America is not a racist country (never was)

Red Cloud, the leader of the Oglala Lakota, addressed an audience in New York after leading a delegation to meet with the Great Father. In his speech, he spoke about the horrors and broken promises that the Federal Government - and army - carried out in Indian reservations and territories. President Ulysses S. Grant order numerous investigations and trials for violations, and numerous soliders were court-martial for refusing to hunt down Indians. Others were sent to prison for, effectively, war crimes.

Citizens were horrified by the words of Red Cloud, countless petitions were sent to Congress and letters condemning the treatment of the Native population.

Decades earlier, in 1860 (during the Civil War) the settlers of New Mexico Territory rebelled and demanded replacement for Col. James H. Carleton, after the treatment and poor conditions in the Indian camps. General Sherman, his sucessor, told his children to "go back to their homes." The Apache were allowed to return to the plains and live in peace.

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The Republican Congress of 1866, passed the Civil Rights act - which President Jackson vetoed by commenting that Blacks were not entitled to citizenship. Congress, with its majority, turned over the veto. Tragically, the Supreme Court ruled the Act was unconstitutional.

In 1871, Republican President Ulysses S. Grant signed Butler's legislation, the Ku Klux Klan Act, which protected African Americans in the south from the KKK.

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Forced termination is wrong, in my judgment, for a number of reasons. First, the premises on which it rests are wrong ... The second reason for rejecting forced termination is that the practical results have been clearly harmful in the few instances in which termination actually has been tried ... The third argument I would make against forced termination concerns the effect it has had upon the overwhelming majority of tribes which still enjoy a special relationship with the Federal government ... The recommendations of this administration represent an historic step forward in Indian policy. We are proposing to break sharply with past approaches to Indian problems.

President Richard Nixon, Special Message on Indian Affairs, July 8, 1970.

Regardless the actions of a minority, from across all creeds and religions, America has never been a racist country and both political parties were never institutionaly racist.

There are, currently, more high ranking African Americans within the US military than Europe. This thread is not written by an apologist or revisionist, but the United States has provided numerous equality measures - including returning stolen Nazi artwork to Jews (restitution.) Only Great Britain has done more. Africa greatest donating for aid is the United States - including cancelling debt.

However, the world - and predominantly us in Europe - could learn from the United States.

Originally posted by infinite

Regardless the actions of a minority, from across all creeds and religions, America has never been a racist country and both political parties were never institutionaly racist.

Thanks for the great research. Unfortunately, I can't imagine how you did all that research and were able to state the above. Yes, we have been a racist nation. Yes, we have committed atrocities against other peoples. Yes, we have improved, but...

No...you can't deny the historical record.

[edit on 9-20-2009 by Valhall]

reply to post by Valhall


I'm not denying the historical records, especially the massacres against the Native population. But European Americans never had the mentality of Afrikaners, who introduced Apartheid in South Africa.

Originally posted by infinite
reply to post by Valhall

 

I'm not denying the historical records, especially the massacres against the Native population. But European Americans never had the mentality of Afrikaners, who introduced Apartheid in South Africa.

Yes, they did. Intentional insertion of smallpox into blankets and an organized, intentional attempt to wipe out the buffalo for the sole purpose of starving out the native indians to the point they were either entirely gone or decimated to low enough numbers to SEPARATE THEM into reservations is EXACTLY the same thing as Apartheid.

reply to post by Valhall


In fact, I would compare it to the settlement movement in Israel - not South Africa. The treaties ruled whites could not settle - they did. The settlement movement in Israel have ignored countless Israeli Supreme Court rulings and United Nations motions.

reply to post by infinite


Oh yes they did. There were sunset laws in which blacks had to be outside of town by sundown or they would at best be arrested...then there were the whole cycle of Jim Crow laws which instituitionalized racism and segregation...

No difference whatsoever from the aparthid laws.

reply to post by grover


However, Congress did move to forbid these laws (which was overruled by the Supreme Country) In the late 1890s, numerous association formed to protest against Jim Crow Laws.

reply to post by infinite

I did not say that there were not good people who saw the wrong in these laws and protested them...there certainly were but when the Supreme court upheld those and other laws they gave in essence federal approval to instituitionalized racism.

Originally posted by infinite
reply to post by Valhall

 

I'm not denying the historical records, especially the massacres against the Native population. But European Americans never had the mentality of Afrikaners, who introduced Apartheid in South Africa.

We did have Apartheid. It was called "Jim Crow."

People of color weren't allowed to drink from the same fountains and eat in the same restaurants right up into the 1960s. Also weren't allowed to stay in the same hotels. Weren't allowed to intermarry and a whole host of other things.

I can't believe anyone could believe this country was never racist. I suggest you watch films of the first African American students going to school at the University of Arkansas and see the hatred the citizens display towards a few humble college kids trying to get an education at a University that only a year earlier denied them entrance based on their skin color.

America is a brutally racist country that claims otherwise.
In the office that I work in, I am 1 of the 5 black americans out of about 100 employees. One day, the power to the building went out so we couldn't work. Everyone sat around talking and having a good time... well, except for the black americans who were shut out.

That's what I get at work, the silent treatment. That's what I got in college, kicked out of the group projects for trying to lend my expertise. The professors didn't help any when you explained the situation either.

So let's see... the non-black Americans get lots of friendly friends and happy times and decent looking females... and I get no women, no friends, and dragged into a back office by racist security guards and stripped butt naked like Guantanamo (and no, the cops didn't do anything about it). Not to mention that alien psychic in my head 24/7, that I can't really tell you about, that drives me absolutely crazy!

America sucks big time!

america is sadly one of the most racist countries their is.

the last election and current opposition to obama show's this.

even worse, if that its not just white on black racisim, its also black on white ... ironicly .

i love what is at the top of the screen atm...

"Racism is for Ignorant Fools"

i wish the world coudl see and agree with that message.

Originally posted by boaby_phet
america is sadly one of the most racist countries their is.

the last election and current opposition to obama show's this.

even worse, if that its not just white on black racisim, its also black on white ... ironicly .

i love what is at the top of the screen atm...

"Racism is for Ignorant Fools"

i wish the world coudl see and agree with that message.

Unfortunately, your words point to exactly what the thing at the top is speaking against:

1. The election has nothing to do with racism.
2. The criticism of Obama's performance to date has nothing to do with racism.

So why did you connect them to it?

There are, currently, more high ranking African Americans within the US military than Europe.

Duh, most European armies are in excess of 95% White so obviously almost all officers will be White.


Here's a Black warrant officer in the British Army's Bermuda Regiment.

I would also suspect that the Vrijwilligerskorps Curaçao and the Vrijwilligerskorps Aruba - the Dutch Caribbean militias also have a large amount of Black personnel due to the racial demographics of Aruba and the Netherlands Antilles. Both territories also have Royal Netherlands Navy, Air Force, and Marine Corps garrisons as well.

[edit on 20-9-2009 by ChrisF231]

In my native studies class we learned that Apartheid is based on the way north america dealt with the natives. Their system is based on the one we created.

So put that in your peace pipe and smoke it.

reply to post by Valhall


i would have to say, i disagree,

ive viewed the whole election and subsequently obama being inagurated as president.. i watched alot of rallys, followed the forums/news sites.. and tbh .. most of the critisisim is completly unjust and very much overtly racist.. not direct racisim.. but overt racisim .. the kind of stuff that has became a problem on this forum.

its because of this overt racisim that we have that big green letters above every post at the moment on ats and nothing else.

People, regardless of where ever they are on mother earth are unfortunately RASCIST!
Even if they are not, society creates such feeling thu ignorance...... Sad, true, and happening all around you, wherever you may be.
Individuals of good values rarely hold rascist values strongly.
Most GOOD people judge a group not on stereotypes but simply on human values.
Unfortunately countries where folk flea, often because of rascism, genecide and blatent corruption, are often (not always!) even more rascist than the countries who accept with open arms anyone who makes it to the shores.
Rascism is more rofound now in wealthy western countries (when it should not be so) simply because PEOPLE ARE JUDGEMENAL!
It is a sad truth, that as globalisation flourishes, even in the face of adversity, fundamentalism and blatent ignorance, the world community is so disjointed by corruption and disinformation, any true global village will always be a utopian dream.
I think Orwell, Huxley and great writers from all cultures have acknowledged this fact for hundreds of years.
HUmans are unfortunatly fickle, paranoid and useless. (ha ha! that's not aimed at ATS's so much as anyone who watches FOX and thinks that is how the world goes.
Humans should be ashamed. Period.
We are weak, easliy manipulated by msm and generally in the west don't even fkn read books.
I am not an american, but may as well be since my own country have harmed it's own indiginous culture even more than americans.
We are, you are, everyone is, a discrace.
Thanks.

Couple things....

1)The so called "native" Americans practised slavery before Europeans even showed up. So to pass them off as some kind of innocent, poor people who were trampled upon is total bs.

2)The Afrikanners were right in what they did. Evidence? Take a look at the current situation in South Africa.

Originally posted by 21cdb
2)The Afrikanners were right in what they did. Evidence? Take a look at the current situation in South Africa.

So, in an ideal world, it is perfectly acceptable to segregate individuals based on race

Originally posted by infinite

Originally posted by 21cdb
2)The Afrikanners were right in what they did. Evidence? Take a look at the current situation in South Africa.

So, in an ideal world, it is perfectly acceptable to segregate individuals based on race

In an ideal world, certin ethnic groups wouldn't have certin behaviors and deem them as "normal".

reply to post by 21cdb


define "certain behaviours"

If this is in relation to modern day South Africa, are you suggesting that the black population (or others) are to blame for the violence based on "certain behaviours"