Racism

Racism

Introduction

The American Dream is an ideal that has inspired millions of people for hundreds of years to come to the United States in search of a better life . However , the ugly face of racism often poses a problem for these individuals . Racism is a lingering challenge to the realization of American freedom in this research , the issues of the challenges of African Americans and Mexican Americans due to racism will be discussed as well as the ways that African American and Mexican American civil rights activities influenced the development

of the second wave of feminism

Racism Issues for African Americans

Sadly , many African Americans can trace their lineage in America back to the ugly days of slavery , when men , women and children were taken from their African homelands by force and made to labor on American plantations , enslaved and owned by cruel overseers . With time new generations of African Americans emerged- not locked into literal slavery , but theless forced into menial jobs , poor housing and little education because the dominant white majority refused to give equal opportunity to these people . This led , in the late 1950s and early 1960s , to a huge organized effort among African Americans to protest , lobby their government and in some cases physically fight for equality . Ultimately , many advancements were gained , but even in the 21st century , many rights have yet to come about

Racism Issues for Mexican Americans

While Mexican Americans were never officially slaves in their new homeland , for all intents and purposes , they may as well have been Literally risking their lives by crossing the American b without permission , millions of Mexicans have come to America to enjoy the freedom that they have heard about . Because of a lack of education in many cases , as well as the inability to speak the English language Mexican Americans have traditionally been relegated to low paying jobs and more importantly , lack of opportunity because of the racism that has traditionally tried to keep the best fruits of America available only to those who fit certain racial and gender roles- usually the white males of society

What we are seeing in overall racism is its spreading to a wide variety of groups , and of course , the female gender . Therefore , the quest for Civil Rights , in recent decades , has expanded to include women as well

African /Mexican American Civil Rights Activities and the Second Wave of Feminism

By the 1960s , the United States was clearly a nation in transformation-and turmoil . The events of the Vietnam War brought images of death and destruction into the living room via television and the quest for equality among minority groups continued . African and Mexican Americans still by this time had not gained equal access to gainful employment , housing and education , which was quite bizarre in a nation dedicated to all men being created equal . Unfortunately , the word men ' in the previous passage was taken literally , as women found themselves also being denied access to equal rights and treatment- regardless of...