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Essay / The Endless Cycle of Prejudice in the United States - 1338
America has struggled with discrimination and prejudice throughout its history. On July 2, 1964, the United States took a step in the right direction by recognizing the principle that all men are created equal with the passage of the Civil Rights Act. The law prohibits discrimination based on race, religious affiliation, gender, or ethnic origin. Additionally, it ended racial segregation in educational institutions and the workplace. However, it can be said that discrimination and prejudice remain today. America has tried to stop this by instituting anti-discrimination laws, but these laws can only do so much. Throughout our history, discrimination can be found in every aspect of our society, from discrimination against Native Americans to discrimination against lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender communities. In an advanced society like ours, why does discrimination still exist? This is because people have always needed a scapegoat. A group responsible for all their worries. America has always had discrimination in its society. Once discrimination against one group is alleviated, another fills the void. It's a never-ending cycle of hate. It's a problem with no distinct solution. To truly understand why discrimination and prejudice still exist in modern America, one must understand the origin and definition of both concepts. Discrimination is prejudicial treatment formed by a person's alignment or perceived alignment toward a specific grouping or categorization. This treatment is carried out in a way worse than their normal treatment. The word prejudice is defined as the formation of an opinion before the actual facts are available. Discrimination can manifest...... middle of paper ......d Archives Administration. “The Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.” National Archives and Archives Administration. http://www.archives.gov/education/lessons/civil-rights-act/ (accessed March 15, 2014).Secondary1) DrugWarFacts.org. 2012 “Crime, Arrests, and US Law Enforcement” Accessed March 8, 2014 (http://www.drugwarfacts.org/cms/crime#sthash.F3RJhpXM.dpbs)(DrugWarFacts.org 2012)2) Anthem College 2013 “History of the American Criminal Justice System” Accessed March 9, 2014 (http://www.anthemcollege.edu/criminal-justice-school/history-of-the-american-criminal-justice-system/)(Anthem College 2013)3 ) SentencingProject.org 2002 “Distorted Priorities: Drug Offenders in State Prisons” Accessed March 9, 2014 “http://www.sentencingproject.org/doc/File/Drug%20Policy/dp_distortedpriorities.pdf” (SentencingProject.org 2002)