The Role Of Oppression In African American Society

When the Spanish vessel under the commando Valdivia sank, all 18 were captured and 4 of them were sacrificed. The Spanish arrived in 1515 and 1516,they brought with them diseases that caused the Mayan population to decline. In 1546 the city of Merida was founded and served as a capital for Spanish incursions to the South. In 1618 Spanish churches were constructed to try convert the Mayan into believing in Christ. In 1695 and 1696 the Spanish decided to subjugate the Petén Itza by force..

If it weren't for these prejudice thoughts, many people would be together united as one fighting to better one another. As Brent states in “Black Men and Public Space,” “the hatred he feels for blacks makes itself known to him through a variety of avenues - one being his discomfort with that ‘special brand of paranoid touchiness’ to which he says blacks are prone.” (514). Due to this fear of one another, it has brought much tension among many. This discrimination has been going on for many years and is what makes the United States divided. These many examples provided by Brent proved these exact points and showed the belitting of African Americans within Americas society.

1. Racism to me means discrimination against a group of people for something that is out of there control or because of there beliefs. The reason slavery started was blacks were used slaves for work to be done with the demand of the product they needed. English racism developed over generations and the true reason for slavery was lost. The new generations taught that blacks were less of people.

For many years racism and colonialism have been the reality of the world. Both were used to advance the idea that one race was superior to another, the blacks being inferior to the whites. The Atlantic Slave trade headed the notion of colonialism, the whites believed it was their duty to civilize the blacks as they were seen as ‘untamed beasts’ that needed to be colonized. This resulted in a number of whites exploiting the blacks to gain wealth whilst, the blacks lost everything (families, identities and even their lives). The whites were skilled at manipulating to the point that some blacks believed their views as they often found ways to justify their actions.

In the United States, specific groups, such as the KKK, were responsible for the injustice of nonwhite people. However in South Africa, the oppression was a legal problem and was run by the government. Malcolm X had to stand up for what he believed against a large and powerful group of people while Nelson Mandela had to defy the entire South African government to make a change. Without these men taking a stand, the world would not be how it is today. Both men did the impossible and fought against their societies for freedom of blacks and all

The two sides were already at each other’s throats with civil idea differences, land ownership issues, and a passion for the same subject: slavery. This convoluted case only made the water boil more. Tension throughout America tightened as yet another civil rights case went in favor of the white man. As previously stated, racism has been a part of America’s history since our ancestors settled here years ago. African Americans used as slaves and not recognized as real people was a daily behavior.

Literally it was a barrier where African Americans felt they could never truly be comfortable and express themselves. Additionally, white Americans also had a veil where they found difficulty in seeing blacks as whole Americans. They believed themselves to be superior in all facets of society such as predominance in belief systems and history. They viewed other races as inferior and dehumanised them. (Bois, 2005 [1920]) Whites had a sense of privilege because of the injustices they created such as colonialism and the exploitation of other races for their own power (Bois, 2005

Their history had been filled with hardships and it was during the Civil Rights Movement that they finally got the results that they have worked hard towards. Fences is an example of how the African Americans were living in during that time period and although the story is not exactly the same for everyone, it gives a sense of what their life was like. If you grew up with two strikes against you, it is harder for you to change your fate. However, to the extent that someone works hard, it is possible to change your fate. Your destiny then becomes the legacy that you leave

Around the 1930’s and 1940’s there was extreme racial judgment against the African American community. They would immediately be put down and racially profiled by many. By Being different from the White people it held them back from living their lives freely. Socially they were led to live a failed lifestyle because of the racial and economic forces that helped mold and poked at the African Americans like Bigger to live up to the typical stereotype. Wright puts Bigger in a hostile , brutal social environment which helps shape Bigger Thomas, and also puts a harsh eye on the Whites of the community.

Throughout American history, African Americans have been treated as unequal to whites and were not given the same rights. People suffered through this belief for a long, difficult time. During the twentieth century, African Americans realized living in a segregated society was unjust and finally decided to make a change. Several individuals rose to power to speak out against segregation and give a voice to those unheard. African Americans unified and fought to create a future in which they were equal.