The overall oppression of women in American society unfortunately reflected worldwide trends and therefore was not entirely nefarious; in most countries in Europe women were likewise unable to vote until the very end of the nineteenth or early twentieth century.
However, the treatment of African-Americans has been deplorable throughout American history and is perhaps the largest stain on American democratic principles. The United States allowed slavery to persist within its borders long after the international slave trade was prohibited by other nations. Slaves were repeatedly mistreated and had absolutely no legal recourse. Viewed legally, socially, and politically as less than human, African-Americans had no rights whatsoever until the 13th Amendment to the Constitution was ratified. Even then, Blacks were unable to vote. The 14th Amendment finally extended the rights of "life, liberty, or property" to Black males; women were will excluded from the rights and privileges of males.
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The concept of Manifest Destiny, which caused millions of Native Americans to be killed and lose their land, was an expression of white privilege: the idea that the goals of the white man were superior to those of the Native person.
Social injustice and inequality were perpetrated via formal and informal means. For example, the United States Constitution initially held that women, Blacks and Native Americans were not to be full citizens. At the same time, discrimination became ingrained through social norms. For instance, the failure of Reconstruction and led directly to the Black Codes and the Jim Crow laws, setting an example that lynching and segregation were tolerable. These examples demonstrate that the American government in general has not been totally committed to the principles of equality and social justice and although an admirable experiment in liberal democracy, has not completely lived up to its ideals.
