Discrimination In America Essay

672 Words2 Pages

The history of the United States, and of the world, is riddled with discrimination. When one person or group of people thinks they are superior because of who they are, another person or group of people becomes the short end of the stick, often in the form of an ism. Sexism, classism, ableism, ethnocentrism, and racism are just some of the examples society telling certain people they have one or more disfavored qualities. While there is no question that many parts of the world have become more progressive today than in the past, many groups still face discrimination. In the United States, one such group is ethnic minorities. If you are not Caucasian of European descent, there are people who believe you are inferior. Now, it is important to …show more content…

In 1607, the British landed in Jamestown, Virginia. Throughout the remainder of the 17th century, these colonials displaced Native Americans from their land, treating them with disdain, violence, abuse. One such way they successfully treated them as inferior was to deny their citizenship. Even though Native Americans were the original inhabitants of the land, the British colonized it, and in the process, they established what constituted being a citizen. Native American unsurprisingly did not qualify. Thus, they had no say in the colonization, much of which occurred on their land. Their lack of citizenship translated into a lack of vote in politics. Colonial town hall meetings are considered “the earliest form of American democracy. (Newsweek)” The people of the colonies were able to put their voice in government, but since Native Americans were exiled from the colonies, they were not. It wasn’t until the 14th Amendment to the constitution, written in 1868, that citizenship was formally defined. The amendment states, “All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the state wherein they reside.” For the first time, Native Americans were considered citizens, which meant they received the right to vote. Public opinion of such measures was not very positive. As one senator put it, “I am not yet prepared to pass a

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