History Of Discrimination In Usa

HISTORY OF DISCRIMINATION IN USA

Race is a significant social issue because people use racial differences as the basis for discrimination. Much of today's racism can be traced to the era of colonialism that began in the 1400s. When Europeans began colonizing Africa and the Americas, the white settlers adopted the idea that they were superior to the other races they encountered and it was their job to "civilize the savages." This false notion became known as "the white man's burden," and was used to justify the Europeans' taking land and enslaving people. In this way, naturally-occurring racial differences became the basis for systems of exploitation and discrimination.

Racism is the systematic practice of denying people access to rights, representation, or resources based on racial differences. Institutionalized racism is a thorough system of discrimination that involves social institutions and affects virtually every aspect of society.

It's important to remember that racism is neither natural nor inevitable. Through history, people of different racial groups have interacted and co-existed peacefully. During the Middle Ages, for example, Europeans looked up to the people of Africa and China, whose civilization and culture were considered to be more advanced. These ideas changed significantly during the colonial area.

RACISM AGAINST NATIVE AMERICANS

Millions of natives occupied the area now called the United States prior to the colonial era. In an effort to obtain much of the North America as territory of the United States, a long series of wars, massacres, forced displacements (such as the Trail of Tears), restriction of food rights, and the imposition of treaties, land was taken and numerous hardships imposed. Ideologies justifying the context included stereotypes of Native Americans as "merciless Indian savages" and the quasi-religious doctrine of manifest destiny which asserted divine blessing for U.S. conquest of all lands west of the Atlantic seaboard to the Pacific.

Once their territories were incorporated into the United States, many surviving Native Americans were relegated to reservations--constituting just 4% of U.S. territory--and the treaties signed with them violated. Tens of thousands of were forced to attend a residential school system which sought to reeducate them in white settler American values, culture and economy.

To this day, Native Americans are the most harshly affected by institutionalized racism. The World Watch Institute notes that 317 reservations are threatened by environmental hazards. While formal equality has been legally granted, American Indians, Alaska Natives, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders remain among the most economically disadvantaged groups in the country, and suffer from high levels of alcoholism and suicide.

RACISM

...