For the second blog I will talk about how slavery was an encompassing system of racial hierarchies that structured American social, economic, and political relationships. I will also explain how slavery was woven throughout American society and all people implicated in it. The last thing I will explain in how we can see similar systems of social control at work in our lives.

How was slavery woven throughout American society? Slavery was going on for so long that the people thought it was part of society. People accepted it because it was the way of life at that time. They did not know any difference. People may have recognized that it was wrong, but it was part of American society. People may have condoned it, but they did not want to say anything, it was part of the American society.

How were all people implicated in it? Slavery shaped the American nation, its economy, its politics, its culture, and its most fundamental principles. For most of American history, the United States was a society of slaves and slaveholders. The American economy, of course, was founded upon the production of slave-grown crops. The great staples-tobacco, rice, sugar, and finally cotton-which slave owners sold on an international market, brought capital into the new colonies. That capital eventually funded an enormous economic infrastructure upon which the modern American economy rests.

What was necessary for it to end? Civil War. Slavery was the main reason for the Civil War.

Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation. The Emancipation Proclamation did not end slavery in the nation, but it sold the love of millions of Americans and changed the character of the war. After January 1, 1863, every federal troop expanded the domain of freedom. However, the Proclamation did announce the acceptance of black men into the Union Army and Navy, which enabled the liberated to become liberators. In conclusion by the end of the war, almost 200,000 black soldiers and sailors had fought for the Union and freedom.

The first days of the Civil War slaves had acted to establish their own liberty. The Emancipation Proclamation confirmed their insistence that the war for the Union must become a war for freedom. This added moral force to the Union and strengthened the Union both politically and militarily. Towards the end to slavery's final destruction, the Emancipation Proclamation has assumed a well known document of human freedom.

Can we see similar systems of social control at work in our lives? Blue Collar (factory workers) versus white collar workers (office people). Most blue collar worker (factory) only high school education - white collar (college educated). The perception is those white collars are more educated and wealthier than blue collar workers. The wealthy and powerful/important people needed to demonstrate that slavery should end. Within the United States, Intercity versus rural areas. The perception of intercity is less education, less work ethnic. These people attitudes are "what is the government going to do to help me". The rural areas attitude "what can I do to help the government and/or country. Within the World - There has been fighting in the Middle East for centuries. Children growing up in these areas think that bombs and guns are everyday life. Many children probably do not know what they are fighting for any more; it’s just part of their life. Both examples are social driven people may not agree with it, but they do not want to say anything, it is part of society.

Ethnic Blog 1

As I begin, the British settled and colonized the Americas and the people they encountered we different in religion, dress, custom, and government. The British racialized what they saw as the “savage” nature of Native American culture and societies. First I will begin with telling you the definition of “savage” and radicalization to make my essay flow together. The British thought the Native Americans were “savage” nature of Native American culture and societies. This basically means the Native Americans were “different” than the British. Their ways seemed savage to whites, and they were very suspicious of their culture because it was different than their culture. According to Omni and Winant racialization is an ideological process, a specific one. They also say that we employ the term racialization to signify the extension of racial meaning to a previously unclassified relationship, social practice or group. So to continue, what did the British base this racialization? The British based this racialization against the Native Americans based on supposed racial and cultural superiority. Native Americans are pre-Revolution colonies, even as much as they might even be murdered in accordance with the British law. The British racialized Native people as “savages” because they were different in race and culture. The effects of this were while the colonists battled the British for independence, taking Native American land the effects were different about race and racial differences were beginning to change. Also with the end of Reconstruction in 1877, the emergent class struggles and the definition of the working class was in racial terms as “white.” The working class was affected by this and this perpetuated the color line within the working class. The last topic I will talk about is how we can see resonances of this racial formation in contemporary popular culture. It was stated in the article by Omi and Winant that class politics lost much of its resonance in a postindustrial economy, such as class formation and the developing forms of popular culture in U.S. history. In the more recent economic transformations the U.S. have also altered interpretations of racial identities and meanings. In today’s society we refer to colored people as “blacks” just because they are different, and even now some of us believe that people with different skin color or are from a different culture are viewed as “different,” because we are white, Caucasian Americans. This also affects getting jobs for some that are of a different skin color. It is bad to say, but in the U.S. and other countries some people treat others of a different ethnic background differently just because they are from another culture. Once everyone understands that discrimination and prejudice is wrong and that everyone should be treated equally, then everyone will have a fair chance. We should understand that everyone is different, but just because they have a different skin color or are from a different culture does not mean we should treat them any differently. In conclusion, race should be understood as unstable and “decentered” complex of social meanings constantly being transformed by political struggle. This was stated in the article Racial Formations by Omi and Winant.

Mallory Kemper

Hi my name is Mallory Kemper I am a junior majoring in Sport Management!

Mallory Kemper