Privilege And Oppression By Thomas Paine Essay - 1165 Words

Privilege and Oppression Have a Long History in America Upon turning on the news in America, the media is not reporting stories of wholeness and community, which one would expect upon reading Thomas Paine s passage. It instead is littered with videos of protests and fights, church shootings, riots, racist graffiti, and other hate crimes. Paine has an idealistic view of America, and while Americans have the capacity to join together (as shown following the 9/11 terrorist attacks) we also have struggled throughout history with racism, and continue to today. At the time Thomas Paine wrote his passage, America was hard set in its racist ways, and has continued its history of oppression to modern day. From its birth, America was a place of inequality and privilege. Since Columbus s arrival and up until present day, Native American tribes have been victim of white men s persecution and tyranny. This was first expressed in the 1800’s, when Native Americans were driven off their land and forced to embark on the Trail of Tears, and again during the Western American- Indian War where white Americans massacred millions of Native Americans in hatred. Today, much of the Indian Territory that was once a refuge for Native Americans has since been taken over by white men, and the major tribes that once called these reservations home are all but gone. These events show the discrimination and oppression the Native Americans faced. They were, and continue to be, pushed onto reservations,Show MoreRelatedThe Common Sense By Thomas Paine951 Words   |  4 PagesOn Common Sense In the tumultuous early months of 1776 a Colonial political theorist named Thomas Paine began anonymously publishing a treasonous pamphlet urging colonists to seek independence from the Crown. 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