Racism in the United States

One of the largest ethnic groups that make up the United States is African Americans.

Majority were descendants from slaves who were brought to the country by European settlers. It is the humble beginnings of the African Americans, their fight against racial discrimination and segregation and their role in the development of Southern speech, music, dancing and food that has cemented their lasting contribution to American history and culture. African Americans landed in the United States following the early exploration of the Spanish and Portuguese in the country (Lynch 288).These traders brought with them captive men and women from the west coast of Africa as part of the slave trade (Brinkley 71).

Around 350 men, women and children were shipped, eventually landing in the British colony of Jamestown in Virginia (Hashaw 2007). Jamestown was the first permanent English settlement in the country (Bailyn et al 30). African Americans served as “indentured servants” or servants forced to work for an employer for a certain number of years (Lynch 289). Thus began the life of African Americans, toiling for the white settlers while building a life of their own.Some had married to fellow Africans or English settlers, bourgeoning their population to 760,000 by 1790 (289). By this time, black slavery was in motion (Lynch 289).

The color difference between the African Americans and the white settlers encouraged the “belief” that blacks were an “inferior race”, making it easier for the whites to justify slavery (289). This slave culture until the African Americans started to resist their master and stand up for their own independence. One such important event was the Stono Rebellion in South Carolina (Brinkley 85).In 1739, 100 African Americans sought answers by taking weapons, killing some whites, and tried to escape (85).

The white settlers quickly retaliated and murder them. But that did not faze the African Americans. Following the Civil War in 1861, the Emancipation Proclamation was issued, making all slaves free (Lynch 292). The Civil War, in effect, ended the slavery. With the ratification of the 13th Amendment to the Constitution, around 4 million black slaves were given their freedom. There were free but they did not have enough resources to live.

During the Reconstruction, the federal Freedman’s Bureau, which was set up by the Congress, helped African Americans find jobs and homes for them (292). During this time, hospitals and schools were established, such as Fisk University and Hampton Institute (292). Likewise, the Reconstruction period saw the rise of blacks in politics. Yet, this glorious time was put to an abrupt end. Anti-black groups such as the Ku Klux Klan prevailed and white supremacy soon started again.

The Great Depression of the 1930s worsened the conditions of black Americans.They were the first to be laid off and were given less aid than the whites (Lynch 296). Then World War II erupted. As with World War I, black left the South and moved to he North. The aftermath of the World War II saw the African Americans seeking an end to racism.

Black rights campaigns were forwarded and in 1954 one Supreme Court judging further sparked the civil right movement. In the case of Brown vs. Board of Education of Topeka, the Supreme Court judged that communities must work on desegregating their schools (Brinkley 821).In 1955, Rosa Parks was arrested for not giving her bus seat to a white passenger (822). Her arrest led to a bus boycott movement. In 1965, one name stood tall in the civil rights movement- Martin Luther King, Jr.

Drawing strength from the teachings of Mahatma Gandhi and Henry David Thoreau, King’s approach to the black protest was nonviolence (Brinkley 822). In March, King delivered speech in front of the state capitol (Tindall and Shi 1531). Under King’s tutelage, the Southern Christian Leadership Conference was formed to coordinate civil rights movement (Lynch 297).A year earlier, President Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act of 1964 which banned discrimination in public places (1531). Literary tests became a requirement for voting rights (1531).

Following the civil rights activities, the Congress passed the Voting Right Act of 1965 which suspended the qualifying exams (Lynch 298). Around 250,000 blacks registered (Tindall and Shi 1531). By 1966, “black power” was emerging. This new black powers somehow fragmented the black Americans. King was against the use of violence but with the growing upheavals and attacks on the blacks, people resorted to fight back.One of the most fervent spokesperson for the black power was Malcolm X (1534).

He founded a group that sought the alliance of African Americans and nonwhites in the world. However, before he could expound, he was killed in Harlem (1534). Civil rights movement emerged at a time when African Americans were being challenged. Slaved for years, the legacy of World War II helped plant the seeds on focusing their plight on independence, individuality and recognition.

Additionally, it also helped them take pride in their African American racial heritage.