Institutional racism is viewed in many ways within the American society, which was founded …show more content…
Institutional racism has many causes within American society. According to Kareem, this began with slavery which originated in 1525 when Africans began to be shipped to the ‘New World’. The practice continued into 1865. Although, initially private, slavery became institutionalized when John Caster, an institutionalised slave himself, sued for not being granted his freedom following the end of his service. The court ruled in the favour of his slave master and he was doomed to (condemned) become a ‘servant for life’, thus the procedure of institutionalised slavery began. Just below half a million Africans were shipped to the US during the slave trade, which formally ended in 1865. This may sound horrific, but the practice of racism against African Americans didn’t end there. American society was founded on the discrimination of slavery which can be recognised in the Jim Crow racial caste system. At the beginning of the 1890’s African Americans were excluded from voting due to the Jim Crow caste system. “Denying black men the right to vote through legal operations and violence was the first step in taking away African Americans rights” claims National Museum of American History. Although they officially had the right to vote, in many states there were laws which made doing so difficult. For example the poll tax laws, which were too costly for many African American voters therefore they could not register to vote. Due to the end of slavery in 1865, former slaves were able to receive their rights to citizenship and the “equal protection” of the constitution in the 14th amendment and the right to vote in the 15th as said by history.com. By denying African Americans their institutional right to vote within the Jim Crow system, American society was set up as a place where institutionalised racism could easily occur. Although African Americans now have the right to vote, institutionalised racism is still a major issue in American