American History details that profiling based on race was prevalent during slavery, but as the slavery era ended, different forms of racial profiling continued in the United States. During the immigration era, when thousands of immigrants came to the United States seeking to find a better way of life, some were isolated and labeled for different reasons. Those from southern and eastern Europe were considered less able to assimilate, and their race and ethnicity were considered strong predictors or indicators of predispositions relevant to criminal behavior (Carmen, 2009, p. 666). Other immigrants were labeled as unhealthy due to the fact that their native country were stricken with diseases and famine and thought to be rampant. During the time of the Jim Crow era, the Italian physician and criminologist Cesare Lombroso (1835-1909) began to identify patterns of criminality based on the physical appearances of individuals. Lombroso influenced the academic stance on physical appearance being associated with behavior; in this case, criminality (Carmen, 2009, p. 666).
The Drug Courier Profiles were developed by the Drug Enforcement Administration in the 1980's, the public policy has been used to profile individuals based off of their appearance through this policy. Through the "Say No to Drugs" campaign, the Drug Enforcement Administration found it necessary to include race and ethnicity as components of profiles used to apprehend drug dealers and traffickers. Since the implantation of "The Drug Courier Profiles," ordinary citizens, have claimed to be racially profiled by law enforcement while driving, often referred to as "driving while Black.".
Historically there have been many people and organizations that have stood up against racial profiling despite the fact that so little progress has been made. In 1868, the Fourteenth Amendment was ratified which states that "No State shalldeny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws," which would have made racial profiling illegal; however it did not stop the practice, it just encouraged the police to be more discreet with their racist actions (Chatellier, n.