Ethnocentrism
United States Ethnocentrism
People are naturally inclined to differ in their reactions to certain events. It is our experiences and backgrounds that create the opinions we have towards what we encounter. There is no one to answer the question of whose perception is right or wrong, because there is no right or wrong to the question being asked. The only time that perceptions receive this judgment is when perceptions are compared to each other. The United States of America has been comparing their own values and beliefs to others since their creation. The ethnocentrism of the United States is shown through the idea of their superiority over all other human beings. The belief of superiority gave English settlers the idea it was appropriate to force the movement of the indigenous Indians of America and later enslave African Americans, while preaching for freedom for themselves.
The United States of America, leading up to the Revolutionary War, was engaged in the trade and ownership of African American slaves. “The rise of liberty and equality in this country was accompanied by the rise of slavery” (Morgan, 5). This is a well-known fact among most U.S. citizens, but has never been discussed as being a major flaw in the “greatness” of the United States. The United States disregards acknowledging the fact that our culture had no problem enslaving and belittling African Americans, while demanding freedom from King George III who merely taxed the people of the United States. The citizens that sailed from England to America were racists who, consciously or unconsciously, believed that liberties and rights should be given only to white people (Morgan, 7). They believed, due to difference in skin color, that the African Americans did not deserve to have the same freedom as white Englishmen received. This defines the understanding of racism that I have been exposed to. English culture was predominately white citizens and, it seems, any other skin color was obviously not
People are naturally inclined to differ in their reactions to certain events. It is our experiences and backgrounds that create the opinions we have towards what we encounter. There is no one to answer the question of whose perception is right or wrong, because there is no right or wrong to the question being asked. The only time that perceptions receive this judgment is when perceptions are compared to each other. The United States of America has been comparing their own values and beliefs to others since their creation. The ethnocentrism of the United States is shown through the idea of their superiority over all other human beings. The belief of superiority gave English settlers the idea it was appropriate to force the movement of the indigenous Indians of America and later enslave African Americans, while preaching for freedom for themselves.
The United States of America, leading up to the Revolutionary War, was engaged in the trade and ownership of African American slaves. “The rise of liberty and equality in this country was accompanied by the rise of slavery” (Morgan, 5). This is a well-known fact among most U.S. citizens, but has never been discussed as being a major flaw in the “greatness” of the United States. The United States disregards acknowledging the fact that our culture had no problem enslaving and belittling African Americans, while demanding freedom from King George III who merely taxed the people of the United States. The citizens that sailed from England to America were racists who, consciously or unconsciously, believed that liberties and rights should be given only to white people (Morgan, 7). They believed, due to difference in skin color, that the African Americans did not deserve to have the same freedom as white Englishmen received. This defines the understanding of racism that I have been exposed to. English culture was predominately white citizens and, it seems, any other skin color was obviously not