How is the invention of race tied to the accumulation of wealth, in the origin of the US (provide specific examples from the readings/videos and provide a clear explanation)?

After reviewing and reflecting on all of the assigned materials in this week’s module, compose an essay that completes all of the tasks (1-5) according to the rubric below

Compose a 400-500 word essay in your own words (with appropriate selections/quotations/references) that synthesizes and analyzes all of the assigned materials

• You must clearly demonstrate that you reviewed and reflected upon ALLof the module and materials in your essay response. 
• Make clear and explicit reference to ALLof the assigned materials (articles, videos, etc.), with minimal but necessary summary–the bulk of your essay should by your own reflection and analysis of the materials according to the prompts.
• Provide proper attribution and citation in a clear and consistent fashion (for quotations as well as paraphrases–clearly identify the source of your info)
• Do not simply copy and paste or block quote–your essay needs to be primarily your own analysis, in your own words, with clear and explicit reference to ALLof the assigned materials from this week.

1). How is the invention of race tied to the accumulation of wealth, in the origin of the US (provide specific examples from the readings/videos and provide a clear explanation)?

2). Explain how poverty and wealth are related historically, and how this relation is racialized (provide specific examples from the readings/videos and provide a clear explanation).

3). How do laws and their enforcement impact poverty in the US (provide specific examples from the readings/videos and provide a clear explanation)?

4). Respond to at least two classmates.

ASSIGNED READING (3 articles below):

• • • • • colonization and climateLinks to an external site.
        • invention of whitenessLinks to an external site.
        • Historic Foundations of RaceLinks to an external site.

ASSIGNED VIEWING (2 videos below):

Pay attention to how Zinn discusses the relationship between the poor and the wealthy in the social struggles that shaped the early history of the US

Howard Zinn: Watch Segments 16-22 (Start at 50 minutes and watch till the end)

Video # 1

Howard Zinn: The People’s Historian—Part 1: A Natio.

Couldn’t copy  and paste .

Video #2

https://youtu.be/FFebp7GZeHY

Student # 1 INNA

The term “race” is a human invention which was not being used frequently before the 1500s. The term “race” means identifying groups of people by their physical traits, appearance or characteristics. Race has been a significant factor in wealth accumulation. By the 1600s some noteworthy changes began to occur in the United States, as the number of immigrant Europeans increased dramatically and there was more need for labor and land to obtain wealth. The white colonists stopped referring to indentured servitude because they had “lost their attractiveness”, and turned to slavery instead as their main source of labor in many of their colonies. African people were seen as potential and desirable slaves because of demonstrating noticeable skills in carpentry, farming, bricklaying and leatherworking. The Africans were characterized positively by the colonists. The colonists saw their country’s future being depended on the African slaves because they were the major source of labor. And that is when the racial inequality became visible. By being the main labor source the Black people had to work for the White society and establish their wellbeing and the bright future.

Slavery created an explicit relationship between race and the law from the earliest foundations of American society. That new legal category meant that new forms of punishment and torture were invented to accommodate that shift in who could be considered a full person under the law. There even were laws that allowed white settlers to displace or physically harm Native Americans. Those punishments included torture, brutal beatings, rape and other inhuman cruelties. Those punishments resulted in a system of exploiting and legally supporting the subjugation that left black people almost entirely outside the protection law. According to the Jim Crow Law, the black people were relegated to the inferior “separate but equal” public facilities, including schools, sections of the bus and washrooms. Black citizens did not have access to basic rights such as the right to vote. The black citizens were being treated as the inferior class, while the white citizens had access to anything and everything and were privileged above all others.

Even nowadays, according to the Equal Justice Under Law, from police to the prosecutors, legislatures and courts, both the state and federal systems benefit the rich while harming the poor. In other words, the poor people are treated way worse than the rich. This unfair treatment also includes wages because, according to recent statistics, in the United States black, latino and hispanic people earn way less than white people do. “Whiteness” has always been privileged. As Donald Trump once stated “Whiteness is neither notional, nor symbolic, but is the very core of his power.”

References:

• Guardian News and Media. (2021, April 20). The invention of whiteness: The long history of a dangerous idea. The Guardian. Retrieved October 31, 2022, from https://www.theguardian.com/news/2021/apr/20/the-invention-of-whiteness-long-history-dangerous-idea Links to an external site.
• Historical Foundations of Race. National Museum of African American History and Culture. (2021, December 16). Retrieved October 31, 2022, from https://nmaahc.si.edu/learn/talking-about-race/topics/historical-foundations-race Links to an external site.
• The racist origins of U.S. law. YouTube. (2020, August 6). Retrieved October 31, 2022, from https://youtu.be/FFebp7GZeHY Links to an external site.
• Aladangady, A., & Forde, A. (n.d.). Wealth inequality and the Racial Wealth Gap. The Fed – Wealth Inequality and the Racial Wealth Gap. Retrieved October 31, 2022, from https://www.federalreserve.gov/econres/notes/feds-notes/wealth-inequality-and-the-racial-wealth-gap-20211022.html Links to an external site.
• Overview. Equal Justice Under Law. (n.d.). Retrieved October 31, 2022, from https://equaljusticeunderlaw.org/overview