RACISM

It is said that America was built as a haven for equality and freedom. In the 1620s, many Puritans and Catholics fleeing persecutions, traveled to The New World in hope of practicing their believes. Many on the other hand suffered economic failures in their home countries, mainly England, came to America to create a society where power of the royalties could not reach. Yes, they even won their freedom from the ties of England in 1783.

 However, deep within the beauty that is the American society, a sinister part still lingers on today.

RACISM

Racism is the prejudice and discrimination of a group of people based on their biological attributes and sometimes, religious believes. Since the colonization of American, the southern states, such as the Carolinas and Georgia, were the perfect place for plantations for cash crops - Tobacco, rice, etc. The original source of labor was indenture servants, who in exchange for passage to the New World worked for plantation owners until the debts were paid. However, with their own rights for firearms, the exploited laborers became frustrated and stood up to their employers on many occasions, such as the Bacon Rebellion. Fearful of another episode, a new source of labor was needed and the white population of planters found blacks to be the perfect substitutes. 
Over 1 million black slaves were transported to America as part of the Triangle Trade. Conditions on slaves ships were horrifying. Blacks were clamped under decks, forced to lie close very close to each other. These slaves experienced rampant abused and terrible working conditions as soon as they stepped foot of the ships.


In 1852, Harriet Beecher Stowe revealed the terrible conditions of black slaves, aiding the spark of the Civil War. Under the moral cause of liberating the black slaves, the Union defeated the Confederate and took measure to enforce the 13th Amendment which prohibited harboring, trading, and selling slaves. From then on African American received several victories such as the 14th and 15th Amendments.
Though the war was over, many still carried the discriminating beliefs from the Antebellum period. The belief that African American, inferior to whites, were destined to serve them. One such extreme group of believers was the Ku Klux Klan. Started in 1860, the Klan was known to commit horrifying deeds, including lynching over 300 African slaves. They held marches on streets with their white masks and racist slogans. These tactics were employed to force African American into social and economical submission. It took the authority 9 years to shut the Klan down.


In 1892, American society took a step backward on the Supreme Court decision of Plessy vs. Ferguson where segregation in schools and other public properties were legal. "Separate but Equal". Soon, racism began to surface again when African Americans were forced to use separate bathrooms or to sit in assign seats on public transportation and restaurants. Not until October 14th 1955 that something tremendous happened. A woman, who was fed up with the humiliation and inequality African Americans were coerced into, refused to give up her seat for a white man. That woman was Rosa Parks. She paved the way for the rise of the voice for African American equality, Dr. Martin Luther King.

Martin Luther King led his "people" under a peaceful campaign for equality, practicing sit-ins and boycotts. John F. Kennedy and his brother Robert Kennedy were supporters of the Civil Rights Movement. Even after the assassination of MLK in 1968, the fight for equality went on until today. MLK's vision are still being fulfilled today. Even the NAACP started in the 1920s is still in operation of eliminating racism all over America.

After looking at the struggles of a race to defeat racism, one can't help but to feel empathy toward their righteous cause. Therefore, let's lend  our helping hands to a better future, a future where racism does not exist.