Race And Racism In The 19th Century

Race and Racism “Racism springs from the lie that certain human beings are less than fully human. It 's a self-centered falsehood that corrupts our minds into believing we are right to treat others as we would not want to be treated”. Racism feeds into the egotistic minds of people who believe they are superior to others because of their own race. Unfortunately, there are not any clear answers about why people have these traits and choose to believe them. The only thing we can do is understand the historical origins of the idea of race. It is important to understand the historical origins of race because, from the 15th century through the 19th century, reoccurring themes such as oppression, segregation, and genocide have influenced our society and continues to affect us today. During the late 15th century, Christopher Columbus set sail from Spain to the West in search of riches. He encountered an island occupied by the Caribs and Arawaks. Although they occupied the islands, Columbus claimed it for Spain. The people he encountered were intelligent and skilled. However, Columbus saw a primitive people, unclothed and dark, and, therefore, close to nature and uncivilized. Although Columbus viewed the natives as inferior, the idea of race truly emerged in the 16th century. When the term race entered English language, it was a term used to …show more content…
With a nation divided slavery continued in some states. Some slaves joined the Confederate army. Others escaped and joined the Union army where they fought to earn their freedom. Once the Civil War ended, the abolishment of slavery followed. Although slavery was abolished, Jim Crow laws took place, which enforced segregation. In addition to segregation, viligante groups such as the Klu Klux Klan formed. The KKK used oppression and took the law into their own hands. Once the Civil War ended, slavery was abolished.