Racism

10 Pages 2428 Words

The history of the United States is one of duality. In the words of
the Declaration of Independence, our nation was founded on the
principles of equality in life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
Yet, long before the founders of the newly declared state met in
Philadelphia to espouse the virtues of self-determination and freedom
that would dubiously provide a basis for a secessionary war, those same
virtues were trampled upon and swept away with little regard. Beneath
the shining beacon of freedom that signaled the formation of the United
States of America was a shadow of deception and duplicity that was
essential in creating the state. The HSS 280 class lexicon defines
duality as “a social system that results from a worldview which accepts
inherent contradictions as reasonable because this is to the believer’s
benefit.” The early years of what would become the United States was
characterized by a system of duality that subjugated and exterminated
peoples for the benefit of the oppressors. This pattern of duality,
interwoven into our culture, has created an dangerously racialized
society. From the first moment a colonist landed on these shores,
truths that were “self-evident” were contingent on subjective
“interpretation.” This discretionary application of rights and freedoms
is the foundation upon which our racially stratified system operates
on.
English colonists, Africans, and Native Americans comprised the early
clash of three peoples. Essentially economic interests, and namely
capitalism, provided the impetus for the relationships that developed
between the English colonists, the Africans, and the Native Americans.
The colonialization of North American by the British was essentially an
economic crusade. The emergence of capitalism and the rise of trade
throughout the 16th century provided the British with a blueprint to
expand its economic and political sphere. The Americas...