Declaration’s Statement as a Self-Evident Lie: Oppression in America

There is an undeniable connection between the word “Oppression” and the United States of America. Based upon the ideals written in the Declaration of Independence, one would think that oppression in America could not possibly exist. The well-documented history of slavery in the United States provides a strong counterargument to that notion. From the very beginning of the creation of the United States, there were certain values that were emphasized in the Declaration of Independence. The most prominent sentence in the document, written by Thomas Jefferson, says, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights, that are among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” What this means, essentially, is that all humans that reside in the United States are to be given the same opportunity regardless of their race, gender, or any other factor. The question regarding that sentence in the Declaration of Independence is: Are there groups that have never realized the truth of that statement? Is there one group that feels this is not true more so than others? From a historical perspective, African Americans had little to no chance of realizing that statement as truth, as they faced an unprecedented amount of intentional and unintentional oppression, in part due to a system that stacked the deck against them. Even in this modern age, it is clear that African Americans are predisposed to certain types of oppression, whether it be systematic or as a result of societal conditioning.

Oppression is defined as “prolonged cruel or unjust treatment or control”. It can and has occurred in numerous different ways in the United States, ranging from intentional oppression (disparate treatment) to unintentional (disparate impact). Early on, the oppression was intentional and systematic. African Americans felt this impeccably from the very beginning, as the first Blacks were brought into the land now known as the United States to be slaves in 1619. Slavery became a massive part of the US infrastructure, and consisted of Blacks being bought and sold, and being forced to work for white men with higher socioeconomic status. There was a large racial divide from the beginning, as blacks were seen as commodities rather than people with rights. Slaves were not allowed to vote, and many southern states prohibited slaves from achieving any type of literacy. Slavery was made illegal in 1865, and though African Americans were considered free in what was known as reconstruction, they were given no resources and were generally left to fend for themselves. Reconstruction did little to help the freed slaves, as in 1890, 65% of African Americans were unable to read and write. The lack of willingness to provide them with education prevented them from being able to vote or do anything substantial to spark change. These problems continued through to the civil rights era, which began in 1954. That period saw African Americans dealing with loads of violence targeted towards them. The white supremacist group is known as the Klu Klux Clan routinely targeted African Americans in violent hate crimes in order to slow down their bid for equality. Examples of this were the 16th Street Baptist Church bombing and the murders of numerous African Americans, including Willie Edwards who was forced by the KKK to jump from a bridge. There were numerous struggles of the African American people throughout the civil rights movement, and some of the most important issues were highlighted by Martin Luther King Jr. Martin Luther King headed the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, and he argued that Blacks would gain more ground through nonviolent protests and attempts at racial unity. The SCLC argued that racial inequalities were rooted in the structure of American capitalism and that the war on poverty needed national attention in order for things to change. King provided a beacon of hope that the civil rights violence could be put to an end. However, in 1968, Martin Luther King was shot and killed in Memphis, Tennessee. His death essentially killed the SCLC and ended the civil rights movement’s powerful momentum.

There was a brief period after the civil rights movement after the segregation laws had come to end, where the oppression against African Americans had shifted from intentional disparate treatment to unintentional disparate impact. In 1990, about 6 million African Americans lived in ghettos in urban America, and there was a 45.4 poverty percentage among African Americans in metropolitan areas. The alarming fact was that almost half of all African Americans whom were classified as poor in metropolitan areas were living in ghettos in 1990. In the research article titled “Ghetto Poverty Among Blacks in the 1980s” written by Paul Jargowsky, it is spoken about how the ghetto neighborhoods acted to isolate the poor African Americans from the middle class. Jargowsky speaks on the role that historical segregation and lack of quality education/access to jobs had in creating ghettos and thus continuing the cycle of racial inequality through isolation.

At that point in time, the 1980s through the 2000s, the oppression of African Americans had turned from disparate treatment to disparate impact. African Americans were ignored and marginalized. The rise of white politicians again killed the momentum of racial equality, as Reagan and Bush weakened the government’s commitment to equal employment opportunity. Lack of quality jobs meant increasing levels of poverty, which led to crime. The prison industry began overflowing with black men, and as of 1998, there were twice as many black men in prison than there were all men in prison in 1978. White politicians and prosecutors argued that blacks were more likely to commit violent crimes, but it seems to be predisposed that way due to the economic inequality and poverty issues. It became clear that inner cities were being neglected in favor of wealthier areas, and the isolation of ghetto communities became more prevalent. As a result, African Americans continued to make up the majority of prisoners and many continued to live below the poverty line.

Today’s landscape, although being fundamentally different, still presents numerous challenges to the African American community. Linde Riphagen brings up numerous interesting points in his research journal titled “Marginalization of African Americans in the Social Sphere of the US.” Riphagen brings up an interesting point regarding the socioeconomic inequality of Blacks and Whites. He talks about politicians and white Americans hiding behind the façade of the “American Dream” and pointing to the fact that all US citizens have the same rights. The belief, he says, is that the idea of these American values prevailing (hard work, perseverance) has caused African Americans to be ignored and cast off with media tropes of laziness and lack of drive. Riphagen also mentions the inability of many White Americans to acknowledge the class inequality and the historic past of racism regarding African Americans. If the need is never felt to talk about the problem, then the problem will continue to be swept under the rug without consequence. One particular quote from Riphagen sums the argument up, “From a situation in which the lack of civil rights legislation left African- Americans relatively segregated and excluded from the dominant society, currently the same rights apply to all people, no matter what race or gender. Although this sounds very promising, it is however not as positive and inclusive as it might appear. The same conditions and rights might apply and transcend races, but without the conditions, investments, and inclusion to support this upward mobility, it seems a rather impossible task to achieve.” Riphagen’s research study focuses on one primary question: “Why do African Americans continue to be marginalized (and excluded) in the social sphere, in the specific case of US society?” Riphagen then uses empirical data on housing, the prison system, education, and social prejudice to explore his question. Riphagen concludes by stating that racism is unfortunately embedded in our social structure, and is largely invisible. He continues to say that because this racism is invisible and ingrained in the so-called “system’, it’s difficult to blame individuals. As a result of historic segregation, disparate treatment, and ongoing disparate impact, African Americans continue to live in a society that has marginalized them and driven them downward in a hierarchy that is undeniably run by whites.

Reflection

I did not have much prior knowledge regarding invisible racism and marginalization as a form of oppression before this assignment, and a lot of the research I did gave me a new perspective. In particular, Riphagen’s research journal about the marginalization of Black people helped me understand the pervasive issues that plague African Americans in contemporary US society. I believe personally that racial inequality is an issue that has been entrenched in society and is often neglected and passed over because of the violent historical past. People don’t like to talk about racism, and they don’t like to acknowledge that it has been prevalent in the United States for a very long time. I think also that media portrayal of African Americans has led to a degradation of their image and has made it easier to justify the lack of opportunities given and so forth. Riphagen has a great quote on page 103 that spoke about how in a series of research interviews, over 50% of White Americans thought that most African Americans were “aggressive and violent” and over 30% saw them as lazy. That figure jumped out at me because it provided evidence that African Americans are indeed stigmatized and the White media has a lot to do with it. Due to a lack of resources and outside help, many African Americans are doomed to a life of poverty and marginalization, and therefore have no choice but to see the Declaration’s statement as a self-evident lie.

Works Cited

1. Jargowsky, Paul A. (1994). Ghetto Poverty Among Blacks in the 1980’s. Journal of Policy and Management. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.2307/3325015
2. Riphagen, Linde. (2008). Marginalization of African Americans in the Social Sphere of the US. The Interdisciplinary Journal of International Studies, Volume 5. https://journals.aau.dk/index.php/ijis/article/view/174
3. Fairclough, Adam. (2002) Better Day Coming: Blacks and Equality, 1890-2000. New York, NY: Penguin