Chris A. Baylor
BMGT 380
Equal Protection: The Difficulties overcoming prejudices
Prof. David Dawson
April 20, 2008
Introduction
As we move through the 21st century, our reliance on the past has never been more apparent to how we proceed in the present as well as the future. The experiences of the past are still in some respects the problems of the present. Throughout history, Americans in particular have struggled in providing equality in every aspect to its citizens and people in general. There have been numerous law cases disputing the lack of equal protection given to one group as opposed to another. The question that remains is: How can we (Americans) move forward while incorporating past experiences to overcome this issue that has plagued us for so long? The answers we seek may be a combination of understanding past experiences while educating and changing the mentality of our people. This paper focuses on primarily racial discrimination and segregation but there are other forms (gender, religious, age, etc.) of discrimination that are equally as important.
Historical Perspective
The United States has long battle the issue of slavery that didn’t even begin in the U.S. but has migrated here in any event. There were harsh sentiments among blacks and has translated in horrifying events. As time went on and laws changed, the mentality of the people remained the same. There were always feelings of supremacy by whites and being equal wasn’t an option. The Civil War as well as the ratification of the Thirteenth Amendment in 1865 brought an end to slavery, but the strong feelings remained. Actually, the feelings were intensified by the southerner’s willingness to die for the opportunity t ...