Discrimination In History

Discrimination is inherent in human behavior. In nearly every daily activity, we demonstrate some form of prejudice, in grocery stores and retail malls, on the street and on public transportation. In every community, there is always some sort of prejudice evident towards minorities, due to societal norms ingrained in our consciousness by the generations before us. Prejudice is not just a majority versus minority issue, in fact, it often occurs within these minority communities. Some may wish to argue that prejudice has eased up over the years, and a few claim that prejudice has been eradicated from civil society, but regardless of either of those statements, people of any culture, ethnicity, and/or identity continue to experience discrimination
Conflicts occur, wars are fought out, and someone is left without. And soon, the same conflicts happen, wars are fought out, and nothing changes. This has been realized by many people throughout history, and there has been recent movement for equality, not just an illusion of it. In American history, there is an undeniable history of racism, among other things. It is a shameful past, and it has not yet passed. Laws have been put into action, opinions have faded, and people have changed. Though, it does not change what has happened. To progress as a society and as a people, there should be an understanding of the past, an awareness of the present, and a plan for the future, as there is a tendency to be unable to see past one’s life’s line of sight. America enslaved millions of Black people, as well as Native people (to a lesser extent, after people were taken from Africa to become slaves to plantation owners, businessmen, etc.) for tens of generations, and there are many who tend to forget what happened directly after slavery was illegalized. People who were freed were not considered citizens, and even after they were, they were treated like second-class citizens, an injustice that was faced by the founding fathers of the United States and eventually lead to the creation of the country. Even then, they were denied the right to vote, a right that is fundamental in a democracy. This continued for many years. Jim Crow Laws were passed in many states in order to keep Blacks, as well as other races, in a position where they could not rise to a position of power, as mentioned in American Denial. There is a continued struggle for racial equality in America, and it will continue for much longer, for hatred to fade, history to be recognized, and for the future to look brighter. This is the same for most conflicts in this