Racism & Equality (1900's v/s now)

this was the essay i did for my US History class. i really liked making it (for once e__e) and i'd like to know what you guys thought of it ^^

a liiiiittle controversial of a subject, though ^^"
meh, fuck it. it needed to be said xD

Racism & Equality
1900’s v/s Present

I’m sure mostly everyone knows that racism started long before the nineteen hundreds, but I used them merely because that was a time of great racial tension. The only problem with racial tension is that it’s never really gone, only transferred. I believe that as long as people look different or come from different places, they will continue to be subjected to what is known as “racism”.

I think it would be obvious that African Americans and slavery would be the first things to come to your mind when you think of racism and equality. They were definitely one of the most discriminated of all the ethnic groups in America, especially in the south. The case of a young black man named Emmett Till was pretty much case-in-point for how badly African Americans were treated in the nineteen hundreds. Since then, the status and respect for African Americans has went up by an immeasurable amount. They are no longer looked down upon in society, they make the same amount of pay as everyone else, and we even have an African American president now. However, that last one was technically achieved by racism, mostly based on the fact that most of the people who voted for him, voted for him simply because he was black and did not even take his political standings or preferences into account before voting.

Although, people tend to forget that it wasn’t just African Americans who were discriminated against. Native Americans were also looked down upon and treated poorly. In fact, overall, Native Americans were treated even worse than African Americans were once you consider that they got slaughtered for their land, moved to tiny reservations, along with being put into slavery as well. On top of all that, they were almost completely wiped off the face of the earth because of America’s dream of Manifest Destiny. Today there aren’t many full blooded Native Americans left. Joe Medicine Crow (age 96) is one of the very few left. Just recently, he was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom on August 12, 2009. So basically, full-blooded Native Americans get just about the same treatment as the majority of the other Americans, aside from the occasional joke that the majority of them run casinos.

Although there was some racism against German and Asian people during WWII, there really weren’t very many others that were harshly discriminated against, unlike today. Hispanics weren’t all that segregated until just recently (early 2000’s) when illegal immigration became a big problem. Now you see workers protesting outside factories and Home Depots accusing Hispanics of stealing American jobs. Also, Caucasians usually fall victim to what is referred to as “reverse racism”. This is basically when a minority treats a person badly because the color of their skin is white. However, sometimes a white person will grant certain privileges or immunities to a minority for the simple fact that he is a minority. This is what is commonly known as “white guilt” and it is the result of Caucasians feeling guilt and regret for the racist treatment they have given minorities in the past and it is very present in America’s social and employment areas to this day. For example, a white man would interview both a white man and a black man both of equal intelligence. He would choose the black man for the job because he would feel racist if he turned the black man down to hire the white man. Little did that man know, he was being racist by trying too hard to not be racist.

The point I’m trying to make here is that racism has always existed and will continue to exist unless we simply stop caring about the color of each other’s skin and start worrying about what kind of a person they are on the inside. It doesn’t matter whether you’re nice or mean to someone for the color of their skin. You’re still treating them that way because they are a certain color, and that is still racism. In the words of the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.: “Judge us not by the color of our skin, but by the content of our character”.

Hmmmm... was the topic of the essay to write about your thoughts? because in essays, its best not to say things like "I think it would be obvious" and "The point I'm trying to make". It's talking in the first person, which is what you want to stay away from in an essay. You are supposed to be presenting facts (unless stated otherwise). Also, saying "I think" makes you sound like you are not sure. Saying "I think it would be obvious" is even worse, because you are implying that if you do not think that way, you are a dumbass. "the point I'm trying to make" also makes you sound like you are not sure of what you are saying, and you don't know if you made the impression you wanted to. Sound confident in your paper.

also, I like the quote at the end. It adds a nice touch. I personally would have opened up with it, to get my point across from the get-go, but at the end leaves a good impression

yes, the essay was on our opinions about how life (we got to choose what aspect of life: racism, poverty, growing up, fasion, etc.) differred from then and now. Mr. Cofer wanted the paper to be very opinionated and open (he's also head of the debate team)

soooo, i'm guessing you didn't like it? =(

I like it, but I was reading it from an english teacher's point of view. its very good.

oh o.o
....
well thank you ^^

i just tried to point out how idiotic it is that rasicm still exists
i mean there was never any real "racial equality". all we did was flip the perspective around when it came to the subject of racism.

i personally just find it rediculous. =/

racist jokes are funny, but racism is not

^this

what! i like a racist joke against white people

i was agreeing w/ you, jackass >.>

oh, you confuseled me

that happen a lot?

only on weekends