Race and racism (evolution) Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Race and racism (evolution) - Coursework Example These Blacks come from a number of African regions including the West Central African region, the Mozambique-Madagascar area, the Gold Coast, the Sierra Leone region, the Bight of Benin, the Bight of Biafra and the Senegambia areas (Gomez. 1998). Although these people come from different parts of Africa and embrace different cultures and traditions, they are collective referred to as African-American owing to their continent of origin and the color of their skin. The early black slaves were treated as in debentured servants who are under contract to serve their masters for a certain number of years in exchange for their passage or transportation, food, shelter, clothes and others (Foner, 2004). As slaves, these people are under the control of their masters and they can be sold to another master. Since these people are literally owned by their masters, they are not allowed to marry without the express permission of their masters and if they do not follow the rules of their masters, th ey can be subjected to harsh physical punishment (Foner, 2004). Female slaves who were allowed to marry and have children often have to stay longer with their owners to make up for the â€Å"lost† days that they missed when they got pregnant and had children (Foner, 2004). Since indentured slaves are released after a number of years or after they are able to pay their so-called â€Å"freedom dues†, many blacks were freed after a certain period (Hine et al., 2002). However, this freedom was short lived since laws were passed legalizing slavery in many parts of the country. The first law that legalized slavery was passed in the State of Massachusetts in 1641 and allow for race-based slavery (Hine et al., 2002). As a result, blacks were relegated to slavery and their children remained as properties of their owners. Children who were born into bondage were treated as properties of their owners and they were under the full control of their masters for the rest of their live s (Hine et al., 2002). The history of slavery among Blacks started the culture of racism against African-Americans and despite the fact that many prominent members of the black community, including President Barrack Obama, have shown the world that Blacks are do not belong to an inferior race, still, racism continue at different sectors and levels in society. Although racism may not be a prevalent as it was several years ago, still it cannot be denied that racism is still very much alive in the United States. According to a survey conducted by USA Today/Gallup poll (Jones, 2008) shows that racism is still very much present in our society and despite efforts to eradicate racism against Blacks, it cannot be denied that Blacks still feel the effects of racism. To get a clearer picture on how race and racism have shaped the lives of the Black community, let up trace the history of the struggles and triumphs of the African-Americans. II. Racism Facts and Issues Faced by African Americans There are a number issues faced by African-Americans over the years and these issues include slavery, racial segregation, political discrimination, economic disadvantages and social inequities. To get a clearer picture of these issues, let us discuss these issues based on facts and historical data. a. African-Americans in the Age of Slavery, Emancipation and Segregation During