History of African Americans

The readings that are going to be discussed in the paper tell the history of African Americans, their struggles for civil rights, and their integration into the social and political life of the country. The examples provided by the authors illustrate how a certain ethnic or racial group may be discriminated by the society and how they can become an inseparable part of the society.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on History of African Americans specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More This progress can be explained by the political activism of black people. These are the main issues that should be discussed in more detail. To a great extent, they are essential for understanding the history of the United States. The history of African Americans is described by David Levinson and Melvin Ember. These scholars eloquently demonstrate that black people were often denied the right to humanity and for a long time the government was unofficially opposed to their integration into the community, especially at the time when the policy of segregation was adopted (Levinson and Ember 255). Very often they were excluded from political life of the community. Nevertheless, the collective effort of African Americans led to the elimination of official barriers that prevented these people from becoming full citizens of the United States. Their political activism led to the creation of the term African American which indicates that these people defended their right to be a part of American community. Nevertheless, one should not suppose that the socio-economic conditions of black people are not affected by the legacies of racism in the United States. For example, Ellis Cashmore acknowledges African Americans have achieved success in such areas as politics, economy, or army (231). Still, the studies indicate that black people may be discriminated in the workplace or courts. Certainly, the laws of the United States officially prohibit any form of racial prejudice. However, this bias can still affect the opinions and decisions of many people. This is one of the main issues that people should take into account. Apart from that, these reading show how a racial or ethnic group can integrate themselves into the political system of the country. In particular, James Jennings shows that in the early eighties, black community became critical for the success of politicians and they had to consider the interests of these people. Moreover, a great number of black people entered the House of Representatives and Senate.Advertising Looking for essay on ethnicity studies? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More This progress enabled many black people to voice their opinions about the policies of the state. So, they were better able to affect the decisions taken by the government. Moreover, one should note that African-American politicians enjoy popularity among many vote rs who can be both black and white. Therefore, one can argue that the political power of African Americans has increased in the course of the twentieth century. Overall, there are several trends identified in the readings. First of all, in the course of American history, the government was rather unwilling to change its attitude toward black people. Only their political activism and unanimity enabled them to achieve a higher status within American society. Nevertheless, one should note that unofficial racism may still exist and it may affect the lives of African Americans. The questions identified in the readings are vital for understanding social or political issues relevant to American society because the population of the country grows in part because of immigrants who may come from different regions of the world. Works Cited Cashmore, Ellis. â€Å"African Americans†. Encyclopedia of Race and Ethnic Studies. Ed. Ernest Cashmore and Ellis Cashmore. New York: Routledge, 2008 . 231-232. Print. Levinson David and M. Ember. â€Å"African Americans.† American Immigrant Cultures: Builders of a Nation, Ed. David Levinson and Melvin Ember. New York: Macmillan 1997. 255-262. Print. This essay on History of African Americans was written and submitted by user Kristopher Barr to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Free Essays on Canadian Foreign Policy

Does Canada have an Independent Foreign Policy? Canada, a Nation Ahead of it’s Time? The question regarding â€Å"Does Canada have an independent foreign policy?† must first be deconstructed before it can be answered. Firstly, the nation of ‘Canada’ must be defined. Canada is the north most nation of North America, formerly a colony of both Britain and France contributing to multilingual culture, with a wide array of environmental landscapes, on either side of the nation are the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. The country is comprised of 10 provinces and 3 territories and has a population of approximately 31,499,560 (Statistics Canada). Secondly the word ‘Independent’ must be defined, Webster’s 10th Collegiate Dictionary defines it as: Not governed by a foreign power; self-governing. This definition must be expanded to say that independent includes a free will of the government to conduct foreign affairs as they feel is in the best interests of the people who reside in the country. Finally and most importantly ‘Foreign p olicy must be defined. Webster's 10th Collegiate Dictionary defines 'foreign policy' as "the policy of a sovereign state in its interaction with other sovereign states." Sovereign means having absolute power within a limited scope: the borders of a country. Foreign policy can further be expressed as the diplomatic strings which hold this world together. The actions of one state affect the people in other states. The best example of the actions of states being affected by other nation’s policy is with regards to war. When a country is at war, even if it is civil war it affects other states because of things like refugees fleeing a war torn homeland in hope for a peaceful settlement. It also affects countries with operations inside the war torn country. This example illustrates that the actions of one states policy affects others. These explanations of the key terms in the question regarding wh... Free Essays on Canadian Foreign Policy Free Essays on Canadian Foreign Policy Does Canada have an Independent Foreign Policy? Canada, a Nation Ahead of it’s Time? The question regarding â€Å"Does Canada have an independent foreign policy?† must first be deconstructed before it can be answered. Firstly, the nation of ‘Canada’ must be defined. Canada is the north most nation of North America, formerly a colony of both Britain and France contributing to multilingual culture, with a wide array of environmental landscapes, on either side of the nation are the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. The country is comprised of 10 provinces and 3 territories and has a population of approximately 31,499,560 (Statistics Canada). Secondly the word ‘Independent’ must be defined, Webster’s 10th Collegiate Dictionary defines it as: Not governed by a foreign power; self-governing. This definition must be expanded to say that independent includes a free will of the government to conduct foreign affairs as they feel is in the best interests of the people who reside in the country. Finally and most importantly ‘Foreign p olicy must be defined. Webster's 10th Collegiate Dictionary defines 'foreign policy' as "the policy of a sovereign state in its interaction with other sovereign states." Sovereign means having absolute power within a limited scope: the borders of a country. Foreign policy can further be expressed as the diplomatic strings which hold this world together. The actions of one state affect the people in other states. The best example of the actions of states being affected by other nation’s policy is with regards to war. When a country is at war, even if it is civil war it affects other states because of things like refugees fleeing a war torn homeland in hope for a peaceful settlement. It also affects countries with operations inside the war torn country. This example illustrates that the actions of one states policy affects others. These explanations of the key terms in the question regarding wh...