Racism in the 1860s

Racism in the 1860s was a huge issue. In fact, black people were so largely discriminated against that there was the civil war. White Americans started to import black Africans and use them as slaves. They were treated with disregard and less respect the white men. This wasn't just happening in America either. The British soldiers who came with the convicts to Australia also disregarded the Australian aboriginals. They did this because they aren't familiar. They're not something they've seen before and it came as a shock because they didn't expect it.

We look back at it now and say "why were they such idiots, why did they treat these black people so badly". It's because it was a new thing for them, they were discriminated against because they weren't familiar to the Americans. Black people weren't something they'd seen before and knew nothing about them. They thought that maybe something was wrong with them and that they were a less worthy form of life then them.

Now we have evolved and adapted our form of thinking to accept everyone and we know that just because someone is 'black', it doesn't make them any less worthy of living on the earth then we are. The world benefits from aboriginal knowledge.

I can believe why the Africans were treated badly. The Americans had no knowledge of the people and who they were. They were treated poorly because the whites were unfamiliar with the blacks. It was wrong, but possible to understand.  Everybody should be treated with respect. Even if they aren't part of your culture or from your part of the world.