When I first watched the video I was truly amazed that no school teaches about the “Notes on the State of Virginia” written by Thomas Jefferson in 1781. The reason I found this so shocking was because even though this was the time when America was getting slaves through the slave trade, rather than European indentured servants, this could be a documented way of when racism began. Jefferson wrote “I advance it as a suspicion only that the blacks whether originally a distinct race or made distinct by times and circumstances are inferior to the whites in the endownments both of body and mind.” (Race – The Power of Illusion). He was the person who said that “All men are created equal” yet he seemed to promote slavery, while also promoting freedom and inalienable rights that only applied to certain people. This starts to dehumanize blacks while promoting the fact that whites are superior to them which later on starts to incorporate the idea that the Indians are another race inferior to the white. This allows for more rights for white people while everyone else suffered. Watching the opinions of these people who suffered it shows just how much racism actually does goes on. Many people are just expected to keep their head down stay in their lane and accept all these negative things that are happening to them. They also mentioned that Americans only meant white Americans and that any other race was identified and categorized. Lastly the article explains how many people are then based off of characteristics that stem from their ancestors as well as their homeland and are used for classifications. These classifications appear both in everyday life as well as in the government. When these are classified it brings up unfair treatment due to simple characteristics we are born with. People make judgements, assumptions and actions towards specific groups of people simply based on outward appearances before inward qualities.
Hearing their stories and listening to the videos actually hurt. It made me realize just how much of everyday struggles both past and present are swept under the rug and we’re not expected to do much about it. It also kind of upset me how much mistreatment different groups of people have to experience everyday due to a simple illusion. In the end we are all humans, we were all born into this earth, all have skeletal and muscles systems and yes created equal. Misconceptions and judgements about certain groups of people shouldn’t define the whole group. Everyone deserves equal treatment.
Hello Anaise you make a very good point that people make judgements, assumptions and actions towards specific groups of people simply based on outward appearances before inward qualities.I really agree on this because someone simply can just walk past you and would hear something racially and mentally abusing said to them. People can’t go outdoors with out being let down and hopeless that today I have to hear something from someones mouth.