Week Six Assignment: Slavery a look at discrimination and predujice

historical events that provided the foundation of slavery within the U.S
Slavery is fundamentally an economic phenomenon. Throughout history, slavery has existed where it has been economically worthwhile to those in power. The principal example in modern times is the U.S. South. Nearly 4 million slaves with a market value of close to $4 billion lived in the U.S. just before the Civil War. Masters enjoyed rates of return on slaves comparable to those on other assets; cotton consumers, insurance companies, and industrial enterprises benefited from slavery as well. Such valuable property required rules to protect it, and the institutional practices surrounding slavery display a sophistication that rivals modern-day law and business.
Not long after Columbus set sail for the New World, the French and Spanish brought slaves with them on various expeditions. Slaves accompanied Ponce de Leon to Florida in 1513, for instance. But a far greater proportion of slaves arrived in chains in crowded, sweltering cargo holds. The first dark-skinned slaves in what was to become British North America arrived in Virginia -- perhaps stopping first in Spanish lands -- in 1619 aboard a Dutch vessel. From 1500 to 1900, approximately 12 million (Ronald L. F. Davis, Ph. D, 2011) Africans were forced from their homes to go westward, with about 10 million of them completing the journey. Yet very few ended up in the British colonies and young American republic. By 1808 (Ronald L. F. Davis, Ph. D, 2011), when the trans-Atlantic slave trade to the U.S. officially ended, we continued to see African slaves landing in the New World.

Colonial slavery had a slow start, particularly in the North . Scholars have speculated as to why, without coming to a definite conclusion. Some surmise that indentured servants were fundamentally better suited to the Northern climate, crops, and tasks at hand; some claim that anti-slavery sentiment provided the explanation. At the time of the American Revolution, fewer than 10 percent (Ronald L. F. Davis, Ph. D, 2011) of the half million slaves in the thirteen colonies resided in the North, working primarily in agriculture. New York had the greatest number, with just over 20,000 (Ronald L. F. Davis, Ph. D, 2011). New Jersey had close to 12,000 slaves. Vermont was the first Northern region to abolish slavery when it became an independent republic in 1777 (Ronald L. F. Davis, Ph. D, 2011). Most of the original Northern colonies implemented a process of gradual emancipation in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, requiring the children of slave mothers to remain in servitude for a set period, typically 28 years. Other regions above the Mason-Dixon Line ended slavery upon statehood early in the nineteenth century -- Ohio in 1803 (Ronald L. F. Davis, Ph. D, 2011) and Indiana in 1816 (Ronald L. F. Davis, Ph. D, 2011), for instance.
Throughout colonial and antebellum history, U.S. slaves lived primarily in the South. Slaves comprised less than a tenth of the total Southern population in 1680 but grew to a third by 1790 (Ronald L. F. Davis, Ph. D, 2011). At that date, 293,000 slaves lived in Virginia alone, making up 42 percent of all slaves in the U.S. at the time. South Carolina, North Carolina, and Maryland each had over 100,000 slaves. After the American Revolution, the Southern slave population exploded, reaching about 1.1 million in 1810 and over 3.9 million in 1860 (Ronald L. F. Davis, Ph. D, 2011). tradition plays a part in keeping people in slavery
Tradition played a large part in keeping people slaves as it became a social norm. As people in areas accepted the practice of having/owning slaves, this practice became part of what was normally taught to future generations. These teaching were taught not only within the white majority, but within the slave groups. Older generation of slaves taught their children and their children’s’ children that being a slave was a part of normal life and accepted as normal. major factors that contribute to racial prejudice and discrimination against African-Americans
77% (University of Minnesota, 2005) of people surveyed in the American Mosaic Project believe that prejudice and discrimination against African-Americans were important in explaining why African-Americans have worse jobs, income, and housing than white people. When looking at the responses from specific racial groups, we found that this percentage increased to 91% (University of Minnesota, 2005) for African American respondents. Only 74% (University of Minnesota, 2005) of white respondents believed prejudice and discrimination were important in explaining this disadvantage. This gap of 18 percentage points between African-American respondents and white respondents shows an important difference between these two groups understanding of the causes of racial inequality in our country. It is interesting to note that 84% of Hispanics felt prejudice and discrimination were important, putting the percentage for this racial group to fall approximately halfway between blacks and whites.

63% (University of Minnesota, 2005) of people asked believed that prejudice and discrimination in favor of whites is important in explaining white advantage. Said another way, two-thirds of respondents see a form of white privilege and believe prejudice and discrimination play an important role in benefiting whites. When looking at whites only, this percentage drops slightly to 59% (University of Minnesota, 2005). On the other hand, 83% (University of Minnesota, 2005) of African-Americans and 84% (University of Minnesota, 2005) of Hispanics saw prejudice and discrimination as important in explaining whites’ greater success.
The difference again here between whites’ views and the views of African-Americans and Hispanics shows an important contrast in how whites and nonwhites view and understand the effects of prejudice and discrimination in our society today. This view on top of years of prejudice and segregation has led to many difficulties in eliminating these horrific elements of our society. how prejudice and discrimination form a vicious cycle
When people know that they are discriminated against, they often behave negatively, which then can confirm the original stereotype of the person doing the discriminating. For example, Social Group A thinks that Social Group B frequently engages in theft. Therefore, Group A doesn't hire anyone in Group B. Without jobs, Group B has no money, and may therefore have to steal in order to eat or get shelter. In this scenario, Group B is engaging in the behavior suspected by Group A, but only because of Group A's original prejudice. In this way, it can be a vicious cycle indeed. several effective ways to improve contemporary African-American relations in the U.S
It is not often seen that race relations is seen as improving by a minority by in a 2010 Poll (CBS News, 2010) conducted by CBS a majority of African American saw race relations in a positive light. Does this mean that we have accomplished eliminating discrimination and prejudice, no, but it shows that people are doing something to help improve the situation. So what can we do to help improve relations; 1. Continue our efforts to make education widely available to people of all races 2. Provide support and protection to help those affected by racial prejudice. 3. Continue education equally amongst all races showing the negative sides of discrimination and teaching the next generation to not find these practices acceptable.
The underlying note I truly believe is the most important is education. With education comes change and prosperity. Both of these leads to future leaders that can help overcome previous barriers and end the inequality still seen in some communities
References
University of Minnesota. (2005).American mosaic project (amp). Retrieved from http://www.soc.umn.edu/research/amp.html
CBS News. (2011, Jan 12). Poll: Blacks see improved race relations. Retrieved from http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/04/27/opinion/polls/main4972532.shtml
Ronald L. F. Davis, Ph. D. (2011).Slavery in America: Historical overview. Retrieved from http://www.slaveryinamerica.org/history/hs_es_overview.htm