An Examination of The Disparity of Due Process in Times of Crisis The United States of America’s Paradox

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2021-05-10

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Southern New Hampshire University

Abstract

While on the Statue of Liberty we say we welcome everyone, the historiography of our country tells a different story. Immigrants are both welcomed and at times discriminated against. This paper will argue that historically, during crisis times, members of the American government and individuals have ignored constitutional provisions for due process, especially when race, ethnicity, and religious differences are present. Up until the latter part of the twentieth century, those persons serving in elected positions were predominately white, male and Protestant. Voter demographics have changed bringing about a change in who is feeling a sense of actual or perceived discrimination. This paper will investigate the causes for this change and if this change has brought forth a backlash or a perceived form of reverse discrimination by white middle-class Americans under the influence of Donald Trump. Americans have become somewhat complacent about democracy and the recent civil disturbances in the several last years, including an actual insurrection on January 6th, 2021, demonstrates how fragile Democracy is. This study is intended to be a wake-up call about our history regarding persons who are different from ourselves. The subgroup in this paper includes: Native Americans, Irish Catholics, Jews, Germans, and White Middle-Class America and Donald Trump. This paper follows the first four groups from the founding of our country while the fifth group focuses on the post-World War Two time period to the current date. Research methodologies include examining government records, news articles, reviewing prior works by scholars, personal visits to local historical archives, reading personal diaries and conducting interviews. Discrimination was found to be caused by economic recessions or full-scale depressions, cultural differences, religious differences, racial bias, and ethnic xenophobia.

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