Ethnographic Fieldwork at Davenport, Iowa

Ethnographic Fieldwork at Davenport, Iowa

Introduction

Iowa State consists of several ethnic groups and has a rich cultural history, making it a ideal site for conducting an ethnographic field work. In the urban areas belonging to diverse regions of the state consist of an amalgamation of several minority groups. In order to adequately understand the makeup of the urban society of the different regions in Iowa, the history of the State has to be critically examined. The administration of the society which consists of several different minorities and groups is influenced by the specific regional ethnic makeup (Keene et Al, 2010). The fact is that the state of Iowa has been significantly active in dealing with the various minority groups, through the American history.

Iowa: Historical Context

In the contemporary times, the Iowa State has a very open society with only slight ethical and social dilemmas; however in the past it had a very different outlook. In the mid 19th century the state of Iowa only consisted of 300 African Americans, and the majority of the society was predominantly Caucasian. The minority groups specially the African Americans, had to face very strict ethnic based laws and policies, which restricted these groups to secondary roles in the society. Even the sparse African American dispersed throughout the state were denied their social rights, and were restricted to live in very poor semi urban areas. The state had severe regulations for the entrance of the African American groups in the state, where even the freed slaves were strongly discouraged by the prejudiced state laws to enter the region. The laws of the state were tailored so that the ethnic groups can be prohibited from coming to the area, and settling for a long term perspective. The African American population had to provide a “fair certificate of actual freedom', which was to be approved by the official seal of the judge, before being able to become eligible for the entrance in the state. In the case where the ethnic groups planned to purchase a property or stay in the state for an extended period of time, they had to submit a surety fee, which was dependant on the ethnicity of the applicants. The African American individuals had to pay the exorbitant surety amounting up to $500, which was a mere impossibility of the middle or lower middle class citizens during the given era. The situation changed drastically after 1865, when a massive African American predominated minority groups moved from the states of Missouri and Mississippi to Iowa; almost tripling the population of the minority groups in the state.

The exponential increase in the minority population had sparked a significant shift in the societal makeup of the entire region. The Caucasian population of the state felt that their rights were being challenged and they had to fight the changed occurring in the demographics of the state. This resentment of the native Caucasian population even resulted in the formulation of several violent ...