Origins of Unconscious Racism
Racism has long been part of history. It has existed throughout the world, yet after years of civil rights movements, it continues to be a large part of American history. And while some may argue that racial discrimination is a thing of the past for the US, it is still very prevalent in today’s society. The idea of racism started small, a simplistic idea that one trait or characteristic made a superior human being. It was because people chose to teach the idea that it spread. Children are not born racist or separated, it is learnt trait. The more people that started to believe, the more the theory spread. As racism spread and grew, it evolved as well. It went from a small idea to the abuse, maltreatment and murder of millions of people. People who were as equally as human as any “white man” were treated with less respect than slaughter animals. A well-documented, early account of the racism was seen on the island of Tasmaina, a village of indigenous people, who lived among themselves. When the British arrived in the 1800’s and saw the way they dressed, lived they immediately concluded that the people were savages. They attributed these defects to the physical difference they could see, believing that the people of Tasmaina must be some type of defective human beings. This lead to the British capturing and imprisoning the entire civilization, believing that they could be taught how to be proper just as the British were. This belief, that these people of different skin tone needed to be “fixed” and “bettered” by the culture, education and ways of the white man would have a devastating impact on people of all different color for years to come. British mistreatment affected many more than just the people of Tasmainia, India and Africa would soon become the targets of “white mans burden”. During the years of the Atlantic Slave Trade millions of Africans died, if they didn’t die on the voyage to the sugar islands, they died shortly after arrival. Somewhere along the line, whites stopped believing that the Africans and others were really people at all. They believed that even calling them human was a generous title. While the slave trade ended in 1807 the mistreatment would continue for decades in America. America had become so dependent on their need for indispensible labor; slave breeding became a common occurrence. America is unique with its history of racism. When it seemed like the world was moving away from racial ideals and slavery, the US tightened it grip. After many years of controversy over slave holding, the United State went to war over it. But not even a war would completely rid the white (now Americans) of their inhumane views on black and other races. Shortly after the Civil War came to a close and slavery had officially been abolished, Jim Crow law were established. Once again the laws put restrictions on all people of color. Even after they were told that under law they equal, they did not share the same rights of the whites. Eugenics also became a widely accepted practice. Many states believed that they could literally, breed out the inferior race by sterilizing them. At this point in American history, racism had
