Manifestations of Whiteness Through A Presidential Statement

Introduction

George Lipsitz in his article talks about the possessive investment in whiteness where racial polarization has become a common phenomenon among the Americans. He talks about the white problem and argues that the black people are segregated, and the white people have dominated the American nation. The social and political order is determined by the white people, and the blacks are left out in any decision that needs to be made. The term Americans have been used to mean the white people and not the African Americans. He says "whiteness is everywhere in American culture, but it is tough to see" (Lipsitz, p.369). The author also argues that the white people and discrimination have dominated the political field has been exercised even in the voting process. Lipsitz explains that the segregation and slavery that existed between the nineteenth and twentieth century heightened the cases of racial discrimination and white supremacy. The economic and political life in American gave different groups unequal distribution of property and resources within the continent The author states "American economic and political life gave different groups unequal access to citizenship and property while cultural practices cultural practices institutionalized racism"(Lipsitz, p.370)

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President Franklin De Roosevelt slogan the "new deal" (Lipsitz, p.370) during his campaign and term of the presidency was a raw deal for the black people because it widened the racial gap between the white and the black people in America. Among the principles in the new deal was the discouraging of home loans] to the African Americans and other races and they were only accessible to the white people. The government was supposed to protect the property of the nation and that of the white people. The African Americans were viewed as a threat to property values.

Similarly, Woodrow's "new freedom" (Lipsitz, p.370) came with a lot of segregation, and it marked the continuation of the white supremacy where he ordered for a limited government where the whites were supposed to take charge of all the government political positions. His comments on the state of the nation clearly indicated that he promoted segregation. He openly stated that there are no government positions in the south for the black people and added that a Negro's place is the cornfield. It was an open indication of racial discrimination among the black people and promotion of the white dominance.

The segregation began earlier with the coming of the white settlers to the North American region where there was increased recognition of whiteness. Lipsitz states that "European settlers in Northern America established structures encouraging possessive investment in whiteness"(Lipsitz, p.371). Similarly, Jim Crow encouraged racial Segregation in the southern, and it was directed to the blacks as he considered them as lazy and stupid. There was the legal separation of groups where the government made policies that allowed segregation of the black communities it was known as "de jure segregation" (Lipsitz,p.371)according to the new deal and Wagner act the social security act limited benefits to the white people while farm and domestic workers were left out. It is important to note that the author explored the manifestations of whiteness through the presidential statements where most presidents openly supported racism by making policies that upheld the rights of the white people while demeaning the black people. It is therefore evident that the leaders in America supported white supremacy

Work Cited

Lipsitz, George. The possessive investment in whiteness: How white people profit from identity politics. Temple University Press, 2006.