Rania Wright

March 19, 2021

AFAM Section 002

Essay 1, Question 7

The Relationship Between Race and American Democracy

The foundation of American democracy was built on a system that prioritizes a hierarchy

of wealth and status. This has led to the relationship between race and democracy as being one in

the same; your race determines whether you are considered a citizen or not. This relationship

began during colonization and slavery, becoming more enhanced as time went on. The passage

of the 13th amendment, the women’s suffrage movement, and the timeless tradition of migration

to the U.S. all contribute to this relationship. These historic moments have all asked the question

who counts as “white”, leaving many Americans attempting to fulfill this image. The issue of

race and American Democracy can unfortunately be found in today’s world. It is seen in who

votes (in terms of demographics and gerrymandering) today, opportunities from the government

(such as access to jobs and education), violence against minority communities, and many more

moments. As students, we must be hyper aware of this relationship and factor it into all our

future career decisions, as we attempt to make this world a better place.

The idea of “whiteness,” which is what one must be to be considered an American

citizen, is a social construct and not a race. To help you understand this label’s history, its

development began because colonization and enslavement developed in tandem. This status was

invented by European colonizers and enslavers to establish a difference between them and their

slaves as well as the natives. Contrary to how “whiteness” may be used today, it began as a
“noxious cross-class unifier” (Horne 24) among settlers of all incomes, allowing everyone in the

Pan-European group to bond together. Gerald Horne tells us in his work, The Apocalypse of

Settler Colonialism, that this Pan-European group were “all bound by petrified unity in reaction

to the prospect of a slave rebellion that would liquidate them all” (Horne 24). The colonization of

Jamaica is one specific example that can be used to pinpoint “whiteness” at an extreme level.

Horne describes the taking of Jamaica as something that was “not a victory for Africans. It led to

an even more voracious appetite for enslaved African labor to produce the fabulously profitable

crop that was sugar. This, as much as anything else, contributed mightily to the heightening of

the already degraded status of Africans, as a by-product and rationalization of their enhanced

reputation” (Horne 24). This appetite for enslaved labor and profitable crop carried over into the

discovery that even the “poorer among this group could profit from the pillaging of the

Cherokees (and countless other indigenes) and Mexicans and Hawaiians” (Horne 24). This

identity of "whiteness" served as way to bring all Europeans together, and for all of them to

make a profit, including those on the lower end of the totem pole. Most importantly, this identity

served as a method of successfully colonizing the Americas at the expense of the Natives and

through the labor of Black Americans. The label of “whiteness,” as you can clearly now see, was

built upon the extortion of another group by the extorters using means of violence and

intimidation (themes within enslavement) to prove their superiority. This foundation for the

social construct of “whiteness” has persisted into modern times.

“Whiteness” today is “not a biological status but a political color. [It] distinguishes[s] the

free from the unfree, the equal from the inferior, and the citizen from the slave” (Olson 43). The

relationship between race and citizenship is one of wealth and status in the United States. Joe

Olson, in his work, The Abolition of White Democracy: Chapter Two, The Problem of the White
Citizen, gives us another excellent example of how “whiteness” is a social construct/political

color and defines your role in democracy. Olson tells us about the Irish immigrant struggle for

“whiteness” and why this is different from other Pan-European groups. Post-colonization, in the

Antebellum South, “Irish immigrants were not guaranteed admission into the white club... [and

were] one of the most discriminated-against ethnic groups” (Olson 38). As a result, the Irish

“took up anti-Black discrimination with zeal. They were at the forefront of the many anti-Black

riots that convulsed the North. They also led efforts to exclude Black labor from work sites, to

contain and repress Black neighborhoods through policing, and to keep Black people away from

the polls in places where they were allowed to vote” (Olson 45). This was especially surprising

behavior from the Irish, because they had settled in America after “escaping a land from which

they had suffered something akin to racial oppression” (Olson 45). This example just goes to

show that the struggle to be “white” in America is entirely a political battle, because while the

Irish visibly appear “white,” upon their arrival they were not immediately treated as such. The

Irish had to prove their “whiteness” and the method to do so was to disenfranchise Black

Americans. While this incident occurred after the original colonization of the Americas, it goes

to show you how the upholding of “whiteness” and the desperation to fit into this group has

persisted throughout the history of America’s democracy.

In today’s world, there is both a struggle to fit the image of “whiteness” from all races

and classes of people. While visible appearance certainly does play some role (I would be lying

if I said it did not), it is not the only factor. When you are “white,” you have a vote and a voice.

Throughout America’s history, it has not only been Black Americans who have not had this

voice and vote. The women’s suffrage movement is an excellent example of this. At the time,

while some women enjoyed the benefits of a nice suburban lifestyle, many women did not,
especially Black women. They had to fight for their right to have a voice. In the modern day, so

many groups of people, primarily based on income (and by default, zip code) voices are unheard

in the American democracy. The people who are considered “white” in this country today, who

have wealth and status, are taking many measures to keep themselves there, just as the “white”

people did decades ago. Voter ID laws is just one method, as of 2020, over 21 million Americans

do not have government-issued photo identification (ACLU). The reasoning for this is, because

“ID cards aren’t always accessible for everyone. The ID itself can be costly, and even when IDs

are free, applicants must incur other expenses to obtain the underlying documents that are needed

to get an ID. This can be a significant burden on people in lower-income communities. Further,

the travel required is an obstacle for people with disabilities, the elderly, and people living in

rural areas” (ACLU). In addition, voter registration restrictions can be an obstacle as

“Restrictions can include requiring documents to prove citizenship or identification, onerous

penalties for voter registration drives or limiting the window of time in which voters can

register” (ACLU). Felony disenfranchisement is also an issue “due to racial bias in the criminal

justice system, felony disenfranchisement laws disproportionately affect Black people, who often

face harsher sentences than white people for the same offenses” (ACLU). It is important to note

that many of these laws are rooted in the Jim Crow era when legislators attempted to prevent

Black American’s newly won right to vote by “enforcing poll taxes, literacy tests, and other

barriers that were nearly impossible to meet” (ACLU). I would keep in mind that there is a

common theme in each of these instances of the government being the ones who attempt to

preserve the social construct. Finally, gerrymandering plays a key role in elections as “too often,

states use redistricting as a political tool to manipulate the outcome of elections” (ACLU). All of

these are tools used in the modern day to keep the “white” population in the U.S. reaping all the
benefits at the expense of many other Americans. All of these are widespread, undemocratic

practices that is stifle the voice of millions of voters. Voter suppression affects people of color,

young people, the elderly, and people with disabilities. There’s proof that certain groups have

been deliberately targeted over time through statics and uncovered government documents

(census case). From the colonization of America to today’s society, the relationship between race

and democracy has been the same, if you have money and status, you will do anything to

preserve your voice that automatically come with it.

The link between American Democracy and race has always been that you cannot

participate in democracy without being of the “white” race. The image of “whiteness” persisting

for as long as it has, is due to the hierarchy that has been established through this image. From

the colonization of America to today’s government elections, there has been a silent debate over

what qualifies you as a citizen or not. Race has always a social construct. The question becomes,

what do we do with this information now that we know it. As I previously mentioned as students,

it is important not only to be aware of this, however, also to act in order to give a voice to the

voiceless, where that’s others in your community or yourself.

"Block the Vote: Voter Suppression in 2020." American Civil Liberties Union, ACLU, 3 Feb.

2020, www.aclu.org/news/civil-liberties/block-the-vote-voter-suppression-in-2020/. Accessed

19 Mar. 2021.

Horne, Gerald. "Introduction." The Apocalypse of Settler Colonialism.

Olson, Joel. "Chapter Two: The Problem of the White Citizen." The Abolition of White

Democracy.