Racism in the United States - Essay Example

The indignities of the journey of slavery of African Americans still echo in the corridors of free America.

America was discovered by Spanish explorer, Columbus in the 16th century, who had developed good relations with the native Indian population. But the early 17th century saw the process of colonization by the British settlers who had brought a shipload of African slaves as bonded laborers to work on plantations and elsewhere. They also tried to exploit the Native Americans concerning labor and sea-faring activities The indentured laborers consisting of European workers, worked as bonded laborers who were freed after several years to pay off their passage to a new country. The slaves worked in labor-intensive tobacco plantations along with Native Americans who later refused to work because they were afflicted with diseases like tuberculosis etc. which were brought by the settlers.

The slave trading was started by the Portuguese in 1572 when they had gone to the west coast of Africa where the tribal wars resulted in captives Africans who were traded as slaves in the European market (Liu). The African tribes were skilled farmers who were also known for their intricate artwork on metal and wood. Thus the Europeans were able to exploit their skill by buying them and using their skilled labor for free. The slaves were denied the basic human dignity of good living conditions and food. When the new world was discovered, the slaves were transported to the new world by the whites.

In the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries in America, the color of the skin played a major role in social status. The whites maintained a racial divide within the society through the deliberate use of the powerful lobby of the whites and the financial advantages that they enjoyed over their less privileged counterparts, the Native Americans. The blacks were not allowed to participate in social activities and even education was denied to them so that they would remain unequal socially and economically.
The turn of the century saw the raced based slavery becoming a full-fledged tradition with Africans and nonwhites becoming slaves for life. Control over the blacks became the main concern of the white because of the rebellion from the natives. The increased trade and business activities created conflicting interests with the English settlers which escalated into war which later came to be known as the ‘seven years’ war’ that finally culminated in the famous American Revolution.

French settlers brought in the concept of self-governance and religious freedom which was denied in the regions governed by the British settlers who tried to impose strict rules and revenue regulations, against which the Native Americans rebelled. Thus the French indirectly promoted the cause of independence of the Native Americans. American Revolution (1775-1783) significantly changed the very dynamics of the political geography of the world and the emergence of America introduced a new era where the empowerment of people and democratization of nations became synonyms with a new order of the socio-political system. American Revolution became the stepping stone for ending the long journey of slavery in the new world. Read More