Racism Essay Research Paper Racism as defined

Racism Essay, Research Paper

Racism, as defined in our class, is the belief that one race of people is humanly superior to another race of people due to a feeling of superiority that gives them the right to dominate the other group. Throughout the semester, the material we have studied shows the significance of racism in American history, specifically during the time surrounding the Civil War. Also important is the way that racism is presented in American history textbooks, as these textbooks are the primary source by which young Americans will learn their history. The book, Lies My Teacher Taught Me by James Loewen, addresses the issue of oppression and white racism and the ways in which these topics are virtually ignored by American history textbooks. He starts by describing the underlying theme of American history which he says is “the domination of black America by white America.” (Loewen 2) This theme is shown by relating events in history such as the formation of the Republican Party, the first override of a Presidential veto, and Reconstruction, to slavery and racism. The relationship between such events and racism are not addressed in American history textbooks and Loewen shows the importance of understanding this relationship in his book. Chapter five of Loewen’s book is entitled “Gone with the Wind.” In this chapter he uses the novel Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell as a model for the present day interpretation of slavery by many Americans. This novel views slavery as “an ideal social structure whose passing was to be lamented.” (Loewen 4) Loewen maintains that until the Civil Rights Movement, this was the basis of our history textbooks. Today there has been an increase in the discussion of slavery and even an admission that slavery was the primary cause of the Civil War in many American history textbooks. However, when the issue of slavery is addressed in history, the emotion portrayed is that of sadness and not anger over the evils done to an entire race of people. Slavery is covered as a news story, simply giving the general facts of the practice and not the details of exactly who is responsible for this atrocity or its effects on the American people, black and white. The textbooks also tend to ignore the participation in slavery by the northern states, such as the fact that the first colony to legalize slavery was Massachusetts and that Wall Street was initially a market place for slaves. (Loewen 6) The authors of American history textbooks also refuse to acknowledge that some of our own American heros, such as Thomas Jefferson and George Washington, were some of the main players in the institution of slavery and that this practice by government officials was openly accepted by society at that time. Just as important than the actual history itself, is the impact of slavery on America today which is also not included in American history textbooks. Loewen notes that the results of the practice of slavery lead us to believe that it is appropriate and even natural for whites to be on the top of the social and economic ladder and blacks on the bottom. (Loewen 8) This is due to the fact that history currently tells us that Europe was able to dominate the western world because they were smarter and more advanced than the Africans that they enslaved. This is what created the whole notion of racism towards blacks which increased throughout history. Some of the other material that we studied this semester showed how white racism played a significant role in the existence of slavery. One book in particular is a primary source of the institution of slavery and its relation to white racism. This work is the Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, written by himself. In one part of this book, Douglass talks about a mistress that he had in Baltimore who was welcoming to him at first, even teaching him how to read and write. She later became more brutal in her treatment towards him. Douglass appears to attribute this change to the effects of the institution of slavery. It is the institution and its affect on society which corrupts people because there were no constraints. Racism is able to prevail at this time because there is no one or nothing able to enforce otherwise. It is the influence of racism in society that transforms this once nice mistress into the evil slave owner that she later became. Racism is what allows slavery exist with virtually no moral boundaries in the south. Racism is the primary factor for the extreme brutality, inhumane treatment, emotional abuse, destruction of families, and removal of the rights of slaves at that time. This is because it is racism that allows the white people to believe that it is their God given right to dominate blacks in any way that they see fit. The role that racism played in slavery is also seen in the various articles we read this semester. An important one is “The Lincoln-Douglas Debates of 1858.” In these debates, Senator Douglas repeatedly refers to blacks as “inferior” and says that because of the inferiority of the black man, that “he ought to be a slave.” ( Lincoln-Douglas 46) Another article is from the book Slavery: Opposing Viewpoints. This article points out two clauses in the Constitution that separate “the Negro race as a separate class of persons, and show clearly that they were not regarded as a portion of the people or citizens of the government.” (Slavery 227) This reference is a justification for the existe