Our history books are full of ethnic and religious groups who have been
             mistreated. However, these books say very little, if anything at all about the
             Gypsies. In this paper I am going to discuss a few of the many hardships and
             prejudices that Gypsies have faced, and continue to face today.
             Throughout time Gypsies have suffered "disproportionately from poverty,
             unemployment, interethnic violence, discrimination, illiteracy, and disease"
             (Lewy 1). One may wonder exactly who these people are who seem to be the
             targets of so much violence and hostility. Well, the Gypsies are an inclusive
             group, they have their own language and they are nomadic, which means that
             they travel around in clans, usually looking for work and pay. It is extremely
             difficult to learn the origin of these people, because they have no written or oral
             history. The number of Gypsies in the United States alone estimates to be
             between one hundred thousand and one million, however their names still do not
             Many of the hostilities that Gypsies have faced are due to the prejudices
             that others have against them, simply because they are different. This is similar
             to the way that African Americans were treated in America, on the fact that the
             color of their skin is a different . In fact a 19th century French observer referred
             to them as "Europe's negroes" ( "A Gypsy Awakening" 1). Actually, African
             Americans seem to be more well off, because over time they have established a
             better way of life for themselves, and overcome many hardships and prejudices;
             whereas the Gypsies remain as they have always been. These people can also
             relate to another group, the Jews who were victims of the Holocaust; for they too
             were victims of this horrible occurrence in history. But unlike many of the Jewish
             families who were able get their life back on track, after the war, with help from
             ...