Monday, October 17, 2016

Revision: Race in America

Ivelisse Sosa                                                                            Due: Oct. 17, 2016


https://news.usc.edu/files/2015/12/heroescolor_WEB-824x549.jpg
Sen. Blanche K. Bruce, Frederick Douglass and Sen. Hiram Revels, from left (Image/Library of Congress)
                                        

            Race and its ideology has been a foundation that has helped build present-day America. In 18th century America, while building the newfound land there was an increase in demand for labor. Africa was known for its farms, and cattle-breeders, and industries, which were exactly what Europeans needed. The impact of the amount of slaves imported and the development brought four waves of immigration. Race had to establish the identity of each group in America. With each wave of migration the European race had to be dissected further which narrows its race more specifically. Those who came from Africa, their race was labeled as African or slave and not dissected further.  Through the African Slave trade, “slaves came from all different parts of Arica yet their race identifies with skin color.
            Slavery had already existed in Africa before Europeans came to get the help they needed for the vast amount of labor in America. In Africa, people where enslaved through war or crime. Once discovered the Europeans could supply weapons the trades were more inclined to trade those enslaved to Europeans. This African diaspora causes the identity of slaves to be lost. Those enslaved that were brought to America as property, had to be identified from the new migrants to America. The most distinguishable difference was the color of ones skin. Laws were emplaced to protect peoples property whom were all black. In 1662, Virginia legalized enslavement of black Africans.
            Laws enforce to the public, a rule to be upheld by the community. They create a lifestyle and are created to protect the community. If a law is passed it is expected that the community adhere to it. Laws are not easy to remove. As time passes laws establish a culture. Laws are tweaked and new laws are then creating molding the culture further.
            America refines its laws further and further due to either being more specific or in reaction to revolts and war. As time passes the color of ones skin still identifies one from Africa, an African who was brought to America for labor. The association of ones color to identify a race becomes a norm.
            The culture that the laws created took around 300 years of development, to undo and 300 years of development in a society is going to take time. Race has persisted because of the laws passed. Even after slavery was abolished in America the culture that was created lived. Groups mix and created new races and identities. Each new person born, no matter what group they identify with still a human nonetheless.

Work Cited:
Alyson Cole. (2015). Indiana Magazine of History, 111(2), 211-213. doi:1. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/10.5378/indimagahist.111.2.0211 doi:1

FREY, W. (2015). Diversity Explosion: How New Racial Demographics are Remaking America. Brookings Institution Press. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/10.7864/j.ctt6wpc40

Omi, M. (2007, January). Rethinking the Language of Race and Racism. Asian American Law Journal, 8(7), 1-9. Retrieved from http://scholarship.law.berkeley.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1072&context=aalj

Smeadley, A. (2003). Origin of the Idea of Race. Retrieved October 01, 2016, from http://www.pbs.org/race/000_About/002_04-background-02-09.htm

Waves of Immigration. Retrieved October 01, 2016, from https://www.preceden.com/timelines/29989-waves-of-immigration-in-america



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