colonialism writing was introduced and people started keeping their information in form of writing which led to most of it being forgotten (Yarbro-Bejarano 23). Initially, many colonies had their own belief and customs but after colonialism they neglected them and started to copy what they learned believing that their colonizers were better than them.

When different regions were gaining independence, they were already facing staggering human and social needs. Contrary to the colonizers’ propaganda, which claimed to invest in the colonized population’s wellbeing, most of the funds generated were spent on other factors such as the military and in the construction of colonial administration. Additionally, colonial policies tended to suppress education for the colonized people by denying them opportunities to learn and be eligible for better jobs with good wages (Mexico 8).  Many developing nations colonized by Europeans, and other nations have had weak democratic institutions due to the accumulation of powers in some sites and neglecting others during colonization.

The existence of African Americans in the western countries and other races in different nations around the world is a concept that can be directly associated with the colonial legacies that gave way to forced migration of societies around the world and the institution of slavery. Slavery started as early as the 17^th century all the way to late 20^th century whereby people were moved from African countries to western world to serve in their plantations and industries during the industrial revolution period. Today, America suffers from racism, discrimination, and prejudices which are evident in many areas (Yarbro-Bejarano 24). For instance, there are more African Americans serving imprisonment in America which is largely associated with racism profiling and ethnicity.

In conclusion, colonialism had many implications on the people and the nations that were colonized which are experienced to date. For instance, factor such as ethnic rivalries, social instabilities, environmental degradation, and violation of human rights are just but a few of many legacies that are associated with colonialism.

Works Cited

Lee, Erika. “The Chinese Exclusion Example: Race, Immigration, and American.”

Mexico, El Otro. “The Homeland Aztlan.” (n.d.): 1-13.

Yarbro-Bejarano, Yvonne. “Gloria Anzaldua’s Borderlands/La Frontera: Cultural studies,” difference,” and the non-unitary subject.” Cultural Critique (1994): 5-28