Slavery has been a problem in many societies throughout history. It is not always out of prejudice or racism, often people of the same ethnicity and nationality have enslaved each other because of debt or any other reason. However, in the case of the African slave trade, this happened without just cause and in an extreme manifestation of racism. Slavery in America was a horrible thing. Black people were subjected to overwork and humiliation at the hands of white men. Although not the case in all slave-master relationships, owning another person as property when they owe you no debt remains degrading, no matter how you treat that person. African Americans suffered many hardships because of slavery, were freed following the Civil War, fought for their rights in the civil rights movement, and are on both sides of the coin when it is about racism in America. Slavery began with Europeans. kidnapping Africans into slavery, but Europeans soon realized that it was far too dangerous for them to continue doing it. Europeans set up forts and trading posts along the African coast and made agreements with African tribal leaders. Tribal warlords captured enemy tribes and sold them to Europeans as slaves. Although Europeans were responsible for slavery, Africans shared the same responsibility (the slave trade). Ships carrying slaves were infectious, dirty, disgusting slops. Many slaves died on the journey from Africa to their destination, and suicides and suicide attempts occurred daily. Suicides became so common that every time someone committed suicide, the crew would cut off the slave's head to discourage more suicides. This let others know that if they committed suicide, they would return home headless to...... middle of newspaper...... resident and Congress (Sansone and Wood 312-317). President John F. Kennedy wrote the Civil Rights Act of 1964, but was assassinated before he could sign it. President Johnson, who became president after his assassination, was able to convince Congress to pass the law. Finally, racial discrimination and segregation were legally abolished through the efforts of ordinary Americans, black and white (results of the civil rights movement). People are mean, mean, and hateful for no reason other than the fact that someone else is just different from them. There are white people who are trashy, racist and who respect other races. They act so ignorantly because they are stuck in old traditions and beliefs and cannot do it. Even today, black people are still treated by some as a lower class of people, but sometimes they behave that way..