"...a civilization gone with the wind..." the American Civil War did just that, it ended the American way of life forever. Imagine, if you will, a slave auction, where human chattels are stripped of their dignity and sold like livestock. This issue has divided an entire nation; it divided families, fathers fought against sons, brothers against brothers, cousins ​​against cousins ​​for these beliefs. The negative impact of slavery on American society and the American psyche today is mostly generational; older whites and blacks raised in an era of segregation are damaged for life. Today the biggest problem is the media. All you have to do is listen to the radio or watch TV to see how African Americans are portrayed in the media. Even confident African Americans are routinely disrespected due to the harmful views and hidden stereotypical messages that are constantly delivered by the media. Anyone who visits any school from K to 12, in most parts of the country today, will notice the friendly disposition with students of all races, classes, cultural and religious backgrounds. Most children ignore the differences between people. Racism must be taught and is taught at home. To understand the impact of slavery on American society today, we must first understand the consequences of slavery and repression on any society. The motivation for slavery stems from a belief in supremacy. It also stems from the belief that the "other race" is inferior and therefore less than a human being. I raise this point only to explain how the slave owner rationalized and created this truly inhumane institution called slavery. Because, how else can you explain the institution of slavery? As human beings, our families, schools, churches, neighborhoods, and communities...... middle of paper ......nce, so it's no surprise that the majority group doesn't appreciate what it's like to simply be judged for the color of his skin because he has never experienced it. Effective and open communication between the races will help alleviate many of the after-effects of slavery. The change has begun and will continue; one thing we can count on is consistency of change. Across America, we can observe positive interracial changes, for some people interracial change is happening too slowly, my personal experience leads me to believe that racial intolerance is in slow decline. Works Cited United States. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Press Office. Press release on the employment situation. Bureau of Labor Statistics, February 2012. Web. February 2012. Mitchell, Margaret and Sidney Howard, writ. Gone with the wind. 1939. MGM-Lowe's Inc., 1989. Videocassette.