Words have meaning. They may change over time due to various conditions, but the existence of definitions is real. Consistent and agreed knowledge is important for all fields of study so that knowledge can be exchanged. When working to understand sociology, learning and correctly using its terms makes it easier to understand the material it analyzes and describes. A word that comes up when talking about race or class is “oppression.” Despite its occasional use in discussions ranging from a heat wave to a significant amount of homework, its meaning should be clear and distinct when it comes to its effects on categories of people. This is why I have come to understand oppression to mean "the consistent and systemic application of laws and social norms to suppress economic and political power otherwise obtained by members of a class of people considered unworthy." of them by the people who control.” dialogue in a given society. This definition is easily demonstrated by examining the legal and economic status of black people throughout the history of the United States of America (USA). Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an Original Essay Before entering the area of ​​legal controls on black Americans, an examination of how the definition of blackness has been formed and enforced is necessary. The separation of white and black opened the door to all subsequent laws and behaviors aimed at keeping the latter group submissive and dependent. Pem Davidson Buck's essay, "Constructing Race, Creating White Privilege" explores the history of its creation in the United States, beginning with late 17th-century laws barring white women and men from blacks to marry (2001, p. 21). This was seen as necessary to prevent the boundaries between the two servant groups from blurring, consistent with the earlier belief that darker-skinned people were not significantly different from their paler counterparts (Buck, 2001, p.21). Adding to this divide was the growing assertion that sufficient black ancestry, often 1/32 as in a South Carolina law that described how to determine a child's race for their birth certificate (Omi & Winant, 1986 , p. 11), made someone completely black. . This was independent of their physical appearance. The legal consequences of being defined as black were enormous after emancipation, especially in the old Confederacy. In addition to the aforementioned laws prohibiting interracial relationships, these various states adopted what are known as the Black Codes. Their stated intention was to maintain order in the new world of freed blacks, but they more often than not served to keep anyone considered black confined to extremely confined roles. They have also led to the disappearance of their freedom of movement and their ability to change jobs. Vagrancy laws are a good example. According to WEB DuBois, any black person found wandering alone and unable to produce proof of gainful employment upon request could be arrested (1962, p. 503). This required a black person to find a new job before leaving the old one, an act that was almost impossible at that time for working-class people. Similar laws emerged after Reconstruction and were dubbed Jim Crow laws. One example was the creation of separate train cars for black and white passengers. A mixed-race man named Homer Adolph Plessy sued 1944..