Racial Differences
In my opinion, race can be defined as the delineation between groups of humans by differing characteristics. I think that the definition of race was similar in American society during the antebellum era, the difference being the reaction to this dissimilarity. Racism still occurs in today's society, but overall people can accept one another for who they are and not what their skin color is. The beginnings of this racism can be found in the attitudes of the large majority of whites during the antebellum era. The general mindset was that blacks were innately inferior to whites, with
Others convinced themselves and others that slavery was actually a blessing for the black population. The plantation owners were the dominant supporters of slavery, constantly in fear of uprisings, which only increased their feelings of racism. In their own ignorance, they professed that in the Bible, God commands slaves to fulfill their path in life and be obedient to their masters. Such an uprising did occur in 1831 in Virginia, when a group of slaves led by Nat Turner launched a bloody rebellion, killing nearly 60 whites. I think that the faulty reasoning and gross misunderstandings behind racism is a combination of fear and ignorance. Whites definitely understood the concept of race; they simply used it to justify the institution of slavery. In "The Blessings of Slavery", George Fitzhugh best displays this ignorance by asserting that, "The Negro slaves of the South are the happiest, and in some sense, the freest people in the world". This lack of tolerance led them to see blacks as inferior and only suitable for slavery. This included new laws that restricted the rights of slaves to move about, assemble, or learn to read and write. This incident caused a movement among the whites to severe slaves from possible exposure to antislavery ideas and attitudes. They were in constant fear of uprisings, which led them to generate more justification for slavery. They felt as though they needed to keep blacks in "their place" which was anywhere below the social status of any whites in society. In a very race-conscious society, white skin represented pride and status, making even the most poor and uneducated whites feel superior in society.
Common topics in this essay:
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Nat Turner,
African Americans,
Bible God,
George Fitzhugh,
antebellum era,
fear uprisings,
skin color,
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