American History: America Then Vs. America Now

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America Then Versus America Now All throughout American history there has been prejudice, stereotypes, and unjust treatment to those who are different and/or more feeble than others. People are treated differently due to sex, race, personality, or even their looks and body shape. In the eighteen sixties, Walt Whitman noticed these prejudices and unlawful actions happening in America and wrote about it in his poem “I Sit and Look Out.” These hostilities he was detecting and writing about are still ever present in today’s society. Whitman’s poem of abuse, prisoners, minorities, and the poor directly relate to American society in the present world. Whitman’s poem states “I see the wife misused by her husband” (Whitman, 4) and that is ever …show more content…
Many studies show that police are less likely to pull over and frisk a white person than African Americans and Mexicans. In addition to that high statistic, a 2009 report showed that two thirds of the criminals receiving life sentences were non-whites (“11 Facts About Racial Discrimination”). Prisons are still full of people and these people plus more are constantly committing crimes. In 2012, the United States had an incarceration rate of seven hundred seven per one hundred thousand with a penal population of 2.3 million adults (Journalist’s Resource). The exact statistic for incarceration in the eighteen sixties is unknown but it is safe to say that that rate is significantly higher now due to more temptations and the increase in …show more content…
As stated before, African Americans are more likely to be pulled over, frisked, and thrown into jail than a white person. And this is in a time where they have equal rights as whites. The treatment of African American’s was much harsher in the eighteen sixties. In this time period, African American’s were just starting to get rights, such as the Fifteenth Amendment. This amendment banned racial discrimination. Even with this amendment, segregation laws were passed so African American’s could not use the same facilities as whites could (Civil Rights Movement). This racial tension still exists today and is prevalent in news articles and live broadcasting news stations. One of the most recent racial tensions in the United States today would be in Ferguson with the Michael Brown shooting (Gander). At this time, Brown was shot by a white police officer and it caused a significant amount of unrest in the Ferguson community. This modern day example just shows that the “degradations cast upon negroes” is still ever prevalent (Whitman,
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