Race Relations in America
By Riley Goebel
Slavery in America
Slavery began when the triangular trade began. The triangular trade was a route going from Europe, then Africa, then to America, Then back to Europe. It brought slaves into america on ships. Those ships were very dirty and carried many diseases. Slaves were used in fields to farm and pick cotton. They were also used Do indoor work. There were many slaves in the bottom part of the country because that's where the plantations were. The cotton gin was created to decrease the number of slaves needed but it did just the opposite.
Slaves in america were treated very bad. They were forced to deal with many harsh conditions. They worked 15-16 hours a day 6 days a week. The slave quarters were very small and many people were crammed inside. Common slave punishments included getting whipped and beaten. They were not allowed to go to school or get educated. They were allowed to marry and have children but they were often sold away from there families. They were treated as property in more than one way. They were forced to listen to there masters harsh rules and they were bought and sold with no say in where they went. There names were sometimes changed and they were forced to live and be called a name that wasn't there own. If they were caught running away they were often whipped or burned or much worse.
It took many years for slavery to become illegal. In 1808 the United States outlawed American participation in slave trade. In 1830 the national negro convention was founded, it was a black abolitionist and civil rights organization. Harriet Tubman escaped and became a leader in the civil rights movement in 1849. In 1964 Blacks boycott public transportation. As much as Lincoln hated slavery he didn't see the war as a way to abolish it when it started. He believed blacks should have the same rights as whites.
Fixing Race in America
Writing books for children of all ages can help. I think its important to start teaching them at a young age. By writing books for 1st through 9th graders we can teach young and stay consistent through middle school. The book for 1st graders would be mostly about how it doesn't matter whats on the outside only whats on the inside. Around 3rd grade the books would get into stereotypes and how they aren't true for everyone of a certain race. Around 5th or 6th grade they will start learning about slavery and how it was wrong. The books will keep getting more detailed and fit the age of the person reading. By 9th grade the kids will realize slavery was wrong and stereo types aren't true. But its
I think this will work because they are starting to learn young. Its important to learn young because if you don't kids can form irreversible biases. But if you teach it young and then stop talking about it kids may forget or not listen to what was taught. By having books that talk about diversity for every grade kids will eventually realize that stereotypes don't apply for everyone of a certain race and you shouldn't treat people different based on what religion or race they are.