The “13th” responds to the utilitarian perspective that often agrees that “the ends justify the means.” Tracing the development of slavery and racism from the 13th Amendment to mass incarceration, targeting of minorities in drug culture, and media misrepresentation, this text shows the chronology and flow of that racial current. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay DuVernay argues that slavery has changed in the way it works, but today it exists with different kinds of strength and force. The Thirteenth Amendment freed all people who had not committed crimes or shown signs of insanity. As the Southern economy lost its free workforce, the justice system became the only legal way to regain access. As “13th” points out, arrests of blacks occurred in large numbers for small reasons such as loitering in public to enjoy the day and “unwelcome attention.” The Southern states got their free workers back and the status quo of how things had always been was maintained. From being seen as stupid animals in slavery to being seen as mean animals in the twentieth century, the stage was set. With the civil rights movement, activists took away that power when they began publicly rejecting these standards and publicizing their arrests. President Nixon wanted the war to continue, he wanted to become more powerful, and he wanted things to go back to the way they were, no matter how unjust. He has worked to achieve these goals by pushing for harsher sentences and prison time for drug crimes. He knew that the poorest and most desperate parts of the city – often majority communities – attracted more drug dealers who offered promises of an easy escape. Tougher mandatory sentences set for crack simply because it is cheap, available and smokable sent the message that people who could afford the expensive powder form of cocaine could get away with a slap on the wrist. Today this struggle continues, and the harsher punishments for crack cocaine in black communities and the rise of rap as a means of denouncing the struggle brought great attention to the new challenges of civil rights in the 1990s. This distrust between members of law enforcement and/or white communities and people from black communities continues today and can be seen on the news daily. They make more money by keeping the debate alive and distracting the public with a new, worse story every time people start talking about the reasons why this is the case. Many white Americans react strongly to the threat of being seen as racist animals, but still criticize black people for reacting strongly when they are treated like animals by racist people. Meanwhile, oppressed minority communities cannot best contribute to the good of American society as long as they are mistreated. Being called a criminal means that other people no longer see you as a man or a woman. They see you as a threat. The Nazis did the same thing during World War II. First they tracked down the Jewish people, then they criminalized their property and found their "Final Solution". They regarded these plans as extermination. Likewise, Americans today see violence within the prison system as the karmic justice of a less threatening mouth to feed. They view these criminals as outsiders who are less than human. Cops, as representatives of an unjust system, support laws that directly threaten to re-enslave blacks and other outsiders. “13th” by.