The Development of Racism Essay -- Slavery Racist Equality Segregation

The Development of RacismSlaverys twin legacies to the present are the social and economic inferiority it conferred upon blacks and the ethnical racism it instilled in whites. Both continue to haunt our society. Therefore, treating slaverys enduring legacy is necessarily controversial. Unlike slavery, racism is not over yet. (Loewen 143)Racism can be defined as any set of beliefs, which classifies humanity into distinct collectives, defined in terms of natural and/or cultural attributes, and ranks these attributes in a hierarchy of superiority and inferiority (Blum 5). It can be directly linked to the past and still, centuries later, serves as a painful reminder that race continues to be one of the sharpest and deepest divisions in American life (Loewen 138). What were the causes of racism? How did it develop historically? In order to answer those complex questions, I plan to examine the conditions of Americas history from colonialism to present twenty-four hour period socie ty. It was these conditions of Americas past that promoted the development of racist practices and ideas that continue to be embraced by many to this day. The idea of superiority and inferiority of entire groups were largely the result of the encounters between the Europeans and the endemical native peoples of the Americas. Christopher Columbus was one of the first individuals who played a chief role in the birth of both racism and slavery. Upon the so-called discovery of America, European self-consciousness rose to the point that Europeans began to notice the similarities between each other. There were no white people in Europe before 1492 (Loewen, 66). But after the line of transatlantic slave trade, Europeans began to see white ... ...mproved, especially as a result of the Civil Rights Movement, racial inequalities still remain from income to IQ levels, to the number of the incarcerated and life expectancies. go Americans like to think of our country as the equal land o f opportunity, clearly it is not. Racism continues to remain our American Obsession (Loewen 139). Works CitedBlum, Lawrence. Im Not A racist But The Moral Quandary of Race. stark naked York Cornell University Press, 2002. 5Chomsky, Noam. Understanding Power, The Indispensable Chromsky. Eds. Peter R. Mitchell and John Schoeffel. New York New Press, 2002. 135.Loewen, James. Lies My Techer Told Me Everything Your American History Textbook Got Wrong. New York Simon & Schuster, 1995. 60-169.Zinn, Howard. A Peoples History of the United States. New York HaperCollins Publisher Inc., 1999. 25-33.

Why Should I Be Moral? :: essays research papers fc

Why Should I Be Moral?     The question of morality proves to be a complex interrogatory. Should Ibe moral? If I should be, then why? Why is morality important to society? Anassumption can be do that morals derive from a purely religious perspective orthe Golden Rule approach. We are told that it is right to be moral. This is anineffective answer, since it does not arrest to someone outside the moral circle(Olsen, 79).This in mind, there is really no way to prove this too a person whowants to know why he/she should be moral. According to Olen, the only answer tothem would be "because you are". Happiness could overly be included in the listof moral reasons. I personally feel that this is the best supported reason for world moral. Although there ordain be times when the moral decision will not bepleasurable, it will eventually lead to happiness. Morality is important forsociety as a whole, as it makes life livable. Now expanding on the happinesstheory, I will discuss the ideas of Aristotle. Aristotle believed thathappiness is the quality of whole human life. We all have misconceptions abouthappiness. Most of us believe that happiness is experiencing a lively shadeof joy or pleasant feelings. We can be happy at one moment, but not the next.Aristotle on the other hand said that straight happiness includes pleasures, joys,and successes as well as many pains, griefs, and troubles in ones life. A happylife is not cause by the pleasures weve had, nor marred by the displeasuresweve had.     Aristotle also contended that children could not be happy as therequirement for happiness was a complete life. For instance, an old man lookingback on his life and being able to say that it was upright, is happiness.     Aristotle defined the things that make happiness as health, wealth,friendship, and good moral character. Aristotle stated that happiness was alsothe highest good leaving nothing more than to be desired. Life is made perfect bypossession of all good things. We seek happiness for its own sake. All othersare sought for happiness. Aristotle believed to drive happy one must have goodcharacter and be willing to suffer to obtain the greater good later on. Weshould seek the good in the long run. Most men/women will not do this. We takethe immediate pleasure. Most people think that happiness is unique to from each oneperson. Aristotle believed that there is only one true conception and that itholds the same for all humans. Power is not an attribute to happiness because