Discrimination is the act of treating someone differently based on race, ethnicity, religion, gender, etc. There are many incidents throughout history that involve the discrimination against humans. Some of the few that I feel really made a difference in changing our history positively and negatively were Slavery, The Civil Rights Movement, FDR Roosevelt Execution Order and Trump building a wall. America has gone through difficult times to get where it is today. Without the help of these few incidents America wouldn’t have abolished slavery, ended segregation, and the inequality of all races.
Slavery had to have been one of the worst things America had seen. Slaves were used to “grow tobacco, harvested indigo and sugar, and worked in port” (American Yawp). The only reason they were enslaved was to work for the whites. They specifically used African Americans because in this time white people felt they were the superior race to all others. The whites treated African Americans as slaves without any rights or privileges just as property that can be passed around with their white friends. This continued for years but only got worse when they created Black Laws of 1803. This law prohibited African Americans from voting, being able to go to public schools, and made it impossible so that people who weren’t white could serve on a jury or in militias,
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along with much more. It is almost horrifying to see how much cruelty there was against African Americans. All and any race should be treated equally but back in the day it wasn’t seen that way. Just as their was people who were for slavery there were others against it.). “Antislavery participants in the Missouri debate argued that the framers never intended slavery to survive the Revolution and in fact hoped it would disappear through peaceful means” (American Yawp). Even though there were parties against slavery and were trying hard to abolish it, it wasn’t until Lincoln became president that slavery was finally abolished. It was December 1865 the 13th Amendment was what freed slaves. This law was approved by President Abraham Lincoln ensuring “Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime where of the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction” (Abolition of Slavery 1865). It wasn’t until this law that African Americans were finally free of being ruled by whites. This changed the U.S. because we no longer have slavery and will never because of the pain it caused.
The Sixties was the year that had the greatest victories of all time but was also one of history's most harshest. African Americans were given the opportunity to vote and segregation had ended. In order for African Americans to be able to get granted both they had to suffer. During this time there was a lot of suffering, especially towards African Americans. They weren’t allowed to attend the same schools as whites, drink from the same fountains nor attend the same churches. In order for this problem to go away the African Americans decided to stand up for themselves and take matters into their own hands by “ sitting at segregated lunch counters in an act of defiance, refusing to leave until being served and willing to be ridiculed, attacked, and arrested if they were not” (American Yawp). This shows they were tired of being treated poorly that they were willing to risk everything in order to get justice. It was Martin Luther King Jr that helped fulfill their dream in having rights to vote. In May 1954, “Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas striking down all local, state, and federal laws that enforce racial segregation in public education” (Milestones: The Early Years). With both they were able to put an end to the discrimination against African Americans. Martin Luther King Jr was a preacher who used a nonviolent approach in order to challenge injustice. His way of fighting against this injustice was to march to Washington. This march ensured “Civil rights legislation, school integration, an end to discrimination by public and private employers, job training for the unemployed, and a raise in the minimum wage” (American Yawp). It was this legendary march that made it in today's history books proving to us that acting persistently and peacefully will get justice. His ways showed the world that one day both whites and blacks will walk hand in hand together. His kind words and peaceful protests helped African Americans have hope that one day things will get better. His “I have a dream speech” will soon be fulfilled within due time.
Another example of histories discrimination against race was the FDR Executive Order No. 9066. This was the order given by Roosevelt to internment Japanese-Americans into concentration camps during the war. “The Secretary of War is hereby authorized to provide for residents of any such area who are excluded therefrom, such transportation, food, shelter, and other accommodations as may be necessary” (American Yawp). The president was willing to take away all their resources, homes, food, shelter all because of them being Japanese. Even though we were fighting a war with them it wasn’t necessary to take the frustration out on defenseless children and mothers. This shows that he had no remorse, no sympathy towards them. This is an inhuman act of discrimination towards a race based on them being a threat. It didn’t stop there “I hereby authorize and direct the Secretary of War, and the Military Commanders whom he may from time to time designate, whenever he or any designated Commander deems such action necessary or desirable, to prescribe military areas in such places and of such extent as he or the appropriate Military Commander may determine” (American Yawp) because he was willing to do whatever is necessary in order to obtain them. You know they are going to invoke violence on these families because what family is going to willingly want to be taken away from their family members. His hatred is unbelievable because he tore families apart, took away all necessities and resources from them, and even took them against their will. No person that has a heart will ever do what Franklin D Roosevelt did because it is horrendous and extremely wrong. The lengths people go to to discriminate against races.
The examples above are issues that helped shape America make laws to ensure they no longer happen again. Trump is a percent example as to why discrimination is still an issue in today’s society. He is the reason people are so divided. He discriminates against certain races, name calls, and gave false hopes. He made America believe he was going to change America but he only made it worse by dividing America more than it already was. In his presidency he promised to “Make America Great Again” and “promised to build a wall to keep out Mexican immigrants and bar Muslim immigrants” (American Yawp) but how is he supposed to do that if he thinks that by building a wall he is fulfilling his promise. No one should ever feel that in order for things to change they have to discriminate races. I cannot stress enough how foul this is. We will never be a good society if there is always people like Trump poisoning the minds of people making it okay to treat others poorly. There are always other options but he had to go for the one that closed the doors to those who needed a better life for themselves and their families.
Overall, some of these issues helped shape America for no longer doing them again while others still continue. Discrimination was a huge problem back in the day and today it is still. Although there has been a lot of progress made regarding the issue it still hasn’t gone away. There are still toxic people who believe they are superior to other races and who still live in the mentality of the 1900s where this abuse was allowed. No one should be treated unfairly and discriminated for things (race, ethnicity, gender, religion etc) that shouldn’t have mattered in the first place. Maybe if we would have learned this sooner people who lived and experienced through the horrific incidents of the 1900s wouldn't have suffered the way they did. It is astonishing to know that in order for the world to change people have to see how badly it is messed up to do something about it. Thanks to all their suffering and injustices we are able to have laws preventing America to ever treat a human being less than they deserve. Hopefully with time and education on treating people as equals discrimination will die out. By the time this happens it will be a long time.
Work Cited
- Milestones: The Early Years. (n.d.). Retrieved December 5, 2019, from https://www.eeoc.gov/eeoc/history/35th/milestones/early.html.
- The American Yawp. Retrieved December 5, 2019, from http://www.americanyawp.com/.
- 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution: Abolition of Slavery (1865). (n.d.). Retrieved December 5, 2019, from https://www.ourdocuments.gov/doc.php?flash=false&doc=40.
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