Social Inequalities in US - Essay Example

?Geraldine Pang Question Race, and gender are the foundation of demarcate social inequality. Consequently they provide grounds for resistanceand social movement. Though race, class and gender are singularly addressed they influence age and class jointly. In the American society there has been a diverse change in these in view of race, class and gender. There has been a major improvement, catalyzed by various aspects. As such, American society has been continually progressing, although the pace has been slow, and limited by prejudice. John Adams fully comprehended the paramount principles of equal natural rights and he reckoned with the question with the inequalities in a constitution of a people. It was achieved through the careful institutional arrangement. However, Massachusetts’s citizens criticized and rejected the constitution that excluded Negroes, Indians and mulattoes from the state voting process. He realized the need to distinguish the nature’s unequal distribution of activity from the artificial inequalities that subverted the foundation of liberty and a people’s decency. Given the inevitable nature of inequality the statesman’s though was directed at reducing its effects and promoted the conversion of “natural aristocracy” to betterment of the society. This has greatly facilitated for awareness and fight for equality. Racism is less predominant among the Americans in recent times in comparison to earlier times. Earlier in the United States’ history, racism resulted in African Americans being treated as second class citizens, and denied the rights to do many things including vote and go to school with white children and lived in slavery or servitude for a significant proportion of American history. There have been marked changes in the way that races have been treated as American history has progressed, and African Americans as well as other races are now legally considered equals to whites. This is evident by the recent election Barrack Obama, an African American as their 44th US president. His election on the contrary has not ended racism but has propagated its transformation However, a survey conducted by a prominent writer and educator at Harvard, wise, shows that 11 percent of the whites in America still are slaves of being racist, treating people differently because of their race. Another aspect of equality is the issue of class. People exist in different classes, such as those who are wealthy and the poor, and those who come from different social background. It is common for people of a higher class to consider themselves superior to others. For example, even in the present time, many people who have enough money to own a house and live well look down on people who are not able to do this, often refusing to associate with them. Nevertheless, class relations have become better throughout American history, as people of lower class are no longer treated as slaves or servants, and are no longer prohibited from knowing or marrying those of a higher class. The recent improvement of security improvement among the middle and low class has greatly equalized the social class problem. Martin Luther King, Jr. was one of the most profound civil right movement’s spokesmen and asserted for civil rights for African Americans on constitutional grounds. He emphasized on the legitimacy of the constitution in relation to the civil rights demonstrations. As the civil rights movement gained victory it revealed the victories in the terms of equality that were fought by the African Americans. Introduction of rights into the composition discourse is an example of a successful fight for equality to further develop racial equality by addressing literary issues. In the United States there has been a major improvement on issues regarding gender equality. Most women, in the 21st century, have benefited greatly from gender equality. Nevertheless some women still experience increased equality as a threat as imposing costs on them are augmenting. Post World War II has provided the necessity for increased female labor .On the other hand legal rights have been changed in favor of the female gender. Before 1920 women were excluded from until the third decade of the 20th century thus women were actively involved in shaping political agendas. Women organization was established to lobby for their democratic rights. Increase in female labor force has resulted to economic opportunities for the women that have forced them to undertake educational reforms. An example of this is that in the 1949 academic year 10% of the women were engaged in taking Law and medical profession, this had risen by 96% in the year 1970. These examples show that American society is continuing to grow and progress, becoming a more open and equal society. However, there is a significant distance still to go, and the United States remains a place where racism, class hierarchy and gender can be a reason that people are treated poorly and discrimination remains a problem. The trend in society suggests that these problems may one day be fully eradicated. Question 2 In the 19th century Unionism started with the uprising industrial revolution and its consequent expansion in the United States in relation to economic structures and territory. At that point the government was actively involved in these labor matters and over time its involvement has been changing in the country’s history. In the 19th century, the government was protective with the management as they were actively involved in protecting the rights of the owners. However the matter was solved with the initiation of the National Labor Relation Act that was also called the Wagner Act. The “Gilded Age” refers to the decades that happened between the end of reconstruction and the start of the century (from 1860 to 1900). This age has been the catalyst for hope and consequently tragedy. The ushering of the American century has brought about innovative industrial power that has replaced the Britain as the leaders of the new world order. As a result, robber barons like Rockefeller and Carnegie have risen with the symbol of power and wealth. The supposedly “captains of industry” have, nevertheless, been greedy, corrupt and immoral. However each of these individuals was instrumental during various periods. The Gilded Age on the other hand power of business was greatly influenced by the immigrants as they offered cheap ready labor. As a result most industries had power as they were able to meet the demands of the people. One such example is the J. Edgar Thompsons Steel Works. Presently money and power define success of an individual or company. They aim to gain influence over politics as they would fund the politicians in their presidential campaigns. Labor is an extensive issue with for any business. Labor force forms a fundamental unit in business expeditions. Labor during the gilded period was at times forced as the civil rights of the people were not fully established. Anti-labor campaigns seemed to be the pushing force to reduce force labor whereas it signaled the shifting of the government from power to boost of corporations. As a result most union members feel out from its peak of 35 percent in 1954 to the persisting current 15% of the nation’s labor force. Consequently it led to the plunging of labor influence. Over time the labor movements have experienced expected revival that has turned out unsuccessful, on the other hand this has reduced cooperate business development. The new Gilded Age has fueled business development. This has been catalyzed by revolutionary market and technology advancement. As a result it necessitates for more labor force. Unlike the gilded period where forced labor was majorly instigated by the government in favor of some corporations, the present one is voluntary as better working conditions and better pay has favored this. The present elites of business, like the robber barons, have extensively restructured and improved the present economy. Work cited Dahl, Robert. Democracy and Its Critics. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1982. Read More