Synthesis Essay: Thomas Paine's Characterization Of America

Zain Jaffer

3-7-17

Period:#4

Paine Synthesis Essay

In the summer of 2015 when Donald Trump first announced his candidacy for the presidency, he stated that “when Mexico sends its people...they’re bringing drugs. They’re bringing crime. They’re rapists.” Since 2015 what was once a political joke has become a horrifying reality, as millions of Americans have joined Trump on his bandwagon of bigotry carrying him all the way to the highest office in the land. When political leaders who are meant to be role model citizens make such blatantly racist claims it becomes clear that Thomas Paine’s characterization of America as a land of acceptance and diversity is a falsehood. While Paine’s characterization of America as diverse yet unified holds true

In White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack, Peggy McIntosh offers examples of the privilege accessible to white people. For example, she states “I can criticize our government” and “I will feel welcomed and ‘normal’ in the usual walks of public life”). Such entitlements exemplify Paine’s argument that harmony exists within the United States. If these rights exist and are freely exercised by white citizens, then it is true that the government is just and allows for unity among white individuals. David Horsey also argues that equality and equity exists for white people. He depicts a clear path for white people from underprivileged beginnings to elevated social standing in his cartoon “The American Dream Game,” portraying the obstacles which minority groups must overcome to become contributing members of society. Both McIntosh and Horsey argue that Paine’s perspective of America holds true for white individuals as they are allowed to escape the discrimination and obstacles that minority groups

Claude M. Steele cites examples of racial stereotyping in his book Whistling Vivaldi, referencing the experience of a college-aged black male, Brent Staples, as he strolls through his Chicago neighborhood. Staples explains that he “became an expert in the language of fear. Couples locked arms or reached for each other’s hand when they saw [him]. Some crossed to the other side of the street.” Because Staples was perceived as dangerous solely based on his race, it is evident that racial equality does not exist in America today. In addition to personal prejudices that victimize minorities like Staples, institutionalized racism increases the privilege gap between white people and individuals of other racial groups. The injustice of one form of institutionalized racism–mass incarceration– is illuminated by Michelle Alexander in The New Jim Crow. Alexander explains that during the War on Drugs that began officially in 1982, “Reagan made good on his promise to crack down on the racially defined ‘others,’” by “waging a war on drug users and dealers” (Alexander 4). In addition, the Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1986 “[included] far more severe punishment for distribution of crack–associated with blacks–than powder cocaine, associated with whites” (Alexander 5). The legislation targeted toward