The United States Racial History - Essay Sample

Introduction

Any state or nation is bound to experience autonomy in thoughts, ideas, values and the meaning of life and its constituents while boundaries and differences in socio-economic activities demarcate such a state. The division is a sign of free-mindedness, but it could also present shattered dreams, broken hearts, and ruined relationships. The most significant division, or dare I say segregation the United States of America has encountered, from the days of slavery to the modern free world is racism. The division by skin color, hair texture, general etiquette and socio-economic status of the 'colored' American minority group. The presence of this group triggered animosity among their superiors, ranging from their masters to the administrative authorities, and generally to every white individual who could compare favorably to them. The racial disparity took so much from them; their freedom, social acceptability, self-respect, their federal rights, was they granted any, and most importantly their voice.

Is your time best spent reading someone else’s essay? Get a 100% original essay FROM A CERTIFIED WRITER!

Save 25%

To adequately draw a line as to where the division should range from, these superiors baptized them with the Negro name, an identity that correctly pointed out to the black Americans while ruling out the other minority groups within the states. Brutal an isolation this was, that in the current system, this word is prohibited more so in the public settings and formal institutions. The confinement of the rights to the then slaves was to their basic needs, and to some households, it was a privilege from their masters. Everything was decided for them, from the laws that should govern them to the leaders ruling under those laws (Martin, 4). The laws were crafted to press harder on this minority group, and zip down their lips tight, so they can never utter any word that would suggest their discontent and zeal for a change. The fight for freedom was costly, with massive numbers of the African Americans in dark dungeons and jails for flooding the streets with protests and demonstrations. The nonviolent direct actions got renamed as an extremist pursuit, and no ear turned to these decrees (Martin, 6). The cries, too loud to be ignored, bore freedom and rights to them, but the administrative bottlenecks, especially towards voting, left the situation almost as similar as it used to be. Fights after fights, demonstrations after demonstrations and numerous convictions followed but free at last, and in the current society, a black American can either be a Democrat or a republic as they best see fit.

In 1856, the state of Mississippi granted specific laws to the Negros, but even within the laws lied disparity. The term 'free Negros' indicated a chance for future ultimate freedom, away from the masters and mistresses. The moral laws were finally applicable to this group, and the abandoned minors were entitled to adoption by their masters (The Mississippi black code, 2). The rules barred the free Negros from vagrant activities as well as the whites associating with them. However, the penalties could vary just as skin color did. In section 3 of the penal laws, the white Americans claimed to have aided the free Negros with firearms and other weaponry were entitled to a maximum of fifty dollars while the Negros found with the weapon had a maximum of a hundred dollars. A law it was, yet still leaning towards the whites. As much as no one would ever admit, this kind of disparity still exists within our judicial and justice systems whereby when it is an African American teenager charged with robbery with violence just because he has a jacket corresponding to the crime scene, all jurors rule against him. It is the same situation whereby the black community in jails and other correctional facilities can make a statement of its own while the whites, with similar convictions, roam freely in streets and alleys.

A sigh of relief was finally felt in the Negros breaths when the Supreme Court, in 1954 outlawed the segregation that was rampant in public schools (Martin, 4). It was about time that this minority group had a taste of the brain nourishment the whites thrived in. This rule wasn't upheld with the urgency it carried but a century or two afterward, their generations are enjoying this freedom. Although in some instances it is possible to spot a junior school with less than fifty black Americans, it isn't because it is policy, but due to other socioeconomic factors including bullying. The church in the previous regimes stood for the Negros, and it is where they could find comfort and consolation. This might be the one form of segregation still in existence as the African Americans developed a religious culture, so distinctive and unique. Generally such churches involve a minority whites with a vast majority of blacks, vigorously worshipping and evangelizing. The term 'black Jesus' is an indication of the unique relationship the blacks established with religion.

Conclusion

While in the past the slaves now decently referred to as African Americans only fought for a chance to choose the white leader of their preference, the current era presents an opportunity for them to be led by an African American. The presidency of Barrack Obama hammered the last nail to the African American leadership fabric, and they could feel the representation right from the core of the white house. This leadership was a success and was not accompanied by any white discrimination, an indication that retaliation wasn't the drive for the move. It was a clear message that whichever the color of the cover is, the streams of blood beneath it are of the same color.

Works Cited

Martin Luther King Jr. A letter to the clergymen. 16 April 1963. Pp. 1-11

The Mississippi black code. 1865. Pp. 1-3