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In the social sciences and humanities, presentism is the process of taking a view of the past that is shaped by present-day perspectives, whether that means making moral judgments based on present-day cultural norms, treating the present as the inevitable outcome or goal of the past, or treating history as determinist in such a way that individual agency is diminished. Presentism is a bias that mischaracterizes the past rather than treating it objectively, and overcoming it has been a perennial problem in the discipline of history as well as other areas.

Cultural bias, or ethnocentricity, occurs when an individual interprets other people’s experiences through the lens of their own cultural experience. When judgment of others is based on the standards of one’s own culture, the implication that one culture is better than another arises. This preferential treatment, or bias, may be intentional or unintentional. In either case, cultural bias is considered a discriminatory practice because it assumes that one society’s behavior is the accepted norm, thereby placing other groups at lesser value.

Cultural prejudice and discrimination continue to present complex challenges in American society. One of the great barriers to tackling issues of racial discrimination in the United States is the legacy of the transatlantic slave trade. The effects of slavery were not resolved with emancipation or with the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Prejudice and discrimination against people of color persist in America. Along with problems experienced by Black Americans, people of other cultural backgrounds, such as Jewish people, Hispanic Americans, people with disabilities, and many others, have experienced widespread discrimination. America's immigration policy introduced millions of people into the country but also resulted in increased prejudice and discrimination among disparate cultures. These problems continue in American society in the twenty-first century.