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Slavery: Inequality In The United States

Decent Essays

Social problems relate to unacceptable or unwanted conditions that a majority of individuals believes should be rectified. It can be argued that slavery was once a social problem that stemmed from inequality based on widely held beliefs regarding race and ethnicity. As we discussed in class, slavery was primarily based on the belief held by the majority of White people that Black people were racially inferior. It can be argued that social changes in relation to beliefs on race and ethnicity have eliminated the social problem of slavery.
Race and Ethnicity
Research indicates that an individual’s race and ethnicity can be a “basis of inequality” (Leon-Guerrero, 2010). Per class discussion, with reference to Leon-Guerrero, the prospects of …show more content…

history as slave labor was a key component in the robust agricultural economy of the Southern states prior to the American Civil War. While slavery existed in both the North and South of the United States, it was in the South that it grew to be an indispensable part of life. During the Nineteenth Century, an increasing number of people, many of whom resided in the Northern states began to feel that slavery was a social issue needed to be eliminated (Douglass, 1853). Writers such as Harriet Beecher Stowe who wrote the novel, Uncle Tom’s Cabin, communicated the horror of slavery to people and called for the institution of slavery to be eliminated (Stowe, 1854). The elimination of slavery was favored by the North as the beliefs of people on race and ethnicity changed. Per class discussion, it is evident that slavery is no longer a social issue as the ideas of race and ethnicity have changed drastically since the Nineteenth Century. It can be argued that as racial and ethnic stereotypes given to Black Africans were challenged and changed, the belief system relating to race and ethnicity upon which the institution of slavery was founded slowly …show more content…

While the election of Barack Obama who is of a mixed racial decent as the President of the United States was a clear indication that racial and ethnic prejudice cannot prevent racial minorities from succeeding and achieving positions of leadership, race and ethnicity continues to affect the opportunities that are offered to people in the U.S (Leon-Guerrero, 2010, p. 67). For instance, the U.S. has an ongoing social issue in dealing with illegal migrants that live and work in the U.S and racial and ethnic stereotypes affect the lives of these immigrants. Additionally, many African Americans do not have the same healthcare opportunities that Whites and other races benefit from (p. 81). In terms of undocumented immigrant workers in the U.S., their ethnicity reduces their chances of getting a tertiary education which results in a type of de facto segregation where Latinos that form the majority of illegal immigrants, have the lowest rates of education (p. 79). Furthermore, children that have come to the United States illegally find it extremely difficult to obtain citizenship even though they grow up to be college educated, high achievers (p. 72). It can be argued that similar to the changes in public opinion regarding slavery that took place in U.S. history, views on illegal

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