Martin Marger writes that race is a human invention (Marger, 2009, p.17). The art of race has resulted into social injustice and oppression of a certain members of a particular racial group. Biology indicates that one’s race or ethnicity does not define one’s ability or social status in the society. This is points out that biologically, we are equal in that one’s DNA does not show if one is white or colored (Marger, 2009, p.11). This shows that the terms race and ethnicity are terms constructed by the society so as to form a hierarchy in the society. The dominant group is vital in instigating ideas that will socialize the society as a whole into believing these ideas with the aim of elevating one group over the other. This paper will discuss how the Europeans oppressed Native Americans through the use of theology as a form of justification, their ethnocentric nature and the need to used suppression through sterilization and warfare as a way of eradicating Native Americans.
Racial formations are existent in today’s world as one’s significance is judged through one’s race. This means that the society has attached value on different forms of races in the world. Through attaching value in respective races, the society has been socially constructed into believing that the white race is better than other races in the world. Given this argument, one race, whites, sit at the top of the hierarchy (Bernasconi, 2001, p.104). One of the ways that the dominant group justifies social construction is through theology. Theology has been used for the longest time to justify oppression and social injustice through European’s biblical interpretation. Europeans believe that during the creation of Man in the Bible, God created one race; whites (Bernasconi, 2001, p.101). The idea of monogenesis perceived by Europeans indicated that other races were not human but only them. Through this theological perception the Europeans believed that other people from other races were non-human and savages (Marger, 2009, p.27). This belief was ignorant such that thousands of Native Americans including children were killed like animals when the Europeans settled in America and put the remaining few forced into reserves. This indicates that through theology, the white Europeans socially constructed the society into believing that only they were humans and that the other races were savages.
Ethnocentrism is another ingredient that led to racial formation. When the Europeans came into the US to escape religious oppression in their country, they believed that their race was better than the others. This is reflected in the Native American history where the Europeans conducted genocide by massacring thousands of Native Americans (Ore, 2003, p.85). Despite the fact the Europeans had inhabited a foreign land; they felt the need to suppress the natives with their superior weapons, guns, as a way of showing power and authority. The battle of the Wounded Knee outlines how the Native Americans were killed by the US government so as wipe them away (Marger, 2009, 124). The Europeans looked down on the culture and traditions of the Native Americans. Thereby, Europeans imposed Christianity on the Natives as a way of purification from their satanic culture. It is important to note that the US government viewed Native Americans as inferior and non-humans. Thus, the US government pushed the Native Americans away from their ancestral land into the reserves (Ore, 2003, p.89). This illustrates a sense of ignorance and superiority of the Europeans such that they did not care to oppress other races they encountered as they were different from them. This indicates that the act of Eurocentricism by the Europeans brought about mass murder of innocent Native American people. Native Americans were killed by Europeans on the ground that they were not civilized and that they were non-humans.
Europeans used warfare and reserves as a way of wiping away the Native Americans from their land. The use of warfare by the US government is evident in the trail of tears where the Natives were willing to surrender to the US government (Marger, 2009, p.127). However, this was not the case as things when sour in that the US government opened fire to unarmed Native Americans including children. Many Native Americans died during this incident and others injured. The US government wanted to take away the land in which Native Americans called the black hills as they had a religious attachment to the hills (Marger, 2009, p.128). This was because the land had gold, which was useful for economic purposes. This greed drove the Americans into invading their homes and killing the natives. Another significant plight of the Native Americans is the forced sterilization of Native American women so as to ensure that they population was minimal (Ore, 2003, p.178). The women were subjected into inhumane acts such as forced abortion from the American soldiers with the aim of eradicating the Native American population. This was to ensure that the US government did not face any act of rebellion from the Natives. The US government wanted to drive the Native Americans into extinction. In addition, the US government is also responsible in spreading the small pox disease that killed a number of Natives in their reservations as they were not immune to this disease. Many indigenous people died as a result of this virus.
In conclusion, it is clear that race is a human invention so as to create racial hierarchy. Through this form of hierarchy, one race enjoys a sense of power, prestige, and privilege over the other races. Race becomes unauthentic when humans attach value to various races deeming that one is better than the other. The Europeans used theology to justify the suppression and the killing of the Native Americans. Ethnocentrism is also a crucial factor that engineered social construction as it was a key drive into conducting genocide over Native Americans with the aim of eradicating their population. In addition, forced sterilization of the Native American women and forced abortions show the eminent will and drive to eradicating the Native Americans from their lands. Through these form of oppression, the dominant group has the ability to socially construct the society that they are the powerful and strongest race compared to others.
References
Bernasconi, R. (2001). Race. Malden, Mass.: Blackwell.
Marger, M. (2009). Race and ethnic relations (6th ed.). New York: Wadsworth Pub. Co..
Ore, T. E. (2003). The social construction of difference and inequality: race, class, gender, and sexuality (2nd ed.). Boston, Mass.: McGraw-Hill.
