In 1776, one of the Founding Fathers, Thomas Jefferson, was tired of how Great Britain treated the then 13 colonies. The people of the colonies felt betrayed by a king who abused his power and were not a priority. Thomas Jefferson, along with many others, felt that they should be treated with respect and given basic human rights to strive for “Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness,” Declaration of Independence (Thomas Jefferson 327). Nearly two centuries later, Martin Luther King Jr. preached to The United States that the mistreatment of the people was still going on. The “unalienable rights” Jefferson spoke of were being denied simply on the grounds of appearance of skin. Although we have become the independent country that Thomas Jefferson …show more content…
From the reputation to physical treatment, certain Americans do not have to go threw the same issues. Stereotypes helps divide the people of the country and is a reminder that minorities have a complex role in the country. Unless they are giving something such as money or parts of their culture for other to treat as a trend, they are seen as nuisances. Minorities sing the anthem with hands to their hearts just as well. They pay taxes and fight the wars. Minorities feel the pain, the joy and the sorrow as a citizen yet they are not seen the same as their White counterparts. Their reputations are not as glorified. African Americans are scary, Asian Americans eat dogs, Arab Americans are terrorist while White Americans are humans who make mistakes. People of color are seen as villains beyond the screen and with America being a global power the image is being absorbed all over the world. But when it comes to White Americans, they are these beautiful people who, no matter the situation, have a logical reason for every action they make. They are not the same. There has been plenty of times where opportunities have been taken away because one with power believed in a stereotype so much it became a reality. In a Starbucks in Philadelphia, two men waiting at a table were asked to leave because they did not buy anything. When they refused, staff called the police for trespassing. The men were arrested. An eyewitness told Good Morning America on ABC News, “ I sat in there the other day for an hour, no one asked me to order anything or leave. These guys were being totally calm. They never raised their voices... they were just regular guys sitting there.” Linsey Davis , who works for ABC News, informed the audience that, “Witnesses, including this businessman who the real estate brokers were about to meet with, say the men were discriminated against for being black.” Many times they have not had the