Racial segregation: what does this concept mean today?

In the US until recently, there was a division of the white population, blacks and Indians, the so-called racial segregation. The definition of this phenomenon is best revealed through its legal and factual aspects.

Background

Segregation de jure began in 1865 after the official abolition of slavery in America. The famous 13th amendment forbade slavery and simultaneously legitimized the existence of individual Negro schools, shops, military units.

In the United States at the beginning of the twentieth century , a series of laws were adopted on the segregation of ethnic Japanese, for example, the "Law on the Exclusion of Asians" made it virtually impossible for them to obtain American citizenship.

Household segregation

In populated areas, where the way of life has not changed for many decades, the population of different nationalities has traditionally settled in isolated areas. Thus, in most cities, household segregation initially arose. What this means can be explained by the example of New York, where during the whole history of its existence isolated isolated Negro, Chinese, Japanese quarters.

Household segregation took a variety of forms. For example, separate training for blacks and whites existed in the US for over a hundred years. The first legal prohibition on segregation in school was adopted in several American states only in 1954, and its implementation was accompanied by active opposition of the white population.

The same ugly phenomenon was the ban on mixed marriages of "white" and "color". Children from such marriages were subjected to cruel ridicule and mockery. Often they did not want to take on the training and Negro schools, and schools for whites.

Military affairs ...

The legal basis for segregation in the US Army at the legislative level was laid back in 1792. The law on the militia established that only an "able-bodied white man" could serve. Only in 1863 was the official procedure for the recruitment of blacks. Moreover, the Negroes served in separate units, where even the majority of officer positions were occupied by whites. They were discriminated against when assigning non-commissioned officers, as well as when awarded with medals and badges.

Until the 1950s, the situation in the army was practically unchanged. Separate passage of service, prohibition of participation in hostilities, discrimination in awarding ranks - all this is an army segregation. That this unconstitutional phenomenon will be consistently eradicated became clear only after the adoption in 1964 of the Civil Rights Act.

Current state of affairs

The problems of segregation are still quite relevant today. In the report of Harvard University professor Gary Orfield for 2006 it was noted that in recent decades almost all the achievements of American society were lost, thanks to which the segregation was eradicated. What this means in modern conditions is not hard to understand by examining maps showing racial stratification in the US depending on the area of residence.

Compiled on the basis of passport data of residents of several dozen states, these maps provide a visual representation of the existence of serious household segregation. In particular, the black urban population of Detroit, St. Louis, Birmingham continues to settle separately from the white.

There is also the opposite opinion, according to which the US clearly traces the general trend towards mutual integration of the population. Over the past 10 years, racial segregation has declined in all major US cities.

It is believed that the election of US President Barack Obama for the post of President of the United States made it possible to minimize such a shameful phenomenon as segregation. That this phenomenon in American society is almost obsolete, declared in a report of economists Edward Glauser of Harvard University and Jacob Wigdor of Duke University.

Their study notes that in 2010, the "black ghetto" was home to only 20% of the black population of America, whereas in 1960 this figure reached 50%. However, the degree of integration in large US cities is still not the same, and the population in Atlanta, Houston and Dallas is more integrated than in New York. Of the 13 cities with the highest proportion of African Americans, New York demonstrates the least desire to integrate the "color". Despite all the existing loyalty programs, it remains one of the most segregated cities in the United States.