How racism has changed over time (Term Paper Sample)

HOW RACISM HAS CHANGED OVER TIME Name Institution Tutor Course Date Introduction Every society across the world comprises of a rich mix of people from different biological and geographic backgrounds, a phenomenon that derives the term race. The people of the same race are presumed to share certain physical characteristics such as skin color, hair color, the color of the eyes and even blood type, often determined by genetics. For example, Africans, Americans and Asians are classified as different races based on their skin color which is black, white and red, respectively. The concept of racism is born from the interaction of the different races. More often than not, racism presents a conflict due to stereotyping and discrimination of members of one race against the other. This paper will discuss the idea of race and how racism has changed over time, as well as the historical challenges that people have presented to racism. Further, it will highlight how race-based conflicts have subsided in the 21st century as compared to the earlier centuries across the world. Therefore, the paper will draw a clear chronological organization and thorough analysis into the available historical evidence to demonstrate the evolution of racism. The Evolution of Racism Proto-racial aggression has its roots dating back to the 14th century. In 1492, a maritime explorer and European colonizer named Christopher Columbus, set out on a journey to India in the Asian content, under instructions from His Highness. By this time, His Highness had brought to an end a war against the Moors – a mixed ethnic group distinguished by their Muslim faith. The era also saw the expulsion of all the Jews out of the Indian Territory. The move to conquer India by His Highness based on religion further intensified the extent of racism. In the modern era, conflicts based on religion have been witnessed in various countries, including America, Afghanistan and even in Somalia in the African continent.[Rattansi Ali, "Racism”, A Very Short Introduction (London: Oxford University Press, 2013), 20] European colonizers had a prejudice about the physical appearance of the people they conquered. In the eyes of Columbus, the Indian natives were primitive and uncivilized. During his journeys, Columbus encountered "monsters and wild tribes”. He claimed to have seen mermaids. In one of the islands Columbus went to, he identified a group of people known as the Caribs and Arawaks who were familiar with agriculture, pottery and were skilled mariners. Despite this virtue, Columbus still viewed the people as primitive, unclothed, dark and uncivilized. In the 21st century, most nations can boast of the fact that they are no longer under colonial regime and, that; there is reduced racial discrimination, much freedom in land ownership and other socio-economic issues.[Ibid.] Every race in the world has its perceived good and bad side. In the eyes of Columbus, the same case applied to Indians. He drew a line between the natives being complete and extraordinary better or essentially wicked, a phenomenon that is known as constitutive duality and ambivalence. This duality was put to test in the 16th century between two Spanish men, Bartolome de Las Casas and Juan Gines de Sepulveda, both of whom had settlements in the Indies. Sepulveda’s argument was that Indians were non-rational and primitive and would serve well as slaves to the Spanish. On the contrary, Casas viewed Indians as reasonable and, therefore, could be converted to Christianity. The aim was to provide the Indians with an alternative civilization. Failure to meet the Spanish colonizers’ expectations would resolve into the enslavement of the Indians. The concept of constitutive duality continues to be practiced all over the world, with people from different socio-political backgrounds having a double-sided perception of people from other races. Unfortunately, the worst usually seems to outweigh the better in view of others’ way of life.[Ibid., 21] [Ibid., 22.] Racial discrimination exposes some individuals to unfair treatment. In 1759, the parliament of France made a ruling on the status of slaves in France. The court ruled in favor of one slave by the name Francisque, following his lawyer’s appeal. In defense of his client, Francisque’s lawyer argued that American slaves were favored by the French legal forces in comparison to the Indian slaves. In a document, he wrote: "But it is a relatively new question with regard to Indians because, born free, nowhere in the archives of justice can be found any individual guidance regarding their emancipation in this kingdom”. Such legal injustices are bound to trigger racial conflict in the long run. Legal forces ought to pursue equity in administering justice both to its natives and foreigners for peaceful coexistence.[Peabody & Grinberg, "Slavery, Freedom, and the Law in the Atlantic world", A Brief History with Documents (Boston: New York, 2007), 45] [Ibid., 46] All hope was not lost for slaves in France. In 1777, one French minister instituted a new legislation into the Paris constitution that completely omitted the word "slave”. Under the new law, all "blacks, mulattoes and other people of color" were freely let in France, regardless of their slave or free status and, thus, submitting race for class. Therefore, breaking from the slavery regime is a sure way to trigger progress in France as the different racial sub-groups can join together to drive the economy forward.[Ibid., 47] Modern day slavery has decreased, fostering a decline in racism, a virtue attributed to liberalization. In the book, France's Freedom Principle and Race, Peabody and Grinberg present statistics of native res...