Question 1 - Approaches to discrimination through time.
Study Sources A, B and C
Source A :Proclamation by Elizabeth I, July 1596.
"Her Majesty understanding that several blackamoors have lately been brought into this realm, of which kind of people there are already too many here… Her Majesty's pleasure therefore is that those kind of people should be expelled from the land."
Source B: A cucking-stool or ducking-stool in the seventeenth
Century
Source C: Equal Opportunities Statement of the Metropolitan Police, 2005
The Metropolitan Police Service seeks to employ a workforce which reflects the diversity of background and culture within which we operate and to provide a working environment free from any form of harassment, intimidation, victimisation or unjustifiable discrimination.
All members of the Service will demonstrate their commitment to these principles and will challenge behaviour which is unacceptable, in particular on the grounds of nationality, gender, race, colour, ethnic or national origin, disability, sexual orientation or marital status.
1. Study sources A, B and C. How have approaches to discrimination changed between the sixteenth century and the present day? Explain your answer using these sources and your own knowledge.
( 8 )
Mr H
Student response
Michael
Elizabeth the 1st said in July 1596 that the blackamoors should be expelled from the country, this is racial discrimination towards the blackamoores because Elizabeth is telling just one race that they will be expelled from the country.
Then in the Seventeenth century discrimination was towards what people thought were witches. The discrimination shown towards witches was because people thought that women with some kind of magical powers were not normal, So they used the ducking stool to prove whether or not that women accused of being a witch was or not.
The in 2005 the Metropolitan police made a statement about "Equal Opportunities" to tell everyone that anyone and everyone should be treated fairly no matter what there race, religion, sex etc. But of course discrimination goes on the same way.
Mr H
Student Response
Daniel During the 16th Century It was uncommon to find a black person in England, but it was not impossible; the Queen however felt that there were too many and that they "should be expelled from the land". However now that kind of attitude is kept very low profile and not shown in fact the completely opposite attitude is shown and encouraged as the Metropolitan police statement shows.
Sexual discrimination was a lot more common around the 15th Century where it was very common for a man to come home from work and hit his wife for example. This was accepted as the country was very religious and many people and priests believed that being hit and brutalised, like Jesus was in his lifetime, made you closer to god. This made it very difficult for a woman to leave her husband as the courts were biased towards this view. That the type of abuse became less common but it was not untill the equal pay act of 1978 that men and women were truly made equal.
Mr H
Student response
Courtney
Source A is a Proclamation by Elizabeth I in 1596. She uses the term 'blackamoors', which today would be a racist term and a form of racial discrimination. For someone in the sixteenth century to behave and talk in such away was not seen as discrimination as there was no such laws protecting people.
Source B is a picture of a ducking-stool during the seventeenth century, which would of been used to punish women for being rude to there husband or behaving badly in puplic. This was also not seen as sexuall discrimination.
Source C is a equal opportunities statement from the Metropolitan police. This source shows how present day discrimination of any form is not tolerated which is a big change from the sixteenth century where People of high authority could use racist terms and it was acceptable. Present day many more laws on discrimination are being put in place such as age discrimination in order to give everyone equal rights.
Mr H
Student response
Matthew
The approaches to discrimination haves changed between the sixteenth century and the present day a lot. in the 16th century they did not want any more black people in the country and said there was too many black people in the country. In the 17th century the ecused lot's of people of being a witch and kill them for it and most of the time they where innocent.
In the present day the police do not take kindly to discrimination and we tackle and sort of discrimination. This is how the approaches on discrimination has changed over the years.
