Addressing Race in America: Declaration of Independence - Dissertation Example

Executive Summary:
For years, America has been a place of attraction for foreigners. The people from different parts of the world came here and settled down. Some of them came voluntarily whereas some of them were forced to come here. This resulted in an amazing mixture of people of different races and ethnicity. America thus became a fine amalgamation of various cultures. But this amazing land of dreams is a cursed land. Slavery is the curse to this land. It has been a social stigma in American culture. America has seen many transformations. It experienced atrocious slavery; it saw the War of Independence, Civil War, Civil rights movements, etc. Racial discrimination is deeply rooted in the culture which is not easy to be eradicated. Many thinkers and philosophers prospered this land with their philosophy. There has always been a question before the world about the status of America. America claims that it is a free democratic country with equal rights and privileges to every citizen. American people supported and elected a black man as their President and now the black person is ruling the country by acquiring the highest position of the land. But still, can anyone confidently claim that America has become color blinded nation totally? You can enforce the law to bring equality but you cannot change the minds of the people, psyche of the people.

Introduction:
America, the land of prosperity, the land of opportunity, and the land of democracy, has been an attraction for the people all over the world. The people from all parts of the world come here in search of opportunity and for the fulfillment of their dreams. “Not only did thousands of immigrants, attracted by American land and prosperity, increase the population, but they made it much more diverse.” (JohnW.Shy)It is the land where there is a lot of freedom, material prosperity, a lavish and affluent lifestyle. Thus with this quality America, after the Second World War became the superpower and the dreamland for millions of people from all over the world. The attraction of people towards this land is not a contemporary one but it grew three hundred years back. After the discovery of America by Columbus, most of the European countries were attracted to this virgin land and the immense potential of this land. For many Europeans, it was a hot destination. They went there to exploit natural wealth as well as other opportunities. America was till then a virgin land for Europeans, though it had not been virgin. “Although European Americans dubbed America the “Virgin Land,” it had not been virgin for many millennia.”(Michael Adas, American Historical Associations.”) The Europeans brought their own cultures with them and thus America started developing as a multicultural country with lots of colonies of different cultures. After independence, the country emerged as a New Nation but till then there was a question of the root. At the same time, prolonged slavery came to an end. A new nation was born on the foundation of equality and democracy. “The United States is the Nation of hopes and dreams and opportunity.” (Jay McLeod) As Ronald Reagan said, ‘Anything is possible in America if we have the faith, the will, and the heart,’ (Ronald Reagan’s speech) “The American Dream is held out as a genuine prospect for anyone with the drive to achieve it.” (Jay MacLeod) It is also a country that has been a strong supporter of democracy and that is why after independence the administration was run in a democratic manner and thus democracy became the essence of the country. “A ballot is stranger than a bullet.” While describing the importance of democracy Abraham Lincoln expresses his view through the above quote. Democracy for him is ‘of the people, by the people, for the people.’ (Abraham Lincoln) The popular definition is said by one of the most popular presidents of the one and only superpower of the world, America. It is a country that is the fine amalgamation of different cultures. “Immigration from Europe to what is now the United States was a significant social force in the 1600s,” (Adalberto Aguirre) America is the country where ‘no single culture or group took precedence over the other.’ (Andrew Pepper).