Racism began in America ever since slavery was first instituted in the colonial days. African-Americans were enslaved by the Europeans, who thought at the time Blacks were inferior. During the 1700’s and 1800’s, many scientists developed several different systems to classify people into different racial groups based on factors such as skin color, height, and skull shape (“Race Relations”). White people were seen as the superior race. Caucasians held those beliefs after the abolition of slavery, to the civil rights movement. Until the 1960’s Black Americans were oppressed by the American society because of their skin complexion. I this modern era of the United States, all ethnic groups, genders, and cultures are treated in the same fashion. We have progressed as a society by the acceptance of other races socially, economically, and politically. America has evolved as a country, from discriminating against African-Americans, to having a first African-American president.

The United States has changed in a social manner. It has become socially acceptable for White and Black Americans to engage into interracial marriage. In 1860, there were many anti-miscegenation laws that existed in several states (“Interracial Marriage”)¬¬¬. The laws made interracial marriage seem like taboo. Loving v. Virginia was a major court case in the 1950’s about an interracial marriage between a white man and black woman. They were both convicted to 1 year in prison because it went against Virginia laws. America has since abolished those laws. According to Stanford University sociologist Michael Rosenfeld, “7 percent of marriages in the United States in 2005 were interracial” compared to the small 2 percent in 1970 (“Interracial Marriage”). This shows that interracial marriage is on the rise. Interracial marriage is not the only issue that has changed in America socially. Society was very segregated. There were separate water fountains, bathrooms, and stores, for White people and Black people. In the South, discrimination was supported by Jim Crow laws. These laws were passed in the late 1800’s which established separate, generally poorer, public facilities, schools, public transportation, and restrooms for African-Americans. Although white women generally were not affected by the Jim Crow laws, they, too, faced unfair treatment in many areas of life. President Lyndon B. Johnson delivered the Civil Rights Act of 1964. This banned discrimination on the basis of race, national origin, and sex in the areas of employment, public facilities, and government programs ("Affirmative Action"). This was the end of racism. The intergraded society proves our social change in America. We have surely accepted our differences as a country.

The United States has evolved economically. Due to the years of exploitation by Whites, African-Americans face economic and social problems in society (“Race Relations”). It caused many of them to be unsuccessful in life. Affirmative Action is a practice that provides members of minority groups and women greater opportunities to be employed and educated. Affirmative action forbids employers, landlords, and others from discriminating on the grounds of race, sex, religion, and many other factors. It also aims to actively encourage the recruitment, hiring, and promotion of members of minority groups and women (“Affirmative Action”). Affirmative Action gave minorities and women these exceptions because of their discrimination in the past. According to the US Census Bureau, “80 percent of Blacks aged twenty-five and older were high school graduates in 2002, compared with just 30 percent in 1968”( "Introduction to Is Racism a Serious Problem?”). This shows that America, allowing Affirmative Action, has effect on how well Black Americans are doing in school. It provides the opportunities for more African-Americans to be successful. Affirmative action is a motivator and helper; it assists the oppressed economically.

America has evolved politically as well. From the start of slavery in America, slaves were viewed as property. They were not seen as citizens. In 1955 President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed an executive order banning discrimination against any employee or applicant for employment in the United States because of race, color, or national origin. President John F. Kennedy issued another executive order in 1961, which used the phrase “affirmative action” for the first time in history (“Affirmative Action”). It was not illegal for Black Americans to be elected as a high official of the law, but Caucasians would rather have a White politician. They believed Black people simply could not get the job done. Kennedy’s order will allow Black Americans to take on new political jobs. In 2008, the United States elected its first Democratic Black President, Barack Obama. This is a great achievement for African-Americans. Obama attended Harvard Law and was a US Senator prior being elected president (“Path to the Podium: Barack Obama's Journey”). He is living proof that the United States we knew before had evolved. President Obama was able to accomplish these challenges as an African-American president, because of the newly developed equal America.

From enslavement to equality, African Americans have attained a very well deserved position in society. The United States has grown as a nation. America grew in many ways on their views of race equality. Socially, economically, and politically black people have changed their place in the United States. The U.S. now accepts the concept of Interracial Marriages. The American society is now intergrated. The government has instituted Affirmative Action, which allows the oppressed a better chance for a bright future. These programs allow people in minority groups the chance to be scholars and important politicians. The United States of America has changed for the better.


Works Cited
"Affirmative Action." Opposing Viewpoints Online Collection. Detroit: Gale,
2012.Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 13 Nov. 2013.
"Interracial Marriage." Current Issues: Macmillan Social Science Library.
Detroit: Gale, 2010. Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 14 Nov. 2013.
"Introduction to Is Racism a Serious Problem?: At Issue." Is Racism a

Serious Problem? Ed. Jeff Plunkett. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 2009. At Issue.Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 14 Nov. 2013.
"Path to the Podium: Barack Obama's Journey." Path to the Podium: Barack Obama
2008. Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 14 Nov. 2013.
"Race Relations." Current Issues: Macmillan Social Science Library. Detroit: Gale,
2010.Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 13 Nov. 2013.