Black people have been made to feel like they are unequal or less than human. Howard Zinn shows the reader how the racism that existed in the New World exists today and how the barriers that society has placed on color have caused a divide between the races over the generations. How we, as individuals, have allowed a person's beliefs to dictate how a person should be treated. Racism is defined as a belief or doctrine that inherent differences between various human races determine cultural or individual outcomes, usually involving the idea that one's race is superior and has the right to rule over others. In this chapter we see that slave owners possess all the qualities of racism towards African slaves. The differences that were made towards indentured servants versus African slaves were at times inhumane. There, punishments for the same crimes were not as harsh as those for African slaves. The treatment given to African slaves was degrading to make them inferior. According to Zinn in 1600 the color black meant according to the Oxford English Dictionary “deeply stained with dirt; dirty, dirty, filthy. Have dark or deadly, malicious purposes; concerning or involving death, deadly or mortal purposes horribly evil, dishonorable and punishable, etc.” (Zinn page 31). And the white color was considered beauty, which meant they were more superior to a black person. Zinn sets out to show the reader that as early as the 1600s, blacks were made to feel unequal and that the color black was degrading. According to Zinn, slavery was brought to prominence about fifty years before the time of Columbus, and originated in South America. , the Caribbean, the Portuguese and Spanish colonies. “He stated that Por… mid-paper…their punishments consisted of hanging and beatings, or the removal of a part of the body. This was a scare tactic by slave owners to intimidate fear or control over slaves to keep them obedient. Laws and policies were passed to protect slave owners by making it impossible for slaves to learn to read or write. This was another attempt to keep slaves dependent on their owners, so that they remain unaware of what is happening without any skills or training. Although slavery no longer exists, racism is still alive and sometimes has the opportunity to come. forward. Africans were tormented and demoralized for centuries because of the color of their skin and were made to feel less than equal. Money and power were a driving force in the past and in today's society that sometimes pushes a person to do unethical and immoral things.