Mistreatment of Minorities Due to Fear/misunderstanding

Our American history makes us aware of the mistreatment of human beings; Americans treating Americans with indifference and distaste because they want power over another human being. The historical mistreatment of minorities in America is due to fear of differences and misunderstanding of customs and religion.

Throughout history there have been various forms of slavery and the mistreatment of minority people. There are biblical stories of slave owners and slaves, often-told stories of the mistreatment of Indians by early Americans, history lessons of Negroes brought as slaves to America, Indians moved from their lands to reservations, Japanese people put in internment camps during WWII, and the prejudice toward Muslims after 9/11.

The main reason for this gross mistreatment of all these people is that one person, or group of people, thought they were better than others; or because the fear of the unknown prompted the mistreatment. These people have traditionally been treated as less than human because of the color of their skin, their religion, or their customs. The main purpose of mistreatment of minorities or groups of people is to deprive them of their dignity or moral freedom. In some cases, the mistreatment takes away their individual freedom also.

"The first group in American history to be treated as a minority was already here when the European settlers arrived" (Dinnerstein, 19). Indians were never treated as equals, and were looked down upon because of their customs and beliefs. The colonists believed Christianity was superior to the Indians' spiritual beliefs and this prevented the sort of bond that was needed for a harmonious relationship.

Tales of Indian savagery and customs were told to many colonists traveling to America. "Indian culture differed significantly from the colonists' imported culture, often in ways that increased the likelihood of mutual misunderstanding and conflict" (Vaughan, 4).

Indians were seen as inferior, and many were used as slaves. In early America, Indian slavery and an Indian slave trade were widespread. History tells us that many Indians helped the Europeans, acting as slave traders to establish a better relationship with them. They traded their own people for goods, and if they refused to help gather Indian slaves they risked becoming a potential slave themselves. Many Indians turned away from their own beliefs and families because of the idea of gaining power over others and exchanging one another for money or goods, things that the incoming colonists taught them.

Another mistreatment of the Indians by America's newest tenants was the taking away of land, or removal of the Indians from their land. Land was a precious commodity, and the whites had a new concept of ownership that the Indians didn't understand. Sometimes there was cooperation, especially if the whites got their way, but when things didn't go well and the Indians felt they were being cheated, they would frequently resist the process with violence.

Andrew Jackson was an avid proponent of Indian removal. He negotiated several treaties with Indian tribes and was elected to the Presidency in a landslide victory in 1828. In his 1829 State of the Union address, he called for an Indian Removal Act. The Removal Act was signed into law on May 26, 1830. This law "paved the way for the reluctant – and often forcible – emigration of tens of thousands of American Indians to the West" (Indian).

On December 8, 1830, President Andrew Jackson gave his First Annual Message to Congress. The message is dotted with references to the Indians as savage hunters and uncivilized beings. His attitude toward American Indians was very demeaning and he believed the removal was for their benefit. After many struggles through the next several years, the relocation of the five tribes of Indians was complete. "By 1837, the Jackson administration had removed 46,000 Native American people from their land east of the Mississippi, and had secured treaties which led to the removal of a slightly larger number. Most members of the five southeastern nations had been relocated west, opening 25 million acres of land to white settlement and to slavery" (Indian Removal).

Slavery was a horrible time in our history. The idea of "owning" another human being is a disgrace to our nation and makes me wonder how it could have happened. The misery and horror started with months below deck on a ship which was torturous to the blacks heading to American to be sold as slaves. Little did they know; their life was not going to get any easier.

Death and disease on the ships was common, with many slaves dying along the way due to the unsanitary conditions onboard the ship. "By 1768, the English slave trade had a figure of 53,000 slaves a year being shipped to the North American continent.