Is Racism Justified In American History

Throughout American history, racism has been widely accepted based on reasons that the white majority deemed as justifiable. Racism was justified during World War II when the Japanese people, including Japanese American citizens, were degraded and poorly treated in based on the idea that anyone of Japanese decent could be a spy or harm the United States. Black racism had been prominent for years, and even after the slaves were emancipated, Jim Crow laws in the South continued to reflect the racist views white Americans had toward black Americans. These racist views were justified based on religion, safety, health, and employment opportunities. During both World War II and the Civil Rights Movement, Americans justified racism even though many
While the Civil Rights Movement was piloted by leaders like Martin Luther King Jr., one major group of protestors was students. The student campaign for civil rights began in 1960 when a group of four black college students sat at a white-only lunch counter at Woolworth’s in Greensboro, North Carolina. Hundreds of students began to follow suit and the sit-in movement spread throughout the southern states. According to Discovering the American Past, the students believed that the movement had to “be as pure as the end.” Ultimately, they believed that violent, immoral, and destructive action would not lead to a moral and constructive future. The students grabbed national attention because they withstood their ground, even under violent reactions from white
However, history has shown that racism can sometimes be justified and it is up to the eye of each individual to accept the justifications or not. Racism is still apparent today and people continue to justify the reason. Similarly to the justification for Japanese racism during World War II, Americans racially stereotype unfamiliar people who appear to be of Arabic descent after 9/11 under the means of national security. Additionally, America has recently been plagued with white police officers “targeting” black people and numerous blacks have unfortunately died. However, this racism is justified by pointing out that the majority of prisoners in the United States are black. Based on historical evidence as well as the present day, it is likely that racism will never fully evaporate; while it may become less frequent and less prominent, there will continue to be racism that is justified with each new event that the United States faces in the