John. Ester describes the situation in the 1950s by stating, “The country was divided. Racism and sexism were systematic. A privileged, very rich white dude from the northeast was occupying the White House. The Russians were America’s archenemy.” The United States was segregated and African-Americans along with other minorities were being treated less compared to their white neighbors. The United States believed that they were fighting for a good cause and defending the right of democracy when competing in the Space Race against the Soviet Union. There …show more content…
The mentality that whites were superior than African-Americans was still being practiced through the United States’ streets. Racism was still at an all-time high even during the intimidating time of the Cold War. The relationship that the United States government had with its minority groups was appalling. The government allowed and even enforced the inequality through its streets. The lack of effort on the government to desegregate the country allowed for the minorities to continue being taken advantage of and for the Soviet Union to use their negligence to their benefit. Margot Lee Shetterly describes the