An Oppressed Group That Overcame Its Rights Restrictions
African Americans are among the groups in United States history who have faced numerous obstacles. Society has not treated them well since they were brought to the country as enslaved persons many centuries ago. American society did not give African Americans equal rights and opportunities to succeed. Despite the life they have faced from the era of slavery, African Americans have struggled to achieve the successes they are boasting of today. They have fought against structural racism and discrimination among their people, and so far, they have made remarkable steps that have led to their success in various fields.
One area where African American success is evident is in politics, sports, and the entertainment industry. In politics, for instance, African Americans have managed to maneuver through the structural racism and discrimination against them and have risen to acquire the presidency of the United States (Shaw et al., 2021). President Barack Obama is of African American descent and served as the 44th president of the United States. His election as the president was a milestone for his people, who struggled from slavery to civil rights for equal rights and opportunities (Shaw et al., 2021).
Beyond the political sphere, African Americans have also succeeded in business, entertainment, sports, and academia in the United States (Calow, 2022). Some prominent names that dominate these fields include Oprah Winfrey in the entertainment industry, Michael Jordan in the business and sports segment, and Dr. Ben Carson in academia, among others from African American society. They have risen and become influential figures in the country.
An Oppressed Community That Failed in Overcoming Its Rights Restrictions
Native Americans faced similar mistreatment in the country upon the arrival of Europeans. Just like African Americans, Native Americans have faced similar mistreatment, where they have been deprived of opportunities and equal rights since the arrival of Europeans (Paul, 2022). They have faced numerous obstacles in the country, which have hindered their prosperity over the centuries.
Unlike African Americans, they have been unable to overcome their challenges to become successful in the country. Their lack of success can be viewed from the context of land ownership and their sovereignty. The community has signed numerous agreements with the United States government; however, the authorities have disregarded or violated these agreements, contributing to the loss of their ancestral lands.
The government has also passed laws, for instance, the Dawes Act of 1887, which has contributed to injustices against the community, hindering their success (Corbett, 2020). The act targets the community’s assimilation into the general American society by subdividing their communal land into individual parcels (Corbett, 2020). The act also requires that the excess land be sold to non-native Americans upon the division. This act, therefore, has contributed to the suffering of the Native Americans by denying them control over their lands and infiltrating their cultures.
Comparison of Two Groups
From comparing the two communities, the contributing factor to the different outcomes is the difference in their historical encounters with Europeans. Africans were taken to America as enslaved persons, while Native Americans were forcefully removed from their ancestral lands. These differing incidences led to unique circumstances in their struggles.
African Americans organized to fight slavery, ending it in the country, and further championed their rights through civil rights movements, creating opportunities for the community (Shaw et al., 2021). On the other hand, the Native Americans’ struggle for their land was met with assimilation policies and violence, abolishing their cultural practices. As individuals, we can champion equal rights and opportunities by engaging in movements that advocate for abolishing policies that promote division and instead support those that encourage diversity and inclusion in American society.
References
Calow, E. (2022). ‘Well, what was the message you got?‘: the discursive power of Naomi Osaka and her peaceful protest at the 2020 US Open. European Journal for Sport and Society, 19(4), 347-367.
Corbett, E. (2020). The Dawes Act and Territorial Rights. In: Kocsis, M. (eds) Global Encyclopedia of Territorial Rights. Springer, Cham, 1-4.
Paul, D. N. (2022). We were not the savages, first nation’s history: Collision between European and Native American civilizations. Fernwood Publishing.
Shaw, T. C., Brown, R. A., & McCormick II, J. P. (Eds.). (2021). After Obama: African American politics in a post-Obama era. NYU Press.