The House We Live In Analysis
Sonyah Bramble
Writing Assignment #2
Introduction to Sociology
Due Date: 10/31/16 What is “race”?, a question so simple that it is usually avoided. According to the website, thefreedictionary.com, race has two immediate definitions:
1. A group of people identified as distinct from other groups because of supposed physical or genetic traits shared by the group.
2. A group of people united or classified together on the basis of common history, nationality, or geographic distribution.
However, our current text, Sociology: A Brief Introduction by Richard T. Schaffer states:
“Genetically, there are no systematic differences between the races that affect people’s social behavior and abilities.” (229)
The House We Live In raises the question, if …show more content…
The highest order of white race was the Nordics, followed by lower races of Europe such as Italians, the Irish and even Jews. These were the in between people; not fully white. These immigrants were places in the jobs that no one wanted. This was justified by the notion that this was a natural consequences of their innate racial character, their Biology dictated their destiny in America. Because they are not defined as white, they are given less opportunity. Although not considered fully white, they were still regarded as better than blacks. African Americans were brought here as slave but still denied full access to the American Dream because whiteness was key to citizenship; no matter how hard they worked, only free white immigrants could become citizens. The Melting pot never included people of color. To be white was to gain the full reward of American Citizenship. White immigrants had better opportunity. Access to opportunities was closed to non whites. Even the Social Security program initially excluded farm workers and domestics most of whom are black. Unions locked blacks into low paying jobs or locked them out …show more content…
When they returned home, the Federal Housing Administration had changed the mortgage terms which allowed regular Americans to purchase their homes, African Americans were denied this ability, solely based on their race. FHA guidelines discouraged sales to non white families stating that this could undermine real estate values. These practices were quickly adopted by private industry. Race became a factor in real estate assessment as heavily as the condition of the property. Minority Communities got low ratings and were denied mortgages from the FHA. The federal government underwrote over $120 billion in new housing, less than 2% went to non whites. They were however concentrated to one place in large numbers, they were placed in Public Housing or the Housing Projects. This blatantly shows the unequal distribution of federal funds to the disadvantage of African Americans. Once African Americans were able to move into the white areas, the values dropped considerably, the real estate agents bought the houses at low prices and resold them to unsuspecting minorities at inflated
Writing Assignment #2
Introduction to Sociology
Due Date: 10/31/16 What is “race”?, a question so simple that it is usually avoided. According to the website, thefreedictionary.com, race has two immediate definitions:
1. A group of people identified as distinct from other groups because of supposed physical or genetic traits shared by the group.
2. A group of people united or classified together on the basis of common history, nationality, or geographic distribution.
However, our current text, Sociology: A Brief Introduction by Richard T. Schaffer states:
“Genetically, there are no systematic differences between the races that affect people’s social behavior and abilities.” (229)
The House We Live In raises the question, if …show more content…
The highest order of white race was the Nordics, followed by lower races of Europe such as Italians, the Irish and even Jews. These were the in between people; not fully white. These immigrants were places in the jobs that no one wanted. This was justified by the notion that this was a natural consequences of their innate racial character, their Biology dictated their destiny in America. Because they are not defined as white, they are given less opportunity. Although not considered fully white, they were still regarded as better than blacks. African Americans were brought here as slave but still denied full access to the American Dream because whiteness was key to citizenship; no matter how hard they worked, only free white immigrants could become citizens. The Melting pot never included people of color. To be white was to gain the full reward of American Citizenship. White immigrants had better opportunity. Access to opportunities was closed to non whites. Even the Social Security program initially excluded farm workers and domestics most of whom are black. Unions locked blacks into low paying jobs or locked them out …show more content…
When they returned home, the Federal Housing Administration had changed the mortgage terms which allowed regular Americans to purchase their homes, African Americans were denied this ability, solely based on their race. FHA guidelines discouraged sales to non white families stating that this could undermine real estate values. These practices were quickly adopted by private industry. Race became a factor in real estate assessment as heavily as the condition of the property. Minority Communities got low ratings and were denied mortgages from the FHA. The federal government underwrote over $120 billion in new housing, less than 2% went to non whites. They were however concentrated to one place in large numbers, they were placed in Public Housing or the Housing Projects. This blatantly shows the unequal distribution of federal funds to the disadvantage of African Americans. Once African Americans were able to move into the white areas, the values dropped considerably, the real estate agents bought the houses at low prices and resold them to unsuspecting minorities at inflated