In reference to this past of slavery and Lincoln’s roll in it that we cannot seem get past; Franklin Brown left the following comment on my Facebook page: “And, in truth, while some of it is unpleasant, it is nothing to be ashamed of. Growing stronger through adversity is a good thing.” He is right, we are ashamed of our past. It is a past of racism and discrimination that haunts Blacks and hinders the progression to true equality to this day. To aid Blacks in attaining equality, affirmative action programs swept the nation. Programs that states are now voting to do away with.
There were many slaves that escaped by running away and a countless amount that attempted to run away due to their harsh living conditions. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn seems to be racist for the most obvious reasons because the word "nigger" is used throughout, but since the action of the book takes place before the Civil War, it would be amazing if that word was not thoroughly used. Due to Huck's upbringing, he starts to believe that slavery is part of the natural world, but as he wrestles with his conscience, he decides to stick with Jim rather than betray him. If this book were about racism, why would Huck worry if he lost Jim or not (and vice versa)? Throughout the entire novel, they displayed care for another and stuck by each other's sides.
In the novel Adventures of Huckleberry Finn Mark Twain presents an adventure story filled with deeper meanings and controversial topics, two in particular being slavery and racism. Despite the usage of the word "nigger" and the stereotypical portrayal of African Americans, I do not think schools have any justification in banning this book from reading lists. Mark Twain wrote Huck Finn during the Reconstruction period in the south, at a time when most Americans wanted to forget all about the institution of slavery and its consequences. However, Twain set the time period of this novel prior to the Civil War when slavery was at its peak. Thus, the racist views he included in the book mirrored the attitudes of most southerners ... ... middle of paper ... ...acist attitudes prevalent in South at this time.
As advanced as we are in society today, racism still surrounds us and every day we are exposed to racially discriminating behaviors. Many people have no idea about the level of racism that we are in today. People may imagine that everything is fine and opportunities are available for whoever wants them, but things are not fine and opportunities to attain a better life are difficult to come by. Individuals who experience racism can realize the level in which the world stands today. It might not be as clear as it was, perhaps, during the time of slavery, but if we open up our eyes we will notice that it is still everywhere.
In fact, it is likely that more individuals are becoming victims of human trafficking across borders against their will compared to the vast number of slaves that we know in earlier times. Slavery is no longer about legal ownership asserted, but instead legal ownership avoided, the thought provoking idea that with old slavery, slaves were maintained, compared to modern day slavery in which slaves are nearly disposable, under the same institutionalized systems in which violence and economic control over the disadvantaged is the common way of life. Modern day slavery is insidious to the public but still detrimental if not more than old American slavery. Slavery has been a part of human practices for centuries and dates back to the world’s ancient civilizations. In order for us to recognize modern day slavery we must take a look and understand slavery in the American south before the 1860’s, also known as antebellum slavery.
During this time, there were no rules applied for the slaves. The only rule is that restricting all the rights of the servants. (Davis, 79) Because of the ongoing scenario, the British America recog... ... middle of paper ... ...is the historical fact." Up to this date, people still depend on slaves. It might not be as harsh or as controversial as before, but still there were distinctive similarities that should be considering each one as a racist.
Discrimination is still rampant in our nation. Michelle Alexander explains that since the Jim Crow laws were abolished, new forms of racial caste systems have taken their place. Our society and criminal justice system claim to be colorblind, but this is not the actuality. Michelle Alexander explains: What has changed since the collapse of Jim Crow has less to do with the basic structure of our society than with the language we use to justify it. In the era of colorblindness, it is no longer socially permissible to use race, explicitly, as a justification for discrimination, exclusion, and social contempt.
As a people who were born free, futures ripe with opportunities and choices, it’s hard for most in American society to truly imagine slavery. It’s a horrific concept that is ingrained into childrens heads and then thought of as only an idea in a history class, but sadly, the past doesn’t seem to always stay in the past. Many forms of slavery that share a plethora of traits with slavery found back in the times of the civil war, are still very prevalent in the world today, domestic work and exploitation being a very huge problem in several countries. In the now advanced world, slavery should be an issue of the past, however there are several causes that allows slavery to still be a problem. One main cause of modern day slavery is that “[in many countries] domestic work is not only accepted socially and culturally, but is also regarded in a positive light” ("Domestic work."
There are a lot of factors that cause or are dealt with racism .Slavery is one of the issues that I believe that started all of this racism issue in the first place. Some people still feel the struggle people felt but the one thing thy feel now that others didn’t feel back then is freedom. The greatest slavery issue in America was black slaves to white people. Whites had all the control in this country and certain people tried to end slavery even if they failed they we all have human rights. Abraham states, “This is a world of compensations, and he would be no slave, must consent to have no slave”.
Calling Names, Taking the Blame A highly debated topic in today’s political conversation is reparations. Many would argue that African Americans deserve reparations because their ancestors were kidnapped from their homes and were forced to work for years, in most cases until death. Others may claim that reparations have already been paid, even though they were not monetary. Lastly, there is the group that believes that reparations for slavery are not a good idea for anyone. In today’s society, is it a good idea to give African Americans reparations and make the line of racial division more apparent?