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Assignment # 1
Crystal Roby
Ms. Wells
Racism Towards Native-Americans and other Minorities
Mississippi tate !niversity
eptember 1"# "$1%
"
Provide a narrative outline of racism in the United States, beginning with the
racism experienced by Native Americans. Provide at least two specific examples
of legislation, discussed in your text or class, implemented to reinforce the
different treatment of racial minorities. Lastly, briefly discuss how racism
experienced by these racial minorities have impacted their successful
integration within American society.
ince the &o'nding o& the !nited tates# racism has reared it(s 'gly head towards di&&erent minority
gro'ps# li)e Native and A&ro Americans. The Native-Americans were the &irst )nown inhabitants in
North America. *+t is believed that they originated &rom ,astern Asia.- ./abbidon and /reene# "$1"#
pp 01. +n some ways# the Natives might have had it worse than A&ro-Americans. 2e&ore the white
,'ropeans settled in the Americas# the Native people lived on their land. When the ,'ropeans &inally
settled in America# the Native-Americans helped the ,'ropeans s'rvived the cold winters in the New
World# the Natives also helped the settlers to h'nt and gather &ood. Witho't the help o& the Natives# the
,'ropeans wo'ldn(t have s'rvived in the New World. A&ter settling into their new environment# the
,'ropeans then t'rned aro'nd .s'&&ering &rom Mani&est 3estiny1# &orcing the Natives o&& their land# the
Trail o& Tears is a per&ect e4ample o& ,'ropeans &orcing the Natives o&& their territory. The Trail o&
Tears# was the relocation o& Native-Americans tribes .Chero)ee#Choctaw# M'scogee# and Chic)asaw1
&rom the so'thern territory# with many +ndians losing their lives. The Trail o& Tears was the res'lt o& the
passing o& the +ndian Removal Act o& 156$. The ,'ropeans also bro'ght diseases the nearly swiped o't
the Native pop'lation# some were massacred beca'se they choose not to give 'p traditions in order to
be assimilated to the ,'ropeans Christianity. ome Natives did try to &ight bac)# b't they were no
match against the ,'ropeans# who had better weapons and were better organi7ed. The ,'ropeans &elt
that the +ndians were a in&erior race# so their br'tality towards them were 8'sti&ied in a sense. The
Native-Americans settled in the western territories# where some are still there today.
Thro'gho't the history o& the !nited tates# there have been certain laws# that greatly a&&ected
minority gro'ps# li)e A&ro-Americans. 9ne o& those laws was a !.. 'preme Co'rt case by the name
o& :lessy v. ;erg'son .150<1 in which the members o& the !.. 'preme Co'rt .all white men1 r'led
that blac)s were e='al to whites# b't they sho'ld have separate &acilitates than whites .eparate b't
e='al1. 2eca'se o& this law# blac)s co'ldn(t attend whites school or colleges# which were all better
&'nded than blac) schools.
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A&ter the relocation o& the Native-Americans# the practice o& slavery bro'ght A&ro-
Americans. )nown as slaves1 to the New World. And 8'st li)e the Natives# A&ro-Americans were
br'tali7ed by the white ,'ropeans. ,'ropeans didn(t 8'st consider A&ro-Americans in&erior# they saw
the slaves as property rather than h'man beings.