Residual Racism in the Political System
Racism in the political system has changed drastically over the years. There are a great number of African Americans in higher positions of power than before. On November 4, 2008, Barack Obama was elected the President of the United States. Even though there are many changes that occurred, there are still some issues left over that deals with racism in the political system. Residual racism in the political system now is involved with extremists, subtle racism in politics, and how politicians have had to work for social struggles for racial equality. This paper will compare and contrast racism in the political system in the past and present.
In the past, racism in the political system was very out in the open. Whites thought that other races were inferior to them. So, since white people thought that they were powerful, they treated others as if they were not important. Separate but equal laws were created to try to keep it this way. The whites didn’t want to give the blacks anything that could help them gain authority because they did not want blacks to be successful because they were afraid that blacks could become better than them. This caused blacks to struggle more because they were treated unfairly. They were not allowed to do certain things that whites could do. For example, blacks were not allowed to drink on the same water fountains as whites that were labeled “whites only.” They had to drink on their water fountains which were dirty. If they were caught drinking on those water fountains, they would be punished. Some of punishments
were brutal abuse given by authorities, being sent to jail, and verbal abuse to go alone with being attacked by things like water hoses and dogs.
In the past, there were not as many African American political leaders because they were not allowed to be a part of this system. This made many African Americans come together to form groups to try and change the ways of the political system. There were several leaders that took action; however Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. played a major role in society at this time because he wanted a change in society back then. He inspired others to fight for equal rights as well. At this time blacks were not apart of the political system, this made Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. take the position as a leader to change the system. He rallied and protested about his dream of equality. In his I Have a Dream Speech, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. stated “I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.” ( The I Have a Dream Speech pg. 3) Basically, Martin Luther King Jr. is saying that he want his children along with every citizen to be treated equally and have the same opportunities as every individual.
Segregation and unfair treatment caused for African Americans to start the bus boycott in December of 1955. It was started because African Americans were tired of having to sit in the back of the bus. Also, they were tired of giving up their seats whenever a white person came along, when they paid the same amount of money as them. Rosa Parks helped bring this issue out in the open because she refused to give up her seat to a white person. Not only did her actions caused for her to receive jail time, but it made other African Americans want to fight
back. African Americans reacted by not riding the buses. They formed several carpool events where they helped others by riding in cars together. This made the whites lose out on money because African Americans all carpooled together or walk. At the end of this issue, African Americans received the option of choosing where they wanted to sit on the bus.
Race and power in the political system today is less explicit than in the past. African Americans have obtained more power when it came down to voting rights. At first, blacks had to struggle for the right to vote. Now that blacks have the right to vote, they have more choices. With the right to vote, they can choose whatever person that they think is right for that position. Their voice can be heard, and they do not have to go along by letting others choose decisions for them. This causes for them to become more involved with making choices that will effect ‘s everyone’s future.
On November 4, 2008, Barack Obama was elected president. This event was historical because he is the first African American to become president of the United States. By an African American winning the election, this motivates black people to enter positions of high power because the racial barrier is less explicit. This becomes a big obstacle for blacks because in the past, blacks barely had the right to vote and didn’t even have a chance to be in a position of high power. Now that our president is an African American, blacks are motivated to run for positions of high power because they know that they a chance.
Electing Barack Obama for president was a good decision for the people in the United States. Barack Obama stated that “my job is not to represent Washington to you, but to represent you to Washington.” He is more conscience and aware of what the citizens of this country
needs. Growing up in a low-class household can help him recognize what most citizens need because many citizens live in low-class households. Also, he has the potential to lead the United States because he served as a senator for the state of Illinois for many years. Before being a senator, he always had a job that mainly focused on low income residents.
Having an African American president for the first time in United State’s history is a big step for blacks. There is finally someone at the highest point of power that can actually relate to what they go through in their everyday lives. He can understand the struggles that they are going through from his past experiences. For example, while Barack Obama was growing up he lived through poverty. So, as a president, he will know how to deal with all the citizens of the country.
Racial discrimination is still in existence through several aspects today. It was shown in the 2008 presidential election. While Barack Obama was running for president, there were extremists that were plotting against him. The extremists were members of Neo Nazis. They were plotting against him because they did not want an African American president. The two men were arranging to assassinate him. Their plan was to go on a killing spree shooting approximately one hundred African Americans, including Obama while wearing all white tuxedos with matching hats.
Subtle racism is still in existence in politics today. During the 2008 presidential election, there were several racial encounters that took place. One incident was when presidential nominee Ralph Nader (I), referred to Obama by questioning whether he was going to be Uncle Sam or Uncle Tom. Another incident was when in several situations, presidential nominee John McCain (R) referred to Obama as “that man” or “him.” Both of their actions were very
inappropriate because that is not the right way to treat someone. Ralph Nader should not judge someone without giving them a chance to see how things are going to be run. John McCain should have addressed Barack Obama by his name; Barack Obama greeted John McCain in a good way, so he should have done the same.
While Barack Obama was running for the 2008 presidential election, he encountered many social struggles dealing with racial equality. Many people misjudged him and did not really focus on what he was capable of doing. Most people just paid attention to the color of his skin instead. They thought that he would be another black man that was ignorant and didn’t have any capability of becoming president. Others often made accusations of him of being a terrorist just because of his name. Some people made several remarks such as the name Obama sounded too much like Osama. There were pictures illustrated of him along with his wife that featured Osama Bin Laden, which made it seem as if he supported him.
American society has change drastically over the years. Several years ago, African Americans did not have a chance to be in a position of high power. They barely had a chance to be in any position at all because they were treated unfairly. Everything was always separate. Whites were always given the better things. However, today racial discrimination is residual. It is not that explicit, but it does still occur. Today, African Americans are becoming more successful than in the past. There are more African American leaders than before. An African American president was elected in this year’s election. This historical event is a big turning point for African Americans
Having Barack Obama as president of the United States is accomplishing Dr. Martin Luther King’s dream. In his “I Have a Dream” speech, he emphasized how he wanted all individuals to be treated equally and to be given equal opportunities as every individual. Now, this dream came true because forty four years later we have a black president. This illustrates that racial discrimination is steady decreasing. However, it still exists but not as much as it did in the past because a black president was elected. This means that he was given an equal opportunity as every other individual. Today, people are focusing on a person’s character and what they are capable of doing or their qualifications.
Today, many individuals have united as one. People are looking at the big picture. They know that discriminating against other people is not right and that this will cause America to be put back in the same situation as before. People have now realized that they need help from one another because no one person is capable of doing this by their self. For instance, during the 2008 presidential election many of Barack Obama’s supporters were white which displays the most people have moved pass discrimination.
Residual racism in the political system is in effect today. It deals with extremists, subtle racism in politics, and how politicians have had to work for social struggles for racial equality. African Americans have come a long way with gaining their rights. To this day, they are steady becoming more successful than ever. Still, there are some individuals that are uncomfortable with having African Americans in positions of higher power and they are willing to go far with preventing it. Some issues with race still occur with some politicians referring racial remarks to other politicians for no apparent reason. So with all of this, African American politicians had to
find positive ways to come up from all of this negative tension and proving to others that they are very capable and qualified to do their job.
Works Cited
Adams, Biernat, et al. ed. Commemorating Brown: The Social Psychology of Racism
and Discrimination. Washington: American Psychological Association, 2008.
Clark, Mary. Discrimination Today. New York: Hobbs, Dorman, Company, INC, 1966.
Langwith, Jacqueline, ed. Discrimination. New York: The Gale Group, 2008.
Namorato, Michael, ed. Have We Overcome? Race Relations Since Brown. Jackson:
University Press of Mississippi, 1979.
Sracic, Paul. San Antonio v. Rodriguez and the Pursuit of Equal Education. Lawrence:
University Press of Kansas, 2006.
Urofsky, Melvin. Affirmative Action on Trial. Lawrence: University Press of Kansas, 1977.
Wang, Lu-in. Discrimination by Default. New York: New York University Press, 2006.
Williams, Mary E., ed. Discrimination. New York: Green Haven Press, 2003.
Mount, Steve. “The I Have a Dream Speech.” USConstitution.net. 2 Oct 2008. http://www.usconstitution.net/dream.html.
Racism in the political system has changed drastically over the years. There are a great number of African Americans in higher positions of power than before. On November 4, 2008, Barack Obama was elected the President of the United States. Even though there are many changes that occurred, there are still some issues left over that deals with racism in the political system. Residual racism in the political system now is involved with extremists, subtle racism in politics, and how politicians have had to work for social struggles for racial equality. This paper will compare and contrast racism in the political system in the past and present.
In the past, racism in the political system was very out in the open. Whites thought that other races were inferior to them. So, since white people thought that they were powerful, they treated others as if they were not important. Separate but equal laws were created to try to keep it this way. The whites didn’t want to give the blacks anything that could help them gain authority because they did not want blacks to be successful because they were afraid that blacks could become better than them. This caused blacks to struggle more because they were treated unfairly. They were not allowed to do certain things that whites could do. For example, blacks were not allowed to drink on the same water fountains as whites that were labeled “whites only.” They had to drink on their water fountains which were dirty. If they were caught drinking on those water fountains, they would be punished. Some of punishments
were brutal abuse given by authorities, being sent to jail, and verbal abuse to go alone with being attacked by things like water hoses and dogs.
In the past, there were not as many African American political leaders because they were not allowed to be a part of this system. This made many African Americans come together to form groups to try and change the ways of the political system. There were several leaders that took action; however Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. played a major role in society at this time because he wanted a change in society back then. He inspired others to fight for equal rights as well. At this time blacks were not apart of the political system, this made Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. take the position as a leader to change the system. He rallied and protested about his dream of equality. In his I Have a Dream Speech, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. stated “I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.” ( The I Have a Dream Speech pg. 3) Basically, Martin Luther King Jr. is saying that he want his children along with every citizen to be treated equally and have the same opportunities as every individual.
Segregation and unfair treatment caused for African Americans to start the bus boycott in December of 1955. It was started because African Americans were tired of having to sit in the back of the bus. Also, they were tired of giving up their seats whenever a white person came along, when they paid the same amount of money as them. Rosa Parks helped bring this issue out in the open because she refused to give up her seat to a white person. Not only did her actions caused for her to receive jail time, but it made other African Americans want to fight
back. African Americans reacted by not riding the buses. They formed several carpool events where they helped others by riding in cars together. This made the whites lose out on money because African Americans all carpooled together or walk. At the end of this issue, African Americans received the option of choosing where they wanted to sit on the bus.
Race and power in the political system today is less explicit than in the past. African Americans have obtained more power when it came down to voting rights. At first, blacks had to struggle for the right to vote. Now that blacks have the right to vote, they have more choices. With the right to vote, they can choose whatever person that they think is right for that position. Their voice can be heard, and they do not have to go along by letting others choose decisions for them. This causes for them to become more involved with making choices that will effect ‘s everyone’s future.
On November 4, 2008, Barack Obama was elected president. This event was historical because he is the first African American to become president of the United States. By an African American winning the election, this motivates black people to enter positions of high power because the racial barrier is less explicit. This becomes a big obstacle for blacks because in the past, blacks barely had the right to vote and didn’t even have a chance to be in a position of high power. Now that our president is an African American, blacks are motivated to run for positions of high power because they know that they a chance.
Electing Barack Obama for president was a good decision for the people in the United States. Barack Obama stated that “my job is not to represent Washington to you, but to represent you to Washington.” He is more conscience and aware of what the citizens of this country
needs. Growing up in a low-class household can help him recognize what most citizens need because many citizens live in low-class households. Also, he has the potential to lead the United States because he served as a senator for the state of Illinois for many years. Before being a senator, he always had a job that mainly focused on low income residents.
Having an African American president for the first time in United State’s history is a big step for blacks. There is finally someone at the highest point of power that can actually relate to what they go through in their everyday lives. He can understand the struggles that they are going through from his past experiences. For example, while Barack Obama was growing up he lived through poverty. So, as a president, he will know how to deal with all the citizens of the country.
Racial discrimination is still in existence through several aspects today. It was shown in the 2008 presidential election. While Barack Obama was running for president, there were extremists that were plotting against him. The extremists were members of Neo Nazis. They were plotting against him because they did not want an African American president. The two men were arranging to assassinate him. Their plan was to go on a killing spree shooting approximately one hundred African Americans, including Obama while wearing all white tuxedos with matching hats.
Subtle racism is still in existence in politics today. During the 2008 presidential election, there were several racial encounters that took place. One incident was when presidential nominee Ralph Nader (I), referred to Obama by questioning whether he was going to be Uncle Sam or Uncle Tom. Another incident was when in several situations, presidential nominee John McCain (R) referred to Obama as “that man” or “him.” Both of their actions were very
inappropriate because that is not the right way to treat someone. Ralph Nader should not judge someone without giving them a chance to see how things are going to be run. John McCain should have addressed Barack Obama by his name; Barack Obama greeted John McCain in a good way, so he should have done the same.
While Barack Obama was running for the 2008 presidential election, he encountered many social struggles dealing with racial equality. Many people misjudged him and did not really focus on what he was capable of doing. Most people just paid attention to the color of his skin instead. They thought that he would be another black man that was ignorant and didn’t have any capability of becoming president. Others often made accusations of him of being a terrorist just because of his name. Some people made several remarks such as the name Obama sounded too much like Osama. There were pictures illustrated of him along with his wife that featured Osama Bin Laden, which made it seem as if he supported him.
American society has change drastically over the years. Several years ago, African Americans did not have a chance to be in a position of high power. They barely had a chance to be in any position at all because they were treated unfairly. Everything was always separate. Whites were always given the better things. However, today racial discrimination is residual. It is not that explicit, but it does still occur. Today, African Americans are becoming more successful than in the past. There are more African American leaders than before. An African American president was elected in this year’s election. This historical event is a big turning point for African Americans
Having Barack Obama as president of the United States is accomplishing Dr. Martin Luther King’s dream. In his “I Have a Dream” speech, he emphasized how he wanted all individuals to be treated equally and to be given equal opportunities as every individual. Now, this dream came true because forty four years later we have a black president. This illustrates that racial discrimination is steady decreasing. However, it still exists but not as much as it did in the past because a black president was elected. This means that he was given an equal opportunity as every other individual. Today, people are focusing on a person’s character and what they are capable of doing or their qualifications.
Today, many individuals have united as one. People are looking at the big picture. They know that discriminating against other people is not right and that this will cause America to be put back in the same situation as before. People have now realized that they need help from one another because no one person is capable of doing this by their self. For instance, during the 2008 presidential election many of Barack Obama’s supporters were white which displays the most people have moved pass discrimination.
Residual racism in the political system is in effect today. It deals with extremists, subtle racism in politics, and how politicians have had to work for social struggles for racial equality. African Americans have come a long way with gaining their rights. To this day, they are steady becoming more successful than ever. Still, there are some individuals that are uncomfortable with having African Americans in positions of higher power and they are willing to go far with preventing it. Some issues with race still occur with some politicians referring racial remarks to other politicians for no apparent reason. So with all of this, African American politicians had to
find positive ways to come up from all of this negative tension and proving to others that they are very capable and qualified to do their job.
Works Cited
Adams, Biernat, et al. ed. Commemorating Brown: The Social Psychology of Racism
and Discrimination. Washington: American Psychological Association, 2008.
Clark, Mary. Discrimination Today. New York: Hobbs, Dorman, Company, INC, 1966.
Langwith, Jacqueline, ed. Discrimination. New York: The Gale Group, 2008.
Namorato, Michael, ed. Have We Overcome? Race Relations Since Brown. Jackson:
University Press of Mississippi, 1979.
Sracic, Paul. San Antonio v. Rodriguez and the Pursuit of Equal Education. Lawrence:
University Press of Kansas, 2006.
Urofsky, Melvin. Affirmative Action on Trial. Lawrence: University Press of Kansas, 1977.
Wang, Lu-in. Discrimination by Default. New York: New York University Press, 2006.
Williams, Mary E., ed. Discrimination. New York: Green Haven Press, 2003.
Mount, Steve. “The I Have a Dream Speech.” USConstitution.net. 2 Oct 2008. http://www.usconstitution.net/dream.html.
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