Racism Remains

Paper Summary:

This paper explores the history of racism in America and argues that, while laws and policies have been implemented to eliminate racism, racist attitudes persist and perpetuate the problem

From the Paper:

"The United States, as a whole, did not acknowledge that slavery and racism were wrong and a problem until the era of the Civil War. Subsequently, Abraham Lincoln freed the slaves with his Emancipation Proclamation. However, it was not until the Civil Rights movement of the late 1950's and 1960's that Martin Luther King Jr. made it clear that equal rights were deserved but not yet achieved. In his 1963 "I have a dream" speech he addressed the lack of equal rights given to blacks 100 years after the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation by stating, "One hundred years later, we must face the tragic fact that the Negro is still not free" One hundred years later the Negro is still crippled by the manacles of segregation and the chains of discrimination?. Martin Luther King Jr. chose to "be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced" as Abraham Lincoln suggested in his Gettysburg Address. Martin Luther King Jr. was dedicated his life to making sure that the idea "that all men are created equal" (Gettysburg Address) was respected not only in belief but also in action. King experienced segregation and racism throughout his life. He was familiar with life as illustrated in the picture "No Whites Allowed in the Zoo Today." In this picture a sign was posted outside the zoo which said, "No whites allowed in the zoo today," because this day was set aside for the blacks to go to the zoo. Segregation laws forbid blacks and whites to go to the zoo on the same day. The Civil Rights movement put an end to segregation and helped fight racism and discrimination."

More papers on Racism Remains:

• Book Review # 94180 : "Living with Racism" -- A Review"
• Research Paper # 149223 : "Racism and Life Satisfaction"
• Essay # 90712 : "Systemic Racism"

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