The transition of American ideology in the 1800s from the debate over slavery to the idea of ​​manifest destiny was a crucial step in our future globalization as a nation. As the country grew, the idea of ​​what made an American was: was a conflict that was often fought over in courtrooms as well as on the front pages of newspapers. Armed with a hunger for land and the idea of ​​being predestined to inhabit the continent from coast to coast, cultural beliefs began to take root and became evident in the disparities in how different races and ethnic groups were treated in the United States. The idea of ​​being a white American became imperative in deciding which ethnic groups could become naturalized and the extent to which their citizenship would allow them to enjoy certain rights not afforded to all Americans. Because of the exclusivity of whiteness and the respect that came with being considered white, it was essential, when acquiring additional land, to maintain this balance and, if necessary, to reclassify residents already natural to adapt them to these social sanctions. Through foreign land purchases and wars, the United States managed to extend its rule state by state. After the United States acquired Arizona, California, Nevada, New Mexico, Texas, Utah, and western Colorado through the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, the question s he question of what to do with the people living on what was now considered American soil? Fears of an uprising began to plague the nation and the chambers of Congress as these newly reclaimed Americans attempted to learn their new lives. Because of this apprehension towards their new countrymen, the Mexicans who now inhabited the southwestern region of United States soil were offered not only citizenship...... middle of paper...... and the problems occurring in the American South. border. I'm going to have to come and speak with you, Meagan, my topic is entirely too broad to encompass 20 pages. I'm just going to go over the research I've done for the following pages so you know I've been doing something and researching - I feel like so far this doesn't isn't unfolding in a way that will end anytime soon and I'm struggling to find a way to quickly connect the story to modern essays. From JSTOR I found an excellent article describing racial repression in the United States from a Chicano perspective. The author delves into the idea that in order for these new Americans to receive rights, they would have to give up their own cultural identity in favor of the idea of ​​being Caucasian in order to receive the rights they were accustomed to..