Law in the 21st Century: Emerging Challenges and Enduring Traditions

Anna Turner

Law Day Essay Contest

America is known as the “Melting Pot” of the world, a place where people of different races, religions, ethnicities and more can join together to be united as one country. People came to America because they believed they would have freedom, and they could achieve the “American Dream.” In the majority, I think immigrants were surprised that when they came from their home country, America wasn’t all about freedom and equality for everyone.

When I think about the history of America, I think a lot about the trials that many people of different races went through. The first issue of discrimination was towards the Native Americans. The Native Americans were the first people to make America their home. As North America became more civilized, we decided that the Native Americans should have to move to one specific area so we could expand our country westward. This was not fair to the people who had their homes, their family, their friends and the life they knew be ripped away from them. I think Americans thought they had a source of entitlement to all the land on North America. This caused serious problems for different races and Indian Tribes in our history.

For African-American people discrimination was slavery. Slavery was a problem so controversial that it tore our country apart. African-Americans were stripped of their rights and forced to do hard labor for the white people. The slave trade went on until December of 1865, when the 13th amendment was ratified. Still, after the ending of Slavery, African-Americans were continued to be looked down upon and still are in some cases. African-Americans could not attend the same schools, drink out of the same water fountains, eat at the same restaurants, use the same bathrooms, or sit in the same part of the bus as white people and the list goes on and on. All this discrimination did not happen because of the kind of people they were, or the things they did, but simply because of the color of their skin.

There was also discrimination of immigrants from different countries such as Irish immigrants. Approximately one million Irish people immigrated to America between 1845-1852 because of the great potato famine. The Irish were not given equal opportunities as the white Americans were. They created their own communities and worked on railroads and mining jobs, that no one else wanted to do.

Our country still has problems with racism. Some of it is with African-Americans and people of different ethnicities, but a lot with sexual orientation. Homosexuals are very discriminated against. It is a very controversial subject. There are hate crimes committed everyday against homosexuals, African-Americans, Hispanics, and different religions. Prejudice feelings are passed down from generation to generation. It is something you develop from your parents. In the end, it is everyone’s’ own decision to be racist and prejudice to people that are different or to be tolerant and make an opinion for yourself.