‘Race and ethnicity were the defining issues in the history of the United States during the 19th century?

The American population grew at an incredible rate in the 19th century, primarily through immigration. As in all societies in this situation, the rapid influx of new people from new places produced resentment and opposition among some who were already there. Laws were proposed and in some cases ped to restrict the Irish, Italians, Chinese and other groups. Catholics were under great suspicion, as were members of more exotic religions. Slavery was such an explosive issue that it led to a war between the northern and southern states that killed more Americans than all the wars before or since. Slavery was finally abolished, but the imposition of Jim Crow laws meant the struggle for equality for African Americans had just begun. The Ku Klux Klan became a force across the US. Native Americans were forced from their homes east of the Mississippi, and in the West, forced onto reservations. Treaties with Native American tribes were made and broken over and over as settlers coveted their land and resources. In the cities, political organizations were formed along ethnic and religious lines, leading to groups such as the Boss Tweed organization in New York and the Cosa Nostra in many cities. Many immigrants grouped together in new towns that to this today remain predominantly Swedish, Norwegian, German, Polish and other ethnicities.