African American Discrimination Research Paper

Being an American means more than just being given an opportunity to live freely. There are numerous hardships that one must strongly endure to call themselves a full-fledged American. Discrimination in the United States was always prevalent in history; however, it reached a high during the 1870s, around the time the Jim Crow Laws had been established in the United States. From then on, America has made steps to reduce this, but it only became worse for minorities before it got better. They had to face the worst of the storm to move on to better times. The root of discrimination in the United States can be traced back all the way to when America began to colonize. Native American tribes were suddenly given the notion that their culture was …show more content…
These laws further encouraged discrimination against the minority. With each state having their own specific set of laws, it was all centered around the idea of making sure African Americans would believe that they are lesser than Caucasians. Often, the materials given to these minorities were obviously unfair compared to the materials provided to communities considered higher in rank. “Books shall not be interchangeable between the white and colored schools, but shall continue to be used by the race first using them” (learnnc.org). Every little thing has been assigned for a certain race. Bathrooms, water fountains, even books, were all different. For these laws, it was stated that although there was this divide between facilities, they were to be all equal. Obviously, this was not followed nor was it ever enforced. Only second hand objects were given to minorities and their buildings were often dingy and unkempt. This illusion of equality was created in an attempt to temporarily appease the worries of individuals from both …show more content…
Authors such as Harper Lee, Harriet Beecher Stowe, Richard Wright all had a great influence on the views of the hardships of African Americans. Authors such as these forced individuals to talk about the subjects that would always be pushed to the side with little notice. These individuals brought awareness to what these slaves had to endure under their bosses and how discrimination was an issue that needed to be stopped. In To Kill A Mockingbird, Lee used a simple, everyday scenario of how the white man’s word would always beat out a black man’s word in court. Stowe’s Uncle Tom’s Cabin helped readers to understand the daily hardships of discrimination African Americans were forced to face. In Black Boy, Wright slams the idea that African American individuals will get nowhere in life. At the time, literature had such a huge impact on societal views. Even though these authors faced initial backlash from groups that disagreed with their ideas, they are now praised for their efforts to raise awareness