In his article “The Declining Significance of Race: Revisited & Revised”, William Wilson discusses the issues that are important in connection with discriminating race relations, and economic and political developments in society, which were connected with it. He argues that racial antagonism is the result of something that is even broader than nationalistic hatred; in fact, it is connected with the desire to dominate over the other race both economically and politically. In the following paper, Wilson’s findings in this article will be evaluated on the basis of chapter 7 of the class textbook.
Discussing the main features of Wilson’s article, the first factor that becomes evident is its historical accuracy. If to compare the main events, that Wilson mentions in connection with the development of race relations in the United States, with the facts from the textbook, it appears that the two texts have a remarkable similarity. For example, both Wilson and chapter 7 mention three periods of evolution in the relations of white and black population in the country: the preindustrial period (when black population was brought to the United States to work as slaves); the industrial period (when black people obtained freedom, citizenship, and more other rights along with hazardous jobs in industry); and the modern industrial period (when African Americans managed to have a new deal with the white population).
The other important feature of Wilson’s argument is in providing extensive theory regarding the ideas that were behind the worsening of race relations in the United States. Wilson explains that initially, the African population was seen as inferior to the white population because it had been subjected to slavery. However, he shows that later the motivation behind racial oppressions and discrimination has changed. According to Wilson, the new idea, that became the foundation of nationalism, bias and race discrimination, emerged in the XIX century. During that historical period, there appeared scientists and scholars who believed that black people were an inferior race because of their poor intellectual abilities, mentality peculiarities, and even their looks. The influence of the ideas of these scholars on society was considerable, which resulted into the development of a new vision of race issues in the United States. These findings by Wilson are in full accord with the information from chapter 7, where, in the subheading “The Development of Racist Ideology”, it is possible to find a theoretical explanation similar to the one offered by Wilson.
In addition, the author pays a special attention to the explanation of how it became possible for African Americans to acquire more weight in American society. He shows that due to the transition to industrial forms of economic relations, black citizens, who were mainly occupied in industry, were able to increase their economical and political potential, and this was the basis for the formation of a new type of race relations in the United States. Similar explanation is offered in chapter 7, where it is stated that the achievements of black people in the area of economy made their status is society more substantial.
One more important point in Wilson’s argument is the reasoning on how American government has been striving to overcome the problems that are rife in connection to racial issues. According to Wilson, “state intervention designed to promote racial equality, together with the reciprocal relationship between the polity and the economy” became an important point in the development of race relations in the country (2011, p. 56). The author explains that the government proposed black population a variety of ways to strengthen their positions in the society. Along with the legislative basis, African Americans were invited to participate in the program of urban relocation and the northern industrialization, which started in the beginning of the XX century. As a result, black Americans managed to have a weightier economical and social status. This offered them a chance to continue their fight for their rights and have more powerful arguments in their opposition with those people in society who had racist moods. Chapter 7 also makes a special emphasis on the new period in the development of race relations in the United States, which have begun after the 1940s, and shows that the positive developments of this period have established sound grounds for optimism. In particular, African Americans acquired an opportunity to enlarge their economic wealth due to better chances in the educational system; it became possible for them to have an active participation in political life of the country; and they even started occupying high position in the law enforcement and legislative systems of the country.
In conclusion, it should be stated that Wilson’s article provides the audience with a prospect of the main events that took place during the developments of race relations in the United Sates. Its strong point is in showing how exactly black population was able to improve its social status. However, reflecting on Wilson’s argument and the theories discussed in chapter 7 of the class textbook, the two questions still come on mind: “Is it possible to completely overcome racial contradictions in the United States?”, and “How can this be done in practice?”. I believe considering these two questions will contribute to the discussion in class.
References
Wilson, William Julius. “The Declining Significance of Race: Revisited & Revised.”Daedalus 140.2 (2011): 55-69. Print.