Race Relations in the United States
Written by Jake Bailey
Slavery in America
How slavery began
Slavery began in 1619 when European merchants started the Triangular Trade. They were brought to aid the production of crops such as tobacco. Slaves were also brought via the Triangular Trade. The Triangular Trade was a system that North America sent Rum and other goods to Africa, Slaves from Africa to America, and Sugar from the Caribbean. Slaves were shipped on slave ships. These ships were always packed with hundreds of hundreds of slaves all tightly packed in together. Slaves were needed for the "New World" because others thought they were the best suitable workers. Slaves were needed more in the South rather in the North because in South there was more land which meant more farmland and crops and much longer growing seasons. The Cotton gin affected slavery because with that it slowed down the need for slaves.How slaves were treated in America
Slaves in America were treated poorly. They were not education which means they did not know how to read or write. There was a general rule and that was the smaller the plantation, the worse they were treated as a slave. Slaves were punished by whipping, shackling, branding, and imprisonment. They were not allowed to be taught things, they just had to know how to work. They were not allowed to attend church, Marriage was encouraged by their owners, and Slaves were also forced against their own will to have children. If a slave tried to escape their owners but was caught, the punishment would be very serve. If they got caught they were usual whipped badly, sometimes they were even put to death for trying to escape.
How did slavery end in America
It took until 1865 for slavery to be illegal in the United States with the 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. The 13th Amendment was passed at the end of the Civil War. President Lincoln issued his Emancipation Proclamation that said all slaves held in southern states shall be freed. During slavery the Northern states felt that slavery was wrong while the Southern states liked the idea of slavery but they were some states in the middle, they were called border states. That meant they did not like or hate slavery they stayed neutral. The Emancipation Proclamation was a document that turned the Civil War into a war to end slavery. This happened because the North wanted to get rid of slavery while the South still wanted slaves even though the Proclamation said that slaves should be freed.
How to Improve Race Relations in America today
Racial Tensions in America Today
Today, there are still racial tensions in America today. There are problems police, schools, jobs, and many others things. With police, a officer might treat a African America more mean than a white person which would not be fair. With schools, kids might see a person that is different than them and they would treat them unfair by not talking to them, not letting them do stuff outside of school with them because of the way they look. With Jobs, a owner of a job might not hire someone because their skin color or a stereotype and think that person isn't fit for that job when they might be perfect for the job. People today still use many different stereotypes to judge someone on how they look.Why do these tensions still exist 150 years after the 13th amendment made slavery illegal
The legacy of slavery has contributed to these racial tensions. It is very difficult to forget our country's history with supporting slavery because it made a huge impact on the history of the United States and also how people are treated today. People can still remember how bad African Americans were treated from the 1600s-1850s and people wish they could just forget about it but you can't always do that. With the tensions still existing today, that is how stereotypes are made and how people can say some racist things to someone. Also some people will feel that it is important to know our history of the United States and for people to know how it was then.
How to improve race relations
The one idea I have to improve race relations in America is to make a movie about how people of different race end up become friends or just be able to get along with having to fight with each other. The movie can include mainly white people and African American people in a school or sport team and in the beginning no one is getting along with each other. They will be at first certain things African Americans can not do but whites will be allowed to do. But then towards the end of the movie, all of the African American students or athletes get together and make up this speech to try to explain to the white students why should everyone get along and stop the fighting and the hate. Finally, at the end of the movie the white students go up to the African American students and say that shouldn't have judged them in the first place and that they will stop making names for them, fighting with them, or hating them.