Throughout American history, there have been many significant events that have shaped America and where we stand today. Going back to the 600s, this was the time that introduced slavery in North America as well as leading the concept of racism to form. Racism is a huge controversy in America and one of the big main ideas that have led America to shape our society socially, culturally, and historically. Looking into a deeper and broader perspective of racism, the word comes from the 20th century meaning the belief that all members of each race possess characteristics or abilities specific to that race, especially so as to distinguish it as inferior or superior to another race or races. According to a source by Columbia University, racism is this idea that the practice of discrimination, at all levels, from personal abuse to colonial oppression. Racism is a form of practice which has been tremendously important in European society fo
r several hundred years, important in the sense that it is an essential part of the way the European capitalist system maintains itself. This gives an overall understanding of how different cultures have different cultural and social backgrounds. There have been many novels and short films produced and written throughout the years leading the main points to be about racism and equality. The film Do the Right Thing directed and produced by Spike Lee, goes deep into the meaning of equality within colored individuals and takes racism into the heart of New York overlooking the lower-class standards. Looking into the novel Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison, it dives deep into the concept of racism within the black culture and having the main idea on how certain individuals feel invisible within our society. Both of these films and novels overlook the overall theme of racism and how it shaped our society socially, culturally, and historically.