In modern society certain groups are discriminated against due to the fact they dont meet the criteria that the majority of the population believe they should meet. Whether their skin is different, thier culture is different, or they're way of living is different, certain groups have more privellege than other groups which results in the less privelleged groups being discriminated against. This discrimination can be rooted back to the seventeenth century when the British discriminated against the Native Americans which can be rooted back to when the Native inhabitants of Ireland were discriminated and executed by Vikings.
In Ronald Takaki Novel "A Different Mirror" he discussed how the Native Americans were discriminated against due to thier way of living, all of which was discussed in Chapter two. In the Novel, Ronald Takaki opened the chapter with the story of how Natives of Ireland saw a ship coming and since they were ignorants to what ships were they had no idea they were viewing the fate of thier deaths. On the ship there were vikings and since they were infatuated with the land and how beautiful it wass, the fact that these people were so different to thier lifestyle, the vikings felt it was in thier best interest to just execute all of these natives.
Like the vikings did to the Ireland Natives in the early BC, the british did that unto the Indians in the seventeenth century. Thinking they found new land the british was unaware that the land already had inhabitants living on it. Since these two people were sperated by the Atlantic Ocean thier language, clothing, housing, and way of living differed from each other. Neither one of them understood the other's language so coming to a common agreement was never reached. The british had more man power and more modern day equipment resulting in the overpowering of the Native Americans and the ownership of the land. The british viewed the Indians as inferior savages and gave the impression that they are the more superior beings because they are more civilized.
Due to the fact that the Native Tribes built thier own shelter, had animal skin/fur as clothing, and was a darker complexion than the spaniards they were barbaric. The complexion of the skin was one of the many things that seperated the native Americans from the british. A "White" complexion was known to be pure, beautiful and innocent, while a darker complexion was seen as insufficient, dirty, and evil. Prior to knowing the Indians the seperation of white and black erupted resulting in the discrimination the indians receive and is still apart of the problem in the discrimination that goes on today. After all what is barbaric. Since a person perfer or knows how to build shelter using thier hands should they be considered uncivilized. Due to the fact that a tribe is wearing animal fur and skin as clothing and still showing a lot of skin rather than wearing cloth material they have the reputation of being beneath you? Just because something is different does not mean that it is wrong and that was the misinterpretation that America was founded on, and due to the fact that past leader set mold for that type of foundation, it is hard for our present and future leaders to re-mold that foundation and correct its flaws.
The aftermath of this discrimination led to the deaths of many Native Americans and the seizing of the Americas by the british. Since some Indians were held captive and taken back to Great Britain as "show animals" to other british people, many Indians died from the various diseases that Great Britain had because thier immune system didnt have a defense fot them as well as many died from the drastic temperature change. Also since the Native Americans were discriminated against thier land and home was siezed by the british and they were forced to live on reservations and away from the rest of society. Thomas Jefferson even said that he would prefer that the Indians and the new citizens can live together in peace but if violence ever over ran the indians body than they would have to be seperated and exterminated. Thomas Jefferson preferred if the Natives would civilized themself and became more like the new found people of the land and become farmers and live as the majority of the population lived.
Just as in the seventeenth century, discrimination still goes on today. The darker a person skin appears the uglier and less civilized they are presumed to be. In todays society alot of trends are being created or still in progress because that is what our history has made us become. History of america made america rationalized that the only proper way of living is by the white mans way of living and if you do not live as he would want you to live than you are living wrong. Instead of seeing America's as a crayon box, i.e. alot of different colors that if put together can create a beautful picture, it is seen as a one way only type of government, and if you are not living and doing things that the majority of the people are doing it, than you are doing it wrong. The fact that there is a certain way to speak while you are in a job interview, a certain hair lenght and type women are suppose to have, and a certain way a person should live all concludes the fact that America, even in the twenty first century, was founded on living with the majority and not as an individual.
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As a powerhouse nation can we honestly say we are the land of the free, when throughout every generation we discriminated against one group of people or another? Can we classify ourselves as the nation of opportunity we people are oppressed and discriminated against on a daily basis. The same nation that wrote in its constitutional document that all men were created equally, while at the same time treated people as pets in the 1800's during slavery? As we were under Great Britains control we tried hard to break free of thier government and create a better nation, and even though we made promises that things were going to change, at the end in the day we still persecuted people as they did, so I wander, what really changed about america throught these century. Although these groups of people are not persecuted as much anymore, i.e. the black, asian and allother groups, there are still other groups of people persucted against, like homosexuals for example.
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