The History of Racism and Political Violence in the United States

Posted: January 4th, 2023

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The History of Racism and Political Violence in the United States

The report explores an issue that many Americans seem to ignore, and content, the debates, and conversations about race are often rubbished as news of yesterday, and not relevant to the modern era. Some political leaders and media pundits continue to insist that America has moved beyond racism, and it is now in the post-racialism era where colorblindness prevails. Most Americans and people in other parts of the globe think that the election of Obama as the President of the U.S. put the last nail in the coffin of racism, but not every person has a similar perception. For example, Alexander (7) views the triumphant view of post-racialism as a fiction. Racial discrimination is alive and well in the U.S., and not dead as some people claim. Indeed, America still witnesses a widespread violation of human rights, which shows how racism and oppression against black citizens are highly entrenched in American society. Americans opposing the widespread racial discrimination have held demonstrations to express their disapproval of the act and to oppose America’s false presentation as a nation of inclusivity and a hub of nationalities, ethnicities, and cultures. It is imperative to acknowledge that Jim Crow and slavery are still present in the U.S. and that they now take a new form. The paper asserts that the political violence reacting to the present events of racial violence in America originates from the nation’s failure to execute real economic and social changes for its Black citizens. 

The emergence of Racial Violence and Protests 

The racial violence and protests witnessed in America’s history illustrate how racism remains a major challenge. Jackson writes that only a few major transformations in the history of politics have occurred without violence. The Americans opposing racism have always moved to the streets to express their anger at any time a violation that attracts national attention occurs. The Tulsa race massacre of 1921 erupted after groups of white people attacked the black population, destroying their businesses and houses, and injuring and killing many others. The incident that happened in Greenwood District, Tulsa, is termed as one of the fiercest incidents of racial confrontation in the U.S. The day and night attacks were deployed from private planes and on the ground causing much destruction. The incident started after the news went around that a black man (Dick Rowland) had assaulted a white lady (Sarah Page), causing a group of white men to gather outside the police staying holding Rowland demanding for his life. Dozens of black men came to rescue Rowland, and as a result, a deadly confrontation ensued. The violence spread quickly through Oklahoma, and ultimately nearly 10,000 black Americans were left without homes. The Tulsa race massacre shows how racial violence and protests emerged as early as the first quarter of the 20th century. 

The Harlem race riot of 1964 is another incident showing how deeply rooted racism in the U.S. has caused conflicts and misunderstanding. The six days of rioting commenced in July 1964 in Manhattan, Harlem, after the killing of an African American teenager by a white officer who was not on duty (Stultz). The rampage quickly spread to Brownsville and Bedford-Stuyvesant, and soon protests erupted in major American cities such as New Jersey, Philadelphia, and New York (Stultz). The protests started on a low note, but as the emotions continued to grow, the protesters became increasingly violent, prompting them to use harsher ways to contain the rioters who vandalized private property, looted stores, and counteracted the attempts by the police to calm the unrest. The protests continued for at least two nights and quickly spread to African neighborhoods’ where fatal incidences occurred (Stultz). The end of the violence resulted in one person’s death, while more than 100 people sustained injuries (Stultz). The Harlem race riot of 1964 reinstates how racism against Blacks has continued to cause confrontations between the white population and African Americans. 

The 1992 Los Angeles riots reinstate the idea that Blacks have continued to experience racial discrimination in the U.S. The unrest that covered a significant portion of Los Angeles County started on April 1992 after a trial court acquitted four police officers from the Los Angeles Police Department for using excessive force in arresting and punishing Rodney King (CNN). The public was angered by how the police handled the case after the video leaked and aired on TV stations. The 1992 racial violence was characterized by arson, assault, and looting, which the police officers had a difficult time controlling (CNN). The situation only calmed after the deployment of the U.S. military, the California National Guard, and other law enforcement agencies from the federal government (CNN). The effects of the confrontation were deaths, arrests, and injuries that spread across the state. 

The latest incident involves the death of George Floyd, a black man who succumbed to the brutality of police officers who tried to arrest him in Minneapolis. A police officer from the Minneapolis Police Department knelt on his neck for approximately nine minutes while three other policemen looked on. The protests started within the Minneapolis Saint Paul metropolitan before spreading countrywide, and in more than 60 nations all over the world in advocating for the better treatment of the Blacks. The protests had spread to more than 2000 towns and cities across America and the world by June, creating much damage, injuries, and loss of life. The death of Floyd continues to generate bitter reactions from the supporters of Black Lives Matter, and the destructions caused by the riots makes things harder for America now that Covid-19 has already made things difficult.  

Mass Incarceration of People of Color 

Racism is far from over because the relentless mass incarceration of poor people of color in the U.S. creates a new form of caste structures. The era of mass incarceration started in the 1970s, and many scholars and evaluators believe that the advancement in America’s inmate population was a purposeful policy (Vera). The process was flamed by rhetoric during campaigns that aimed at lowering criminal activities and planned by influential people, encompassing legislators who advocated for stiffer sentencing laws, local and state executives who asked security officers to be stricter on crime (Vera). Prison administrators also contributed towards the mass incarceration because they agreed to house an expanding population with restricted resources. 

Although the unanticipated growth in the inmate population during the 1970s may appear like a peculiar situation, the context was evident for the expansion long before the 1970s. Certainly, the number of prisoners was far much higher during the period of mass incarceration than at any other time in history. Still, the regulations and policies that accelerated the growth originated from a common tale: one entailing public concern about alleged and actual criminal behaviors by ethnic and racial minorities and the utilization of state reprimand to correct them (Vera). It is an account that recur itself all over the history of America. The country has witnessed waves of criminal activities and behaviors from the past until now. Still, the patterns of imprisonment are disproportionately based on societal and cultural affiliation (Vera). Refugees, Native Americans, immigrants, Blacks, and others with different statuses have continued to become the victims of mass incarceration since the practiced started in the 1970s (Vera). The situation has caused a relentless and disproportionate effect of incarceration on the targeted populations. The research by Vera indicates that ethnic and racial minorities, together with non-English speaking immigrants from Europe and other foreign-born individuals, constitute 41 to 51% of the prison population since the 1850s to the 1940s (Vera). The 2015 data shows that nearly 56% of the inmates in federal and state prisons were either Latino or Black (Vera). The data implies that people of color are incarcerated in prisons across America at least six times the rate of Whites. Alexander (9) informs that in most urban centers, most working-age black men have past criminal records. For example, it emerged in 2002 that, in Chicago, about 80% of the prisoners comprised of working-age black Americans (Alexander 9). The disproportionate incarceration suggests that something must happen to create a country where racism does not differentiate people based on the ethnic or racial backgrounds because such categorizations could cause violence such as those witnessed in the past and in the present society.

The tale that people of color deserve more restrictive actions is established on stereotypes, deception and myths, and to truthfully change prison operations, and to substantiate the correct path, it is a story people must reckon and subvert. The political leaders and other stakeholders must grapple with how correctional facilities in America are tangled with the effects of slavery and generations of social and racial injustice (Vera). Americans should acknowledge that no new generation is created from a clean policy, but rather each generation is surfaced on top of preceding physical framework, morals and ancient practices (Vera). Americans must recognize that mass imprisonment is an era marked by substantial breach of freedoms of cultural and racial minorities, most particularly African Americans. People must acknowledge that the inequitable handling of inmates has its origins in the corrections periods that occurred before what exists today (Vera). However, it is encouraging escalating awareness of the U.S.’s failed trial with mass incarceration has facilitated transformations at the federal and state levels aiming at reducing the magnitude of disproportionate imprisonment. 

America’s Attempts to Cover up and Overlook the Origins of Racism 

Americans know that racism still exists, but some individuals and groups try to cover up and overlook the beginning of racism. One of the major problems is many people assume that the evils of Jim Crow are over and that the country has made tremendous progress in containing racism. Many Americans know that the issues affecting the poor minority populations, including hurdles associated with escalating incarceration rates and crime, to be a result of lack of reach to quality education and poverty. Still, they do not take suitable measures to help the affected groups (Alexander 9). Instead, they harbor the persisting legacy of Jim Crow and slavery by turning a blind eye to the issue. The Collier and Hoeffler (CH) model describes how people are likely to cause violence when they lack suitable economic opportunities (Collier and Sambanis 6), which challenges the national leaders to avoid overlooking why more African Americans become victims of imprisonment and address the matter by creating more employment opportunities for the population. The people in power assume and tend to overlook several issues that could help to understand how racism started, including assuming that police brutality and racial profiling no longer exist (Alexander 9). The leaders also assume that other factors such as adequate support during re-entry exist and that the enforcement of drug law in poorly established communities of color is not as harsh as critics say. A suitable place to start would be to review the constitution and identify the aspects that do not advocate for equal treatment of every person regardless of their nature. 

Educators seem to fail in reminding learners about the origins of racism, which contribute to the persistent discrimination against the people of color. Jackson informs that teachers can be hesitant to teach about the virtue of violence, particularly in the circumstance of political history. Jackson describes how it is easier to show learners a film about Gandhi or to play Martin Luther’s speeches than to elaborate on the historical importance of Malcolm X’s view that it is impossible to have a revolution without violence. Educators fail to equip students or members of the society with vital information that helps to understand the origins of racism and how to deal with such issues with the perception that such information could instigate unrest and confrontations. Instructors can help with the problem by not overlooking the whole issue and encouraging their students to be analytical. The students should have the ability to question, argue, challenge, and even protect justice for everyone, regardless of their racial background. 

Conclusion

The study elaborates on how racism remains a major concern in American society despite the perception that the Americans consider each other as equal regardless of their backgrounds and physical features. History shows that racial protests and violence had occurred since the early 20th century, when the Black and White communities started to clash because of their racial differences. Incidences such as the Tulsa race massacre of 1921, the Harlem race riot of 1964, the 1992 Los Angeles riots, and the death of George Floyd and the subsequent worldwide protests show that racism started many years ago and continues today. The study illustrates how racism remains a concern in American society because more people from ethnic and racial minority groups form a larger portion of the prison population. The introduction of mass incarceration in the 1970s marks a point when more African Americans entered prison facilities to enforce punishment. The introduction of stiffer penalties targeted mostly African Americans and Latinos, a policy that has since generated much debate and controversy. The American tries to cover up the origins of racism, yet it is clear before everyone that society still practices racial segregation. Acknowledging that racism exists in America and that the earlier injustices contribute to the current problem may help develop suitable mitigations. 

Works Cited

Alexander, Michelle. “The New Jim Crow.” Ohio State Journal of Criminal Law, vol. 9, no. 1,

            2011, pp. 7-26.

CNN. “Los Angeles Riots Fast Facts.” CNN, 2020. https://edition.cnn.com/2013/09/18/us/los-

            angeles-riots-fast-facts/index.html

Collier, Paul and Sambanis Nicholas. “Understanding Civil War.” Journal of Conflict

            Resolution, vol. 46, no. 1, 2002, pp. 3-12.

Jackson, Kellie. “Violence in Political History: The Challenges of Teaching about the Politics of

            Power and Resistance.” Perspectives on History, May 1, 2011.

https://www.historians.org/publications-and-directories/perspectives-on-history/may-

            2011/violence-in-political-history

Stultz, Spencer. “The Harlem Race Riot of 1964.” Blackpast, December 4, 2017.

            blackpast.org/african-american-history/harlem-race-riot-1964/

Vera. “American History, Race, and Prison.” Vera, 2020. https://www.vera.org/reimagining-

            prison-web-report/american-history-race-and-prisons