Introduction
This paper will discuss the impacts of racism on American both the native and the immigrants. In the paper, the historic accounts of the African-American populations as well as other minority immigrants will be revisited. As will be pointed out in this paper, racism and ethnic discrimination is a challenge that the United States of Americans have dealt with for quite a long time. This essay will investigate the root causes of racism, the impacts of racism on African-Americans, and the other minority immigrants in America.
The root cause of racism
Explaining the issue of racism requires a clear understanding and knowledge of what causes racism. The root causes of racism include ignorance and false perceptions regarding a particular race or community. Xenophobia is one of the greatest elements of racism. Racist approaches and discriminatory feelings are cultivated in society through historic roots and passed from one generation to the other (Tindall and Shi 63).
Viewing other people as inferior has been the basis of racism. One renowned writer once said in his book that the skin of a black man was made in a way that he naturally becomes a slave to others (Jefferson 40). Perception and discrimination are therefore the main elements that influence racism.
Impacts of racism on African Americans
Primarily, racism compromised the quality of life among the African-Americans. The idea of white privileges denied African-Americans so many opportunities and rights. The white Americans were eligible for great societal rewards based on their skin color as opposed to merit (Jefferson 40). Dark skin color symbolized weakness while the white skin color was a symbol of power.
There were societal practices that depicted the superiority of the white people while showing the inferiority of the black people on the other hand. Accepting their inferiority, black people succumbed to blackmail, intimidation, and oppression from the whites. This infringed their rights causing them to experience harsh living conditions in the slums.
The minority immigrants in America
Other than the black Americans, other immigrants in the United States immigrated to the country looking for better jobs. They include the Latin Americans, Jews, and Muslims (Jefferson 42). These groups are commonly known as the minority groups because their population is minute compared to the natives. For instance, the Latin American populations were discriminated owing to their increasing population.
The hatred between the natives and the minority immigrants was based on competition for job opportunities (Jefferson 41). The immigrants seeking for job opportunities provided cheap labor which the natives could not offer hence filling up the job opportunities that were available for the natives.
Conclusion
This paper articulates the main reasons why racism thrived in the American context. The major victims of racisms have been highlighted, and they include the black Americans as well as the minority immigrants from Latin America. Racism had several impacts on African Americans. These impacts are discussed in the essay. The minority immigrants, on the other hand, went into conflict with the natives in disputes over job opportunities.
Feeling threatened by immigrants who were taking over the entire informal job market, the whites developed discriminatory feelings and prejudiced towards them. This led to the tense relationship between the natives and the immigrant hence racism. This is still an issue of concern even in today’s modern America.
Works Cited
Jefferson, Thomas. Causes and Consequences of Racial Prejudice. 2013. Web.
Tindall, George Brown and David Emory Shi. America: A Narrative History. New York, NY: W.W. Norton and Company, 2010. Print.