Why is racism so deeply rooted among American history? Why is something as simple as skin color such subject to prejudice and discrimination in today’s society? The United States of America is built off of cruel acts of slavery and racism. So many white Americans did not realize that the acts they performed were horribly wrong and inhumane. They excused themselves simply because darker skin meant that that person was also inferior. Millions of minorities have suffered because of this.
There were multiple laws that encouraged racism before and after the Civil War. These laws separated the whites and blacks and made it seem as if whites were higher in class than blacks. Bill Bigelow writes about this occurrence in “The Color Line”: “The social …show more content…
One slave code being that slaves could not be sold liquor by anyone. If a group of blacks were seen together they would be considered a mob and that no slave could learn to read or write. “Some slave masters resented being told how to treat their ‘property,’ and disregarded the laws and ran their plantations as they pleased” (Rebels Against Slavery, 16). These laws provided even more distance between blacks and whites.
Slaves and indentured servants would join forces and attempt to overthrow their owners, but would not usually succeed. In Rebels Against Slavery, American Slave Revolts the authors account how “[s]lave masters quickly realized they couldn’t allow white indentured servants and slaves to become allies. So every effort was made to keep the two groups separate and in conflict.” (14) These precautions included the outlaw of interracial marriages between blacks and whites, no matter if they were a free man or not. This is a second case of the distancing between both …show more content…
Even today there is a large inequality between races. Far too vast than it should be, but because of these numerous laws and racial stigmatization it has become embedded into our brains. Racism and slavery are so deeply rooted in American history because laws and society incorporated it into life. Whites and blacks were naturally segregated and therefore were seen as different and blacks as barely human beings. We, as a society, have been conditioned to look down upon different races and skin colors, because of our past history. It is our duty as a society to understand that America has in fact a very ugly past and that if we want to move on and prepare for a better future we must learn from our mistakes. Whether they’re ugly or
There were multiple laws that encouraged racism before and after the Civil War. These laws separated the whites and blacks and made it seem as if whites were higher in class than blacks. Bill Bigelow writes about this occurrence in “The Color Line”: “The social …show more content…
One slave code being that slaves could not be sold liquor by anyone. If a group of blacks were seen together they would be considered a mob and that no slave could learn to read or write. “Some slave masters resented being told how to treat their ‘property,’ and disregarded the laws and ran their plantations as they pleased” (Rebels Against Slavery, 16). These laws provided even more distance between blacks and whites.
Slaves and indentured servants would join forces and attempt to overthrow their owners, but would not usually succeed. In Rebels Against Slavery, American Slave Revolts the authors account how “[s]lave masters quickly realized they couldn’t allow white indentured servants and slaves to become allies. So every effort was made to keep the two groups separate and in conflict.” (14) These precautions included the outlaw of interracial marriages between blacks and whites, no matter if they were a free man or not. This is a second case of the distancing between both …show more content…
Even today there is a large inequality between races. Far too vast than it should be, but because of these numerous laws and racial stigmatization it has become embedded into our brains. Racism and slavery are so deeply rooted in American history because laws and society incorporated it into life. Whites and blacks were naturally segregated and therefore were seen as different and blacks as barely human beings. We, as a society, have been conditioned to look down upon different races and skin colors, because of our past history. It is our duty as a society to understand that America has in fact a very ugly past and that if we want to move on and prepare for a better future we must learn from our mistakes. Whether they’re ugly or