Racism and slavery development in America (Research Paper Sample)

Racism and slavery development in America Name: Course: Instructor: Institution: Date of Submission: What is racism? Racism is an opprobrious demeanor that members of one racial grouping participate in relation to members of a different race. Fredickson notes that racism comes about when one racial group or a historical grouping wields their dominion or dares to annihilate another based on differences that it believes are ancestral and unchangeable (Fredrickson, 2003). The Merriam Webster dictionary notes that it is a notion that race is the basal determinant of human attributes and capability and those racial divergences exhibit an inherent transcendence of a certain race. Racism it can thus be concluded is the discrimination of whatever kind premised on a person’s race or skin color (Merriam Webster, n.d). Slavery on the other hand is defined by the above dictionary that it is someone who is legally by another person. This person works for that other person without being paid (Merriam Webster, n.d). Of emphasis here legally owned and that the institution of slavery is now illegal world over. This is as provided for under the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR, 1948). Antecedents of racism and Slavery in America and the Western world The antecedents of racism in the modern day has taken different twists with some claiming that it is inherent while others claiming that it is a choice. However as Taylor notes, racism is institutional and it developed institutionally (Taylor, 2002). To prove this is the fact that when racism which led to slavery of black folks for example developed in America, Christianity and religious beliefs were staunch. As such, many believed that many people were equal before the deity. Thus, the rhetorical question would be: How then did racism and slavery develop. There are only two possibilities, the first being that the white people despised people of other races e.g. Africans, Indians and peoples of the Americas they came across. The other is that they saw them as heathens and thus found a justification to racially abuse them and used the Bible for this!!! (Taylor, 2002). An abstract premise for explicit racism came to a notable realization in the Western world during the modern time period. There has been no pellucid and unambiguous evidence of racial segregation that has been discovered in other acculturations or even in Europe for the period preceding middle Ages. The recognition of the Jews with evil in the 13th and 14th centuries was probably a novel symbol of the anti-Semite racism considerations on the planet. The functionary prohibition for this cognition occurred in the 16th century in Spain when Hebrews who regenerated to the Christian religion and their posterity evolved into victims of a series of segregation and censure (Fredrickson, 2003). The time period of the rebirth and reclamation was the time when whites from Europe were coming into expanding interacting with individuals with melanin pigments from different continents and were reaching verdicts about them. The official reason for subjugating Africans was that they were pagans, yet slave dealers and slave proprietors in some cases deciphered an entry in the book of Genesis as their legitimization. Ham, they kept up, conferred a wrongdoing against his dad Noah that sentenced his as far as anyone knows dark relatives to be Slaves instead of workers. When Virginia declared in 1667 that changed over slaves could be kept in subjugation, not on the grounds that they were real barbarians but rather in light of the fact that they had rapscallion family, the legitimization for dark bondage was consequently changed from religious status to something drawing closer to race. Starting in the late seventeenth century laws were additionally passed in the English North America disallowing marriage amongst whites and blacks and victimizing the blended posterity of these relations. Without plainly saying as much, such laws inferred that blacks were outsiders and second rated humanoids (Fredrickson, 2003). However, there is the main factor that led to racism and Taylor notes that it is Capitalism. To demonstrate this is the situation in the state of Virginia and how slavery developed in that state. Before the structural racism that developed in Virginia especially with regard to African Americans, both races were treated equally in the 17th century. It did not matter much which race you belong to. However, with the need for slaves, need for labor and the growing sense of white superiority, the situation changed drastically with the introduction of laws by the Virginia general assembly during this period. Notably, this period drastically changed the situation of other races in Virginia mapping it as one of the most racist state in the United States. Significantly, slavery began as a means to provision of labor and as a means of controlling the labor providers. This can be debated with the evolution of the punishment from mere increase of servitude in the mid 1600’s to christening incorrigible divers with letter R. i.e. those who were largely uncontrollable then to flogging in the late 1600 and killing too. The evolution and creation of this state is also important in the sense that it led to even distinguishing of people of various colors including mulatos, Asians and mixed color people (Matt, 2016). To further demonstrate that racism developed as a result of capitalism and its need for cheap labor is the situation in New England. The slave society did not develop in New England because of the preference by New England farmers for indentured slaves. The idealism was based on the belief that the Negro slaves would not meet the cost from which they were bought thus the hefty investment in buying slaves would not pay back. The cost of the slaves as such was at the time double that of the indentured ones. The slaves in New England were also affected by diseases during that period and farmers in that state were also in bad economic condition (Matt, 2016) To further prove argumentation, there is enough evidence to proof that capitalism is the root of this societal evil. This can be supported by the era when the Greeks and Romans which were western power existed and were powerful, racism did not exist. However, slavery has existed as long as the world has existed as can be deduced from the bible too (Exodus 21:1-11). Despite this fateful occurrence, it was not based on race. Anyone could be a slave despite their racial composition and this mostly occurred when one was captured in war. After the end of slavery in the early late 19th century, the idealism of arguing that race was premised on the bible was vacated from. The argument took another twist that scientists misinformed or due to their prejudice began grouping humans according to their color claiming that humans differed in accordance to their race and were of different species (Fredrickson, 2003). Conclusively, racism led to slavery whereas slavery had its own implications in the American society something that no one wants to talk about today. Implications of racism in America Racism as in every society has its own effects which may be cultural, economic and social problems. America was and is not exceptional with the effects. Socially, since Jim Crow’s white supremacists idea, America has not found it easy with regard to racial relations. Tensions are still vile in some cities with some people still scared of people of the opposite race due to the stories that they have heard or been told. It has caused untold miseries since slavery to the black people for example as young people know that they evolved from slaves. Stories are told from generation to generation which has at times even resulted to, shame, suicides etc and this is as noted by Alma Carten of New York University (2015). The most disheartening fact is the fact that few people will want to talk of the details of this miseries as can be depicted by the case of the Charleston killer Dylann Roof when the black church was ready to forgive. The conversations about racial tensions and secret prejudices never happen in America despite the vileness of the issue at hand (Carten, 2015). Racism has also led to acts like racial separatism which is a staunch belief that different races should never mingle. Such acts were as well seen during the Apartheid in South Africa and during the slavery era in the United States. During the past century, western powers racism and prejudice towards non-westerners has played a significant role in culminating this bias which even led to development of slavery as discussed earlier. Racism has thus had a long history and still exists in the world. This has been seen in the U.S. where police brutality towards marginalised groups has received wide media attention as acts of racism E.g. police brutality on Rodney King, Ethan Saylor and most recently Michael Brown. More complicated are other racist activities that are rarely highlighted either due to non-knowledge or forgetfulness such as the red-lining of neighbourhoods and blacks being denied GI benefits after World War II (Irving, 2014). Hidden prejudice has always existed between different races only that people do not want to express it openly. Prejudice means to have to have bias against. These biases exist and they are difficult to admit. The majority race will hate the minorities but will not admit based on the idea that:”at least we are not the ones facing racism or even one of them agrees with us." Racism involves taking sides the whites pit against the blacks and vice versa. The "we" reason prevails. For example, many blacks are unemployed with the white owners of major business entities opting to even hire a white person with a vicious history than hire a black person without such history. Even i...