Answer: Race and racial inequality have powerfully shaped American history from its beginnings.
Americans like to think of the founding of the American colonies and, later, the United States, as
driven by the quest for freedom – initially, religious liberty and later political and economic
liberty. Yet, from the start, American society was equally founded on brutal forms of
domination, inequality and oppression which involved the absolute denial of freedom for slaves.
This is one of the great paradoxes of American history – how could the ideals of equality and
freedom coexist with slavery? We live with the ramifications of that paradox even today.
Explanation:
The Gulf War was a conflict that involved Iraq, Kuwait, and 39 additional countries. The leader of Iraq, Saddam Hussein, invaded the small country of Kuwait and seized its oil fields. The president of the United States at the time, George H.W. Bush, led a coalition of 39 countries to stop Saddam Hussein and to help the citizens of Kuwait. The conflict in Afghanistan began in 2001 after the United States was attacked by a terrorist group. The United States believed that Afghanistan was harboring the terrorists responsible for the attacks, so it invaded the country and overthrew its government. The efforts to rebuild and stabilize the country are ongoing. The war in Iraq started in 2003. The conflict was between Iraq, the United States, and a few US allies. It was believed that Iraq was in possession of weapons of mass destruction and also linked to terrorist activities. The United States invaded Iraq and overthrew its government. The efforts to rebuild, stabilize, and create a democracy in Iraq are ongoing. Many internal conflicts, known as the Arab Spring, erupted in the Middle East starting in January of 2011. Citizens in countries such as Lebanon, Egypt, Syria, Tunisia, Libya, and Bahrain led protests against their governments. The people living in these countries are tired of living under dictators that do not allow them to participate in government and treat them unfairly.
