Racism Challenges the American Creed

Long before Kody Brittingham was arrested for his assassination plot, Operation Patriot, President Barack Obama had already been the target of several assassination threats, the New York Times reports. A year and a half before Obama was even marked as a possible Democratic presidential candidate enough threats against his life had surfaced to warrant Secret Service protection. What exactly was a major cause for many of these threats? Barack Obama is an African American.

Although the election of an African American to the highest political office of the United States is a sign of tremendous progress, the racially charged death threats President Obama continues to received are evidence of the deep seated racial hatred still present in certain segments of society.

Racism continues to challenge the values outlined in the “American Creed” proposed by Samuel Huntington. The belief that Barack Obama should have been prohibited from running for the office of President due to his race conflicts with the value of equality, which requires a collective belief in equality of opportunity. In addition, the office of the democratically elected president would be respected by all in a society where democracy is collectively held as a core value. The racially charged death threats President Obama receives shows a disrespect for the democratic choice of majority of Americans to elect an African American president. Racism is more important to some Americans, as a value, than equality and democracy.