Chapter 5 Discussion

       The government has done a lot in the past century to diminish racial discrimination. Minorities are now allowed to vote, become U.S. citizens, own property, and much more because of the amendments and laws the government passed. Beforehand, Asians were not even allowed to travel to America, African Americans were slaves, and so on. The great strides America has taken continue to allow the United States to be diverse-friendly for the most part. It’s hard to believe that as early as half a century ago public facilities such as schools, bathrooms, restaurants, and such were segregated and we are now able to peacefully coexist. Just because there will always be some people who don’t agree with the integration of color doesn’t mean the government isn’t doing what it can. However, yes, the government did put the laws out there but brave people such as MLK shook things up and helped get the word out there about loving and accepting one another.

       I believe the suppression of women throughout all aspects of life, home, workplace, etc, has decreased drastically. The government has implemented laws and granted us the rights to vote, own property, serve our country, pursue careers and more, which has allowed us the same opportunities as men. Although I do believe there will always be the people who do not stand behind the power of a woman, I think the government has gone above and beyond. But like the ones who pushed integration of color, let’s not forget the people who set the women’s rights movement into motion, which in turn convinced the government to intervene.

      I do not believe that the government is doing enough in the battle for discrimination against gays, lesbians, etc; however, I think until the nation is more open minded to their lifestyles it will be a persisting issue. Gay marriage is not even legal in many states, which I think is a big indication of how the nation feels about this topic. Looking back on history, segregation was widely unaccepted at first, but as current times show, we are now at peace with one another. I hope more people will be more accepting of different lifestyles of sexual orientation as they were of integration, as time goes forth.