The outcome of George Zimmerman's trial for the killing of Trayvon Martin has resulted in a great deal of anger on one side and on the other side, accusations that Zimmerman has been hounded for the legitimate exercise of his self-defense rights.

This case must be seen in the larger context of the history of US race relations. While the south's embrace of slavery is well-known, what is not fully understood is how completely southern legal and social institutions united after the Reconstruction era with the singular intent of ensuring that African-American citizens were unable to exercise their rights.

Equally, formal and informal racial oppression was commonplace in the rest of the US.

For minorities in the country today, the result is a legacy of being viewed with suspicion wherever they go.

The widely popularized term "driving while black" simply refers to the fact that minorities, especially African-Americans, are far more likely to be stopped by police when driving compared to white individuals.

Furthermore, many minorities have experienced being singled out by store security personnel for increased scrutiny due to their race rather than any overt actions.

The ultimate result is to make it harder for minorities to exercise their right to move about as they please, even if there are no official laws restricting their movements.

African-Americans and other minorities are also far more likely to be dealt with in a harsh manner by the justice system than whites.

While official legal codes no longer include explicitly racist clauses, minorities continue to face racism when dealing with larger society.

Because of these factors, the killing of Martin was seen not simply as a tragic accident or even the unlawful murder of a single teen, but a symbol for what many minorities experience every day.

Not only that, but another Florida self-defense case, where Marissa Alexander, an African-American woman was sentenced to 20 years for firing warning shots to protect herself from her allegedly abusive husband, highlights what many see as a clear double standard.

In both cases, self-defense was claimed as the motive for the shooting, and both cases were arguably covered by Florida's self-defense statutes. Many see the fact that Marissa is black as the primary difference between the two cases.

However, the larger national significance of these events can be seen in the media and public reaction.

More than a few individuals and groups have argued that Martin's choice of clothes somehow made him an acceptable target.

In fact, veteran Fox host Geraldo Rivera described his choice of clothes as "thug wear." To many observers, it is unlikely that such a description would have been applied to a white teenage, nor accepted by such a large audience, no matter his choice in clothes.

And this is perhaps the greatest tragedy of the Trayvon Martin case - the sudden revelation that many Americans do feel that Zimmerman was right, that a civilian stalking an African-American male was not only allowable but positively praiseworthy, and that Martin's death at Zimmerman's hands was not simply legal but Martin's fault.

The idea that Martin's race, his choice of clothing and the fact that he was walking through a neighborhood that Zimmerman decided he did not belong to somehow make his killing legitimate is chilling.

It should not simply be chilling to minorities, but to every US citizen who values their rights.

For in its aftermath, many minority individuals across the US will wonder whether they would be free to defend themselves if accosted or if they could be killed and whether a claim of self-defense would be used to protect their killer, even if he chose to initiate the confrontation.

Sadly, this case has made it clear that the US has far to go in its quest for racial harmony.

The author is a freelance writer based in Corona, California. charlesgray109@gmail.com