Stop

Some Facts about US Racial Segregation

Racial segregation in the United States officially existed since 1865, since the adoption of the thirteenth amendment to the Constitution prohibiting slavery. Examples of racism are such glaring facts as segregation in public transport and schools.

According to the laws of the city of Montgomery (Alabama), the first seats in the bus were intended for white passengers, and if they were all busy, then African Americans were obliged to leave their “black” seats. Such a policy resulted in the “The Montgomery bus boycott”, which lasted 381 days. During this time, African Americans, who made up 70% of all passengers, did not use public transport. Bus companies suffered significant losses. On December 20, 1956, segregation in public transport was abolished.

Segregation in schools led to armed conflict. The most famous incident dates back to 1957 when racists prevented co-education of white children and 9 blacks who received the nickname – Little Rock Nine (Arkansas). When the situation finally worsened, President Dwight D. Eisenhower was forced to send 1,200 airborne division soldiers to the city. They accompanied children to school and guarded them in the school corridors.US Racial Segregation

The origin of racism

According to sociologists, racism is based on a realistic theory of group conflict. Central position in this theory is taken by a conflict of interests, which contributes to the perception of the threat that comes from a foreign group. The threat causes the hostility of group members to its source, enhances its cohesion and toughens punishment for people with deviant behavior.

Applied to racial discrimination, the theory of group conflict will be as follows: “historically, the white population of the United States possessed power, controlled natural resources.” As the dominant group, whites sought to preserve the status quo, it was not profitable for them to change their routine. However, representatives of the black population wanted to improve their position, their actions were a threat to the dominant group.

Sum Up

Racial discrimination is still an acute issue in the United States. Now all citizens, both white and black, have to look after themselves. And any act, even the most innocent, has to be done with caution. Is it possible to interpret it as a crime motivated by racial hatred?

Researcher William Ferris from the Center for the Study of the American South at the University of North Carolina noted that racism is like cancer. It is impossible to recover completely, you can only achieve remission. It turns out that the country will need many years, decades and even centuries to correct and change the situation.

Category: General Issues

Tags: dating, Racism