Copper Sun Essay

In the book Copper Sun by Sharon Draper the female heroin, Amari struggles with the worst hardships she's ever faced. After the light skin men attacked her village in Africa she was taken captive and brought to America where she was bought by a wealthy landowner as a birthday gift for his son. She was put through many hardships and was treated horribly. Although Amari was forced to work on a rice farm in the kitchen and cleaning during the day, and in her master’s bedroom at night. Amari eventually found freedom from her owner the racism against her never ended. Racism against African Americans and people of other races is still very much prevalent. The way that racism is expressed has changed drastically over the years. Despite the fact that

slavery was abolished many years ago, there is still oppression and racial bias in America today, however it is more mental than physical. The mindset is still similar, and that is that people of color are inferior to caucasians. Many people might not directly agree with that statement, but have still adopted this mindset subconsciously. The African American people have gone through many forms of oppression including slavery, Jim Crow laws, and now, today's racism and oppression against African Americans.
Slavery in America started in 1619, when slaves were brought from Africa to Jamestown Virginia where they were put to work helping to tend to crops such as tobacco. Slavery began many years before the discovery of the New World in 1492, and America was more of a latecomer to slave trade, and only contributed to enslaving under four percent of the ten million slaves that were put to work in other countries. Amari was brought to America and was put to work in the south on a rice farm. Amari life was just about perfect. She was going to marry the most handsome man in her village. She was going to start her life as an adult. Then the visitors came. The light skin men were welcomed to the tribe with a traditional welcome ceremony. That's when they attacked. They brutally murdered anyone who was deemed unneeded. This included Amari’s entire family. “The first explosion came from the end of one of the unusual weapon sticks the strangers carried. Louder than any beat of even the largest drum, it was followed by a cry of horror.” Amari’s first experience of oppression started in her own home, where she was pulled into the whirlwind of terror that was slavery. After the shooting ended her and the other survivors were walked through the desert held down by shackles. Amari’s experience, though unique to her, is very similar to many other female slaves taken into custody by men who acted like animals. The white men walk the soon to be slaves through Africa until they got to the ship, where Amari was beaten, raped, and kept in horrible conditions. Many died however Amari, was not one of those people. She was then brought to the rice farm where she helped out in the kitchen and cleaning. When slaves, such as Amari arrived in America they were inspected and then put on a stage where prospective buyers could try and claim a slave for their own. It was an auction, no different from auctions where the prize was a choice animal or an expensive artifact, except that the prize for these auctions, was a real person. She was a birthday gift for the landowner's son, who raped her almost every night. When slaves, such as Amari arrived in America they were inspected and then put on a stage where prospective buyers could try and claim a slave for their own. It was an auction, no different from auctions where the prize was a choice animal or an expensive artifact, except that the prize for these auctions, was a real person.
Amari eventually found her way to freedom in the spanish run part of Florida before slavery was abolished in 1865.

In 1865 all slaves were released by their masters. Despite this freed slaves’ triumph was short lived. Freed slaves were often incredibly poor once they were released. A good portion of people resorted to sharecropping, which was a system where a landowner would sell a little plot of land to someone every month where they could tend to the crops. The landowner took care of all of the expenses such as tools, and at the end of each month the tenant would have to pay the landowner a certain sum of money, which was often very large. The tenants often fell into debt, and were stuck on the landowner's farm. Another way that people oppressed African Americans without the title of “slave” was through the Jim Crow laws. The Jim Crow laws made sure that former slaves had no freedom, even though they were technically “free”. Jim Crow laws prevented American citizens who had the constitutional right, to vote. The laws prevented people from going where they pleased, whether in schools, bathrooms, water fountains, or even public spaces. There was always a sign for whites and a sign for people of color or negroes. If someone of color disobeyed these society inforced set of rules, they would be arrested on charges such as disturbing the peace. Though the African American people were free, they hadn’t attained freedom. This was until Dr. Martin Luther KIng Jr became known for

his role in the civil rights movement. His
“I Have a Dream” speech, which inspired thousands, is still referenced today. Although the Jim Crow laws were eventually revoked, there has always, since then, been a lot of racial tension. Especially in the south where the confederate flag is still being flown.
Slavery in America was abolished over 150 years ago, yet there is still oppression and racism against African Americans and people of other ethnicities.

Forty-seven percent of hate crime today have to do with race. That's almost half of all hate crimes committed in the United states, which unfortunately, there are a lot of. People express these biases not only through hate crimes, but also in schools and jobs. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics the average african american person makes 33,800 dollars a year, whereas the average white person makes 43,420 a year. That is almost 9,500 dollars between these two races. The wage gap is not the only way that racism and bias are expressed in people’s day to day life. Racism expressed amongst America’s future, today’s youth, has grown increasingly common. There is often a story in the local newspaper or sometimes even a national one, about racial slurs drawn on the walls, a kid targeted in and out of class, or even a confederate flag being flown. Although some may argue that waving a confederate flag, or putting people down with racial slurs is just expressing their right of freedom of speech, which it is, but that does not make it morally correct. As technology becomes increasingly smart, cities become bigger, and America expands, the American people must also continue to progress and in order to progress Americans all over must work to wipe out racism. Without progression, America will be in the same place that it was

over a hundred years ago, unaccepting. Racism goes against an American citizen right for “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” which is a well known quote from the constitution. If all of the American people cannot live and thrive by this quote from 240 years ago. A concept on which this country was built.
In Amari’s time of slavery, where people who acted like pigs, were treated like humans, and people who acted like humans were treated like pigs, there was a strong theme of unfairness in her life, which has stayed constant throughout the evolution of America. In the time where the Jim Crow laws deemed people superior or inferior based on the color of their skin. In today’s America, people are often judged on their looks and on their skin tone. Although there has been much change throughout the years there are still many similarities between the racism in Amari’s time and now.