My teacher wants us to find examples of the United States persecuting people or groups. I am having a hard?

Question

time finding examples. Could someone please help?

Answer 1

Well, the Native American people that were displaced, pursued, lied to, slaughtered, ad infinitum... would be a good place to start. Do a search on Cherokee Trail of Tears or the Nez Perce tribe.

Answer 2

I think the assignment is appropriate. There have been many groups that have been persecuted against. Such as Native Americans, non Christians who broke Christian ideology in the beginning of the USA for example The Scarlet Letter (or numerous instances that a minor child was raped by an adult man and both the child and the adult were sentenced to death), African Americans, Jews, Homosexuals, Terrorists, etc...

I think homosexuals tie really well into the United States type of discrimination/persecution. It should be questioned, do we live in a theocracy, or, democracy that protects rights. The FBI has statistics on hate crimes- Homosexuals are the 3rd highest number of hate crimes, however, there are no federal laws protecting them as a class of citizens from hate crime laws, or, even discrimination from whichever facet. In addition, it wasn't until the 1990's that the United States stopped denying visas/greencards to homosexuals. Previously, they were to be deported automatically, denied entry, even if they were already naturalized.

Answer 3

The earliest persecution of a group of people committed by the United States was against the American Indians, the native inhabitants of North America, during the colonial period. As a result, these native Americans have become second class citizens and a minority in modern U.S. The U.S. also persecuted the ***** slaves up to the 1960s, the Chinese migrant workers who built that country's railroad, the Filipinos when they annexed the Philippines, the Japanese naturalized citizens during World War II, and the Arabic Americans after the 9/11 attack.

Answer 4

There are religions that use mind-altering substances (other than red wine) that are prohibited from practice in spite of the First Amendment.

There is also arguably widespread persecution of gays and the homeless, though not in any official governmental capacity.

On a local level, there are thousands of instances on record for someone's getting pulled over for "Driving While Black". Efforts to compile statistics have been mightily resisted in many quarters.

Lastly, you can look at the treatment of prisoners at Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo. Contrary to what the president may say, they were not all "picked up off of the battlefield". Many were ratted out by neighbors for rewards that were paid regardless of evidence of guilt. That's why charges are only anticipated against some five percent of Guantanamo detainees.

Answer 5

I'm assuming slavery is too broad a subject, as that is the obvious one. Look into our internment of the American-Japanese during WWII. Also look into the disease ridden supplies we gave to the Native Americans in an effort to kill them off. Then there is the Tuskagee Syphilis Study done on black males without their knowledge by the United States Public Health Service. Here's a link for the last suggestion:
http://www.healthsystem.virginia.edu/internet/library/historical/medical_history/bad_blood/

Answer 6

During WWII US Japanese families were rounded up and put in "camps" for years. They lost everything and a few years back, much much too late some of the families were compensated. And for some reason, there is not much reference to it but some German families in the US were put in camps too.

You also might look at corporations, backed by the government, as they looked for places of profit. Check out what happened in Hawaii and the overthrow of the government there.

And politically speaking, the US has stepped in and made sure many rulers were overthrown that did not back their interests.

What about the rumors of US military involvement in Africa where it is rumored that the aids epidemic started.

Answer 7

The US government unfortunately persecuted US citizens of Japanese heritage during WW2. Let's also not forget the Puritand with the Indians. Then there was the whole slavery thing.

Answer 8

120000 japanese were put into concentration camps in the US in ww2. Currently the same thing is happening to immigrants. And just after 9/11 10's of thousands of arab/muslims were rounded up and taken to undisclosed locations, internment facilities, to date most still remain locked up without charges.

Answer 9

A really good one you could bring up is the tuskegee experiments on african americans- they were intentionally given sifilus. Not well known but it is admitted to. If you do make sure you find a good source so your teacher who may have never heard of it calls you crazy.

Answer 10

I'm finding it really difficult to believe with all the political correctness in this nation, that a teacher has the nerve to even ask such a thing. All we do is give away money to help people. No one in the country is being persecuted to my knowledge. Unless you call the homosexual marriage debate persecution.