Racism is defined by Merriam-Webster as a belief that race is the primary determinant of human traits and capacities and that racial difference produces an inherent superiority of a particular race. In the cases of Rubin "The Hurricane" Carter and Leonard Peltier, racism is a clear motive for their imprisonment. American Indians and African Americans were racial abused in the 1960s and 1970s, and it seems that the cases of Rubin Carter and Leonard Peltier are primary examples of how these minorities were treated by macro-level constructions. Racial conflicts often brought out the worst in humans, but at times it also brought out the best in humans. As with these racial conflicts, imprisonment also can bring out the best and the worst in people. Therefore, I will discuss the double standards which plagued African Americans and American Indians with whites and macro-level constructions and also discuss how imprisonment can transform a person.
             Double standards were vastly prominent in the cases of Rubin Carter and Leonard Peltier. To start, both were imprisoned solely based on racism from the white man. It was proven in Rubin Carter's case it was racism that was the motive behind his imprisonment. A quote from the movie The Hurricane from Judge Sarokin states, "How the extensive report clearly demonstrates to this court that Rubin Carter's conviction was predicated upon an appeal to racism rather than reason and concealment rather than disclosure." This quote shows that the judge eventually believed that the reason behind Carter's conviction was solely on racism.
             Leonard Peltier seems to have also been imprisoned based solely on racial conflicts. Given the vast problems that macro-level constructions were having wit American Indians living in the United States, Peltier conviction came with false claims, it appears. Peltier makes it very clear in his writing that he never committed murder to anyone...