Equality In America

When I was seven years old my father used to always tell me, "do not let anyone stomp on you, always stand up for yourself no matter what, even if it's against the system." My father always told me that throughout my progress in life. Those words have greatly influenced who I am today. Growing in Saudi Arabia, I saw equality everywhere but in the public. In my house, my friends' houses, and my relatives' houses I lived an egalitarian environment. However, when going to school, there was obvious discrimination in the treatment of students from the Royal Family. They were feared by teachers, policemen, and everybody. So usually, when a student gets into a fight with a prince that student is basically going to be labeled guilty in the end, or if it was very obvious that the prince abused the other student, the prince would not receive any punishment. This was a recurring theme in all places of human conduct. In work places, streets, and even shopping markets. I have never accepted this and I do not accept until this moment. Since I was young, I was taught by my father that I have rights, human rights that I am entitled to and I have the right to fight for those rights. Therefore, one can only imagine the trouble I always get into as a result of this ideology. However, it was worth it. I have gained enormous respect from everybody. Because of my father's upbringing, I have developed a very strong reputation that I never fail to live up to.

"When we sold the Black Hills we got a very small price for it, and not what we ought to have received. I used to think that the size of the payments would remain the same all the time, but they are growing smaller and smaller...I consider that my country takes up in the Black Hills, and runs from the Powder River to the Missouri; and that all of this land belongs to me. Our reservation is not as large as we want it to be, and I suppose the Great Father owes us money now for land he has taken from us in the past" (Great Speeches by Native Ameicans 173)

Sitting Bull expresses his feel of injustice by the actions of the "white man." He feels as if his liberty and rights were stripped away. This represents, to Sitting Bull, an unequal treatment the Indians. He expresses this unequal treatment through the way he approaches his problem. Sitting Bull is approaching his problem the same way that white people approach their problems; peacefully and by demanding his rights. This is significant because it shows how Sitting Bull, an Indian chief, is giving into the way of the "white man" and choosing to ask for his rights through what the "white man" considers as the "appropriate" channels.

"The 'pioneers' of Southern California came, not from Arizona or Colorado or Utah, but from China, France, Germany, Poland, and Great Britain. I have discussed the Chinese and the mexicans, but other foreign elements were also involved" (Southern California 139)

McWilliams indicates that Southern California was not all American built. For the most part, foreigners built it. She indicates this to show the reader that Southern California was built by a diverse group of people, and most of these people were not even Americans, which means that they should all be equal. Also meaning that Southern California, and many other areas in America as well all have a Multi-cultural/ethnic base.

"You will find yourselves-as I know you already have-in dark places, alone, and afraid. What I hope for you, for all my sisters and daughters, brothers and sons, is that you will be able to live there, in the dark place. To live in that place that our rationalizing culture of success denies, calling it a place of exile, uninhabitable, foreign" (Why Freedom Matters 260-261)

When this was said, Guin was targeting the issue of gender inequality. However, she describes dark, strange places one might encounter. This is important because these dark places applies to any situation or place that one finds him/herself as a stranger. For example, a newcomer in a city, school, or a new work place, or whatever. To her it is important that people could cope with this dark place. This means that it is very important when people find themselves in a strange place, they should know how to survive and how to continue on living there, despite the foreign nature of the environment. This applies to America as well. As Guin explain, America's culture is a "rationalizing" one that believes it is a complete success while in reality it is not and there exists many problems; and one of which is inequality; the feeling of being foreign.

"I will let the world see sir what justice there is when it is govern by the race prejudice men! just because she is of the chinese descend, not because she don't dress like you because she does. Just because she is descended of chinese parents I guess she is more of a American than a good many of you that is going to prevent her being educated" (Letters 186).

Mary Tape felt that her rights were violated and this is reflected when looking at her quote. Her equality rights were violated and that is why she is very furious, because "race prejudice." Then, she attacks the board's American identity by stating that her daughter is more American than them because they were unconstitutional in their actions of racism and inequality.

"One summer day, demon officials and China Man translators went form group to group and announced. 'We're raising the pay-thirty five dollars a month. Because of your excellent work, the Central Pacific Railroad is giving you a four-dollar raise per month.' The workers who didn't know better cheered. 'What's the catch?' said the smarter men. 'You'll have the opportunity to put in more time,' said the railroad demons. 'Two more hours per shift.' Ten-hour shifts inside the tunnels. 'It's not ten hours straight,' said the demons. 'You have time off for tea and meals. Now that you have dynamite, the work isn't so hard.' They had been working for three and a half years already, and the track through Donner Summit was still not done. The workers discussed the ten-hour shift, swearing their China Man obscenities. 'Two extra hours a day-sixty hours a month for four dollars.' 'Pig catcher demons.' 'Snakes.' 'Turtles.' 'Dead demons.' 'A human body can't work like that.' 'The demons don't believe this is a human body. This is a chinaman's body.' To bargain, they sent a delegation of English speakers, who were summarily noted as troublemakers, turned away, docked" (California Uncovered 21).

Kingston is showing how in America injustice was