preview

Race is Still a Factor in America Essay

Better Essays

“I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of creed: We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal” (Dr. King, Martin “I Have a Dream” Lincoln Memorial, Washington D.C. 28 August 1963). It has been fifty-one years since Dr. Martin Luther King J.R. delivered his famous “I Have a Dream” speech. It is evident that human beings who are considered to be African- American have made several outstanding achievements since the times of segregation; they have obtained the same suffrage rights, the same job opportunities, and many more privileges that were previously denied to them by their Caucasian counterparts. Though the people of African- American decent have come a long way …show more content…

In 1896, the “separate-but-equal” doctrine arose out of the Plessey vs. Ferguson case, which stated that as long as the two races were provided with equal accommodations, separating the races was constitutional. However, the lifestyle of the two races were not in any way equal; for example the colored population was forced to endure being considered second-rate in a nation where “all men are created equal,” a quote made by Thomas Jefferson, one of the Founding Fathers of the United States. Throughout the civil rights era, the African-American community fought for their rights and successfully obtained them. Theoretically, the African-American people have the same rights today that Caucasian men have always had; yet this is not entirely true. An example of racial inequality today is evident through the economy. In an article titled Race is Still a Factor in America, California representative Barbara Lee points out that there is a large financial gap between the people that are Caucasian and the minorities, including the African-American people. The reason behind financial gap is that the minorities are not given the same opportunities as the white race because of racial inequality. Lee states, “The statistics speak for themselves: the median wealth of white households is 20 times that of

Get Access