Race And Ethnicity : The United States

Race issues in the United States have plagued our country ever since our inception as a nation. Racism has fueled division, rioting, feuding, debate, and worst of all Civil War. Race issues have altered the way people work and the jobs that they are hired for. Race has also been a contributor to the rate for which one is paid. Race has also contributed to policies that support Law enforcement and or minorities. Some of these cases were; Brown vs. Board of Education (1954), the Court prohibited racial segregation in public schools. Loving vs. Virginia (1967), this decision holds that state laws prohibiting inter-racial marriage are unconstitutional. Another example, the Court found that a city school failure to provide English language instruction to students of Chinese ancestry to be considered unlawful discrimination in Lau vs. Nichols (1973). The University of California Regents vs. Bakke (1978), the Court decides that a public university may take race into account as a factor in admissions decisions. The decision holds that a state denies an African-American defendant equal protection when it puts him on trial before a jury from which members of his race have been purposefully excluded was in Batson vs. Kentucky (1986). Then a final example, Grutter vs. Bollinger (2003), In this case, the Court finds that a law school 's limited "affirmative action" use of race in admissions is constitutional. Because of racism we have also seen where we now have sub cultures in secret

Introduction: Race has always been a major topic in American history, and it continues to be today. People are constantly fighting about race, but why? Why and how did race become such a big part of the United States of America’s political, economic, and social culture? And why is does it cause so much sectional division within the United States? Race has been such a controversial and major topic that, in order to end racial problems, a war had to be fought, court cases had to be won, and laws had to be passed banning it. The topic can be traced back to beginning of America’s history as the colonies, and can be followed through past the Civil War.

Race is an integral part of identity in the United States of America. Race has become a norm for many individuals, although biologically race is not a real thing. After reading “How to kill yourself and Others in America”, the problems of race become more clear and noticeable in society today. Even though many Americans believe that they live in a post-racial society, this is far from the truth. Race is still a problem is many places in America (this can be seen in some recent events with the police). From what I can see race doesn’t seem to be as much of a problem in Albion, but it still is an issue. Race is a major factor in America, and it seems to be killing America, as Kiese Laymon points out multiple times in his book.

Part 1: Write an essay elaborating the development of race in America. How did American ideas about race, form and develop through the year 1877?

In the United States of America twenty-two percent of children live in families facing the issues of poverty with an income of less than $24,000 a year. In Washington D.C. the situations are no different. According to Judith Sandalow writer of the article Stripping D.C.’s poor families of their last income source, one in four children living in Washington D.C. live in poverty. Many issues arise, especially for families in poverty during the winter season. Struggles include missing meals for the kids if schools are closed, no heat for warmth if the power goes out, and missing work due to bad weather conditions are some thoughts that these families have during hard times.

It is crucial to learn about race and racial relations in the United States because our country is home to many immigrants and there has been many issues regarding race in this country. For example, African Americans struggled to be accepted and treated as an equal—dealing with racism. Diversity is a huge factor in this country since it is increasing every moment. In order to survive, immigrants must assimilate to American culture and its economy while keeping their cultures intact.

Race also known as ethnicities is a big topic, not just in the United States, but all over the World with all kinds of humans being that was once created by Adam and Eve. There is multiple race living in the United States that are known as Asian, African American, Hispanics, and others. My personal opinion on Asians are known with small eyes, straight hair, and ninety percent of the population are skinny. Another African Americans are known as tall, fit, and with different style hair, but mostly with puffy hair. Hispanics which is my race is a mix of everything because some of the population are either short or tall. Their body and hair are all kinds of different style especially in the U.S because they follow the trends in the community. When

Immigration has long been a trending topic of discussion in the United States. Immigrants coming into the United States often come in search of employment opportunities in an already competitive economy. The result is that many of the immigrants, more so Hispanics, work at a lower wage rate than can sustain their needs: “The combination of increased poverty among immigrants and a higher ratio of immigrants to the total population must add to the national poverty rate” (Raphael and Smolensky, 2009, pg. 1). Hispanics working at a lower wage rate,than most Americans, are the more likely to engage in crime as has been proven: “Deep poverty is more prevalent among non-Hispanic blacks (12.5 percent), and Hispanics (10.5 percent) than among non-Hispanic whites (4.4 percent)” (Nichols, 2012, pg. 2). Violence becomes a likely option for them. Hispanic street gangs were prevalent in the 1990s. Other race groups such as the Asians and the African Americans are key in determining the poverty levels in the United States.

Modern Forms of Social Control (Privilege & Discrimination) – The Social Construction of Race, Class, and Gender.

There are many factors to income inequality in this country, not all of which are connected to racism, but one’s personal choices. The most prevalent factor that contributes to income

Race is identical everywhere in this world as it can be defined from a social construct of a group of people who share a similar common language and nation. The first time I notice race was when I moved from my country Nigeria to another country (United States of America). In Nigeria, race is not seen as color or any minority rather race can be described as different tribes and languages. Nigeria have 521 languages with 371 tribes, but Igbo, Yoruba and Hausa are the major tribes. In the United States, I notice that race is about your culture, skin color and physical appearances that I felt as I have experienced some peoples reaction as someone leaving their seat at the moment I came around or moving to the extreme end because of my presence.

In 1492 Columbus sailed the Ocean Blue. Everyone knows the story of Christopher Columbus; they are taught it in grade school if not before then. When he landed in America by accident, he had no idea that he would be creating the world's largest Melting Pot. This "melting pot" provided means for a new country, made from a mixture of many cultures and beliefs, thus creating a new country with a new and ever-changing culture. One complication with a Melting Pot is that you cannot put people of different race and ethnicity together without conflict.

The origins of poverty and inequality can be traced back to the time of slavery and greed that this country encouraged. Some Americans, including African Americans, experience significant hardships, including temporary food shortages, inadequate housing, and unfair treatment, but these individuals are a minority within the overall poverty population. Poverty remains an issue of serious social concern, but accurate information about that problem is essential in creating a solution. This kind of poverty and inequality is rooted in the nation today by blatant segregation, discrimination, and immorality among individuals of higher power.

Race and ethnicity are commonly used as synonyms for each other as we encounter many diverse individuals throughout the world. Sociologist on the other hand, find very distinct understandings to how these terms, while different, hold correlation to one another. Max Weber, a founding figure of sociology, was one of the first to define race and ethnicity. He stood with the idea of essentialism which presumes "that and individual 's identity depends on fundamental and innate characteristics that are deep-seated, inherited, and unchangeable." (Pearson, pg 241) As for ethnicity, Weber described it as subjective belief in relations to a groups common descent. While sociologist today may disagree with Weber 's theory, they do apply this idea of subjectivity and have correlated it to that of not only group definitions but of our own perceptions of biological similarity.

There is a very wide range of income for individuals and families. This is why we have people that are very wealthy which are referred to as the upper class and there is the middle class that makes an average income, and the bottom of the income bracket lies the people in poverty. Poverty is a condition in which a person or family does not have the means to satisfy basic needs for food, clothing, shelter, and transportation. Your race does not matter, every race has people that are in poverty. But as it is statistically shown, different races have a different number of people in poverty. In 1996, the federal government established a minimum income level below which a person or family is declared in