For centuries the belief that America was the land of opportunity was spread throughout society by wealthy, white men. The vast majority of the population has been silenced due to oppression. America's history is stained with blood, and success is measured in terms of deaths. For some in society America may be considered the land of opportunity, but to succeed they must climb on the shoulders of others. The oppression that exists in society from the 1500s to today represents the obvious fallacies in the statement “America is the land of opportunity.” Beginning with the mistreatment of Native Americans and continuing with oppression and the general practice of slavery, white men imposed themselves before all others through immoral and selfish practices. In a way yes; America is the land of opportunity, rich white men can accomplish anything they set their minds to with the help of those beneath them. The reality for the vast majority of Americans is a world of oppression and suffering without hope of success, so for this reason America as a whole is not the land of opportunity. The oppression began through a practice of discrimination and prejudicial beliefs. Prejudicial beliefs are normally considered subconscious traits that manifest themselves based on societal influences, and American society valued mass oppression of different races. There is a clear visual difference between the white population and those they oppress. Whites perceived the natives as dirty and uncivilized, making it easier to commit mass murder on the population without feeling much guilt. The collective mindset was that Native Americans were inferior, undeserving of the land they lived on... middle of paper... injustices committed on eleven million people destroyed an entire civilization. The only motives the Europeans had were self-improvement, leaving the slave population in ruins with no hope of success. These two examples clearly show that the statement: America is the land of opportunity, is not correct. There are no opportunities for those living in oppression, and the scars left by these injustices have yet to fade from society. There is still a clear racial divide, and still superiors oppressing minorities. This is present through police brutality, where “superior” white men have beaten a minority to death on multiple occasions. We see injustice every day and have become blind to the real problems in society. The oppression has not yet stopped, so perhaps even today America still cannot truly be called the land of opportunity.