However, even after its abolishment, blacks were still kept in slavery and were treated poorly and unequal to other, white Americans. This abuse was much more common in the Southern states due to the more racist nature of the white people who lived there and the fact that the Southern states had originally fought to keep Black Slavery legal. Soon after the Civil War was won by the Northern States, the 13th, 14th and 15th amendment were brought into congress. The thirteenth amendment stated that all Slavery must end in America; the fourteenth amendment stated that everyone living on American soil should gain citizenship and the fifteenth amendment stated that all citizens should gain the right to vote. These amendments could be considered as vital moves towards black equalities, if they had worked.
Extended Response – Explain why the KKK was feared between the 1920s & 1930s. By 1900 USA was a mixture of all sorts of people who had come from other countries and after 1900 most immigrants came from the poorer parts of Southern Europe (Italy, Greece, Turkey) and Eastern Europe (Poland, Russia. Hungary). The early immigrants had come to dominate the wealth and power in America and they did not like the country being flooded with the later immigrants whom they saw as a threat to their positions of power. Although many people were against immigrants and they had no support from any non-immigrants there was one man, W.E.B DuBois, who believed in true and absolute racial equality.
Even his most sympathetic white characters found it completely natural to regard blacks differently, for the racist preconceptions were everywhere and they permeated and changed the thinking of everyone in their path. Twain best demonstrated this theme through the interactions of others with his main black character, Jim. Jim was a slave owned by the widow who cared for Huck during the first part of the book. The widow was apparently a kind mistress and promised Jim that she would never sell him to the slave traders in New Orleans. However Jim overheard her one night saying that she planned do to just that, which is what prompted him to run away early on (Twain at 43).
He is almost completely shunned from the town because he is trying to help a black man accused of rape. Mayella had told Tom, “I said come here, nigger, and bust up this chiffarobe for me, I gotta nickel for you.” (p.241) She had tricked him to coming over to her. Then that’s about the time when she accuses him of rape. He had felt sorry for her, which is why he was falsely accused in the first place. Courthouse segregation was one of the biggest bits of racism I found in this book.
This slavery is by far one of the more difficult subjects to look upon when discussing American history and its influences. Slavery shaped this nation, for bad and for good, and this country would not be the same without this dark stain that influenced so much. Yes it was a terrible thing that went on in this country for years, but good did come out of it. It may have taken time, even after slavery was abolished, but it started a movement that changed the world and the rights of all people, of all races, to come. Most people don’t realize that slavery didn’t start in the United States, it was actually started sometime in the 16th century, but the first Africans were sold in Jamestown around 1619.
Race is an influential idea and a continuing concept, made-up by society. It has also fostered inequality and discrimination for centuries, as well as influencing how we relate to other human beings. A “stereotype” is an oversimplification about a person or a group of people. We utilize stereotypes when we are incapable or reluctant to attain all of the information we would need to make impartial judgments about people or situations. In the absence of detail, stereotyping in many situations allow us to arrive at a general conclusion of these groups.
The gang had been so used to preying on African Americans. When they rob the African Americans within the community the cops have no concern for it. Due to the fact they were robbing a Caucasian they would be doing something new and challenging. He told his friends that they should use guns instead. Bigger was really scared but he couldn't admit this for his friends.
From racial profiling to other issues such as affirmative action, police brutality against minorities and the history of slavery and the rising resentment against immigrants.” (Anup Shah 1998) I think this really does suit racism in the United States. Yes it has come a long way from what it used to be like but we still have problems just like this all over the world. Way back in the day American people didn’t have much racism towards them but Americans were very racist towards everyone who was not American. They had all sorts of racial groups such as the Ku Klux Klan, save our state, and gay groups. These groups of hate have died down over the years but there are still a few out
In the book Monster written by Walter Dean Myers, it focuses on the important issues of basic stereotypes pertaining to young black males. Steve’s battle to prove his innocence within the novel is the statement being addressed against the prejudice justice system. The statement being addressed is the fact that a teen is being accused of murder while trying to clear his name in both the legal and social setting in life. Steve is a 16 year old male who claims to be at the wrong place at the wrong time, and in fact is a victim to an inaccurate eyewitness account. He has to deal with the most frightening nature of the justice system facing the death penalty.
Racism in Native Son “Racism exists when one ethnic group or historical collectivity dominates, excludes, or seeks to eliminate another on the basis of differences that it believes are hereditary and unalterable” (Fredrickson). Racism affects all types of people- from African descent, Asian, Latin, and even European. When using the phrase “that’s racist”, the most common race that people think it is aimed towards is African-American. African-Americans have had it hard since the slave era. After dealing with the hardships and finally escaping those times, they had to deal with racism still in the early 20th century.