Scramble to Africa
Pre-Conceived African and Irish Stereotypes
Neha Ghani
AMH2097 Section One
Fall 2012
October 11th, 2012
Pre-Conceived African and Irish Stereotypes Immigrants migrating to America have for hundreds of years had the disadvantage of being different from the “majority”. Categorized as “the other”, immigrants have been judged and assumed to be and act in certain ways based on common expectations that had been established long before they had even arrived. Referred to as pre-conceived stereotypes, they have been the reason why countless immigrant groups have been discriminated against and oppressed. Two such groups that have had to deal with these stereotypes and the intense and unjust scrutiny that came with being who they were are the Africans and the Irish. Just for possessing the physical attributes, characteristics, and attitudes wildly different from those of the White Anglo-Saxon Protestants, these immigrant groups were seen as nothing but inferior all throughout history. Starting with the Africans, it is undeniable that they have been a people that have long suffered the wrath of the Europeans. In need of justification for why it was acceptable to imprison West Africans, Europeans formulated these pre-conceived stereotypes, the first of which was Blackness. Europeans, white in color, believed themselves to be pure, good and god like. Therefore, it was only obvious that the Africans, black in color, were the complete opposite. Africans were seen as the epitome of evil; they were dirty, dark and represented the grim reaper and the devil. Europeans had believed that naturally God preferred them for they had been made to be white individuals while the Africans demonstrated what God disliked. A second stereotype was that the Africans were all savages. All were assumed to be uncivilized, primitive, and unable to learn anything. They were also assumed to be wild and barbaric based on their appearances and their tendencies. As seen in Roots, the Africans
Neha Ghani
AMH2097 Section One
Fall 2012
October 11th, 2012
Pre-Conceived African and Irish Stereotypes Immigrants migrating to America have for hundreds of years had the disadvantage of being different from the “majority”. Categorized as “the other”, immigrants have been judged and assumed to be and act in certain ways based on common expectations that had been established long before they had even arrived. Referred to as pre-conceived stereotypes, they have been the reason why countless immigrant groups have been discriminated against and oppressed. Two such groups that have had to deal with these stereotypes and the intense and unjust scrutiny that came with being who they were are the Africans and the Irish. Just for possessing the physical attributes, characteristics, and attitudes wildly different from those of the White Anglo-Saxon Protestants, these immigrant groups were seen as nothing but inferior all throughout history. Starting with the Africans, it is undeniable that they have been a people that have long suffered the wrath of the Europeans. In need of justification for why it was acceptable to imprison West Africans, Europeans formulated these pre-conceived stereotypes, the first of which was Blackness. Europeans, white in color, believed themselves to be pure, good and god like. Therefore, it was only obvious that the Africans, black in color, were the complete opposite. Africans were seen as the epitome of evil; they were dirty, dark and represented the grim reaper and the devil. Europeans had believed that naturally God preferred them for they had been made to be white individuals while the Africans demonstrated what God disliked. A second stereotype was that the Africans were all savages. All were assumed to be uncivilized, primitive, and unable to learn anything. They were also assumed to be wild and barbaric based on their appearances and their tendencies. As seen in Roots, the Africans