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Racism : America 's Original Sin

Decent Essays

Racism in America
Racism has always been a part of the American history, and it still is to this day. Some of America’s forefathers, such as George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison and many more, kept people of color as slaves for labor. The icons of American history were in fact, all white. They portrayed the view of white people being more dominant than people of color through the works of slavery. Although people in the 21st century do not hold slaves for labor, the racial prejudice has only increased. For instance, in an article entitled “The Trauma of Racism: America’s Original Sin,” the author, Kenneth T. Ponds, suggests that “However I believe something else is in play and that is a lack of understanding… views equating whiteness with being fully human and truly American.” (22) The solution to this racial diversity is for Americans to accept the sameness of the human family. With this addition, Americans will be able to transform lives and human relationships between people of different races.
Nevertheless, it is argued that Americans are racists because it is a part of human nature. It has become so natural that people do not realize that they are being racist. For example, in an article entitled “Racism: Less is More,” author David Goodhart states: “It is also true that most of us operate most of the time with a shifting mindset of stereotypes and prejudices about people who belong to groups--class, national, or racial--with which we are not familiar

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