Summary Of The New Sovereignty By Shelby Steele

Additional Assignment 7

Segregation has come a long way since the days of Martin Luther King and the civil rights movement. Shelby Steele addresses the minorities and their disapproval of benefits in his essay “The New Sovereignty”. Modern day blacks, Hispanics, women, and other minorities receive special grants and privileges from the government. Those minorities still believe that their original rights that where fought for decades ago, and the sacrifices made them eligible for benefits. Steele’s essay is an eye opener to those minorities who do not earn what they receive and how working equally will promote the standards of the modern way of life. The definition of equality is different for each human being, but the equality the minorities

He points out that such entitlements that are granted now have not been set in stone, it has not always been this way. Post Civil Rights Movement whites did not get special entitlements based on the color of their hair. He uses entilttlement loosely as a sort of joke in a way. Stating that minorities fought for the rights of caucasion men and now they feel they should be entitled to spectial privledges due to previous grivences. By using entitlement respectively Steele is able to encourage his readers the entitlements should be cherished and not relied on. “…because it threatens their collective entitlement by insisting that no group be entitled over another.” (456) Steele’s quotes suggest that everyone should have equal entitlements and for the minorities that receive more; they should not take them for granted, because they are ultimately limiting the rights of caucasion in the process. Steele pleads with minorities to realize that it is better to work for entitlements and benefits, rather than just receive these handouts out of pity, because ultimately the rights fought for durning the Civil Rights Movement were to be equal to whites. Not to sit idly by and count on entitlements to make them equal but to work for them as the Caucasians

He uses these statistics in order to make his essay more creditable. He is able to use facts from history to back up all the valuable points of his opinions. “By the 1970 more than 60 percent of the American population not only blacks but Hispanics, women, Asians, would come under collective entitlement of affirmative action”(456) The quote suggest that many minorities receive entitlements primarily on gender or race. The statistics help Steele’s argument by saying every minority receives some kind of benefit they do not earn. He adds this to add depth and concrete information to his article. How can one argue with facts? It is impossible, unless one can prove the facts to be discombobulated and false. However, facts add credibility to any argument. If a person is arguing with their government teacher on a grade, which they received, and can not back their statements up with facts, while the professor has the book opened and locates all the correct answers, the argument is ceased. Facts can over turn all other information, this is why Steele uses such precise facts in his article. He can eliminate any argument form non informed, and uneducated persons immediately. Another reason facts are an outstanding rhetorical device is it allows people to start thinking. Are these facts real, wow I did not know that, or I didn’t realize that. All of theses responses Steele can use to benefit himself. If