The Legacy of Slavery in America - Essay Sample

Introduction

During the 17th, 18th and part of the 19th century, slavery was highly upheld in the United States. Slavery had become an integral part of the American history, shown through the political, social as well as the economic activities during the era. Slavery was regarded by the law and upheld by the then constitution of the country. It has been claimed that the prosperity of the economy during the era was bolstered by the free labor offered by the slaves. William Wells Brown in his narrative a fugitive slave describes the plight of slaves during the 1800s. Williams describes his experiences as a slave who went through various masters as a servant until his time of escape to freedom. In the past century, there have been various laws that have been implemented to curb slavery in the world, including the United States. After the American Revolution, many colonists began to abolish slavery and servitude. Despite slavery being abolished and freedom being upheld, the history of past slavery continues to be a burden in the United States. Despite the aspects of freedom and equality being promoted, there are various aspects of the current society that indicate that slavery has not been completely addressed in the United States.

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Explained in the narrative, William brings out not only a system where servitude is promoted but also oppression and mistreatment of the African Americans. There is continued historical evidence that suggests that there is still an insistence of inequality in the American society. From the narrative, the African Americans were completely denied education during the era; most of the African Americans who studied did so in private and mostly self-educate themselves. However, after the emancipation, the constitution allowed for the African Americans to access education as well as being given various other rights that were denied before. The access to education deems to be a glad acceptance by the African Americans. However, the theme of inequality, which is largely depicted in the narrative, is still evident in the American society to date. For instance access to education in the American society has been a subject that every government has been emphasizing. However, there is still evidence of unequal access to education between the African Americans and the whites. The school system in the country is believed to have been shaped by the slavery history; there is notable black-white school segregation. According to a study done by Heather O'Connell, found that in areas where the slave concentration was high during the 1800s, there is a relatively high disparity between the black-white school enrolments. The authors claim that the whites are highly enrolled in the white private schools whereas the African Americans are highly enrolled in public schools. Additionally, quality education is a factor of a disparity between the black and white students. This is in the sense that, the schools situated in the black American districts receive less funding from the government compared to the schools which are situated in the white residences in the country. This, in turn, means that the schools would have an unequal number of school facilities which determines the quality of the education.

Inequality would not only be imposed through denial of education but also through an explicit denial of various other human rights. The slaves would work as their masters' property with no pay. They would often be subjected to hard labor, taking orders from their masters. William Brown describes a slavery system where the African Americans were treated with little or no respect from the white people. As brought out in the narrative, the slaves were treated like animals; their masters would not call them by their names, they were called "you" or "boy". The system of disrespect to the slaves has been rooted in the American society where the importance of the African Americans is highly disregarded. From the example mentioned before of police brutality, it is due to the little level of regard to the African Americans. In the current society, the African Americans are treated as criminals, stubborn and illiterate people. Due to the negative profiling of the African Americans, there have been high rates of disparities in employment between the black and whites in America. In cases where the African Americans are employed, they are not offered prestigious jobs as the whites. Most of them would work as support staffs or would do odd jobs in companies as well as households.

Furthermore, the oppression of the African Americans slaves was a characteristic of the slavery era of the past centuries. In the narrative, William brown depicts how the slaves were heavily punished for small mistakes. William Brown (page 57), describes how he accidentally spills wine to the guests of his master and was ordered to be punished with 20 strokes. Equally, in the current society oppression and social injustices are still a characteristic of the society in the United States. An example is the police force in the country which appears to be treating the African Americans differently from the whites. The African Americans are ruthlessly punished and mistreated by both the justice system and the police force. There have been rising reported cases of police brutality in America which has called for the African Americans to demonstrate or riot in various cuties. Through history, most riots and demonstrations by the African Americans have been largely due to the police violence against the black people. To mention but a few cities, the African Americans rioted in Newark in 1967 and in Miami in 1980 as well as in Charlotte in 2016 and in each case, it was due to the police killing an African American. Most studies that have been conducted in the United States have found that the police force treats African Americans with contempt. The police have been found to kill, wound, beat up detain and even pepper spray the African Americans in various situations but they do not do the same to the white people. As if the brutality is not enough, the police would often get away with the cases of murder of African Americans when arraigned in courts. The police are rarely prosecuted in courts which seem to indicate that they are doing their job by brutalizing the African Americans.

Racism which was a major factor during the slave era, as described in the narrative is currently witnessed in the country. During the slave era, the African Americans had no place in the society. Consequently, this has shaped the way in which the current society views the African Americans. America's political culture, identity as well as social status continue to be determined by one's race. The employment and employment opportunities are largely determined by one's race in that the way in which a black person is treated is different from how a white person would be treated in the same condition. From news anchors to social justice system in the country, treat African Americans different from the white people. An explicit example of the resurgence of racial discrimination was during the United States election. During the election of 2016, one of the candidates appealed to the public a divide in of the social status in the country. The divide in the social class in the nation is attributed to slavery and racial discrimination where the African Americans are considered to be the poor lot in the nation whereas most white people are deemed to be financially stable.

Conclusion

In conclusion, despite the abolishment of slavery in America, more than one hundred and fifty years later the legacy of slavery is still felt in the country. The legacy of slavery is evident socially, politically as well as economically. The slavery of the 17th through the 18th and 19th century shaped the idea and the perception of the African Americans in the modern American society. Despite the regard and the treatment of the African Americans not being harsh and ruthless compared to that of the slavery era, there are still aspects which suggest that the slave era established a lasting legacy in the American society. Examples mentioned include the system and the quality of education which are different between the African Americans and the whites. The oppression of the African Americans and racism are also aspects of slavery which are still seen in the current American society.

Works Cited

Heather O'Connell. The Conversation. To see the legacy of slavery, look at present-day school systems. 2015. Internet source

William Wells Brown. Narrative of William W. Brown, a Fugitive Slave. 2004. Internet source.