Many died to hands of whites for their participation in these rebellions. Whites of the Southern states tried hard to keep slavery the way it was but with the steady growing number of free educated blacks in the Northern states grew the desire for slaves to obtain the same. In the North, blacks were able to obtain an education, work as well as own their own stores. Eventually, Abraham Lincoln got into office and many Southern Whites believed he sided on the abolishment of slavery so they made their states separate from that of the Northern portion of the United States. Lincoln supported the Union, which were the Northern States which held free blacks, and gave the Confederate States an ultimatum to join back with the Union or war will begin.
Even to today, this is still happening, a superior race, we try to say that everyone is equal but no African Americans would believe this, but this is all starting to change now that the US have a African American president. Reconstruction In the Southern states, many African Americans demanded equality in 1865 - they felt they were unequal in economic, social, political and legal aspects. Durings 1865 Reconstruction Confederate style was
After Lincoln’s re-election in November 1864 Lincoln pressed for the Congressional approval for the measure (the “Thirteenth Amendment”) and it was passed on 31st January 1865. Being free was not enough for former blacks however to be true citizens of the United States, they needed an organisation that would protect their rights, and so in March 1865 Congress created the Freedmen’s Bureau, which set up public schools, provided aid to the poor, secured equal rights for white Unionists and blacks in the courts, negotiated labour contracts between freedmen and their former masters etc. “The death rate among freedmen was reduced, and sanitary conditions improved.” To see just what a leap this was, one has only to look back at the ante-bellum period, when Southern leaders were able to protect their sectional interests during the Constitutional Convention of 1787, preventing the insertion of any explicit anti-slavery position in the Constitution, and at the
They were deemed radical by subsequent historians because they insisted that blacks be protected in their new found rights. When white southerner’s intransigence followed the nation’s first civil rights act, Congress passed the Ku Klux Klan act. This gave federal authorities jurisdiction over both states and individuals who tried to deprive Freedmen and women of their new found rights. Never before had the federal intervened so force fully and directly on behalf of its citizens, let alone it’s most constellated and impoverished minority. Yet even
How far had racial equality been achieved by 1965? The Civil Rights campaign was put in place in order to end racial discrimination and to open up equality to black citizens in the United States. Campaigning tactics included non-violent protesting, civil disobedience and legal action through courts. By doing so they would be improving the lives of millions, but in order to achieve this goal they had to meet the basic needs of black American's. In order for racial equality to exist, African Americans must feel as though their needs had been met.
A lot of the states’ laws had to be overcome in order for the act to become effective such as Jim Crow laws. These laws made African Americans feel as though they were relegated to the status of second class citizens. Jim Crow laws prevents blacks from voting due to illiteracy, social class, and/or poverty. It did take some muscle from the federal government, the attorney general’s office and executive orders from the president to make sure civil right laws were enacted. But it was all worth it.
The 15th amendment (1870) gave black men equal voting rights with white men. However they were threatened or physically stopped from voting. It was no good having rights which were not enforced. Yet inequality increased at the end of the 19th century and continued in the early 20th century through Southern states passing the ‘Jim Crow’ laws which increased segregation. WW1 did little in stopping the rising tide of segregation.
The Second World War was a turning point for African Americans in the struggle for civil rights because they gained respect from most whites, but only to a certain extent. It helped them to get the vote, but outside the southern states suffered from de facto segregation, Southern states suffered from De Jero segregation and Jim Crow Laws, but they started to gain respect from some whites. The Second World War was a turning point for African Americans as it showed equality, however, voting rights did not necessarily result in the number of black votes within a constituency boundary. In 1945, there were only two black members of Congress, Representative William Dawson from Chicago, and Adam Clayton Powell, who had been elected to Congress in 1944 because newly drawn constituency boundaries ensured that Harlem’s quarter of a million blacks would be able to elect a black man to the House of Representatives. So, even though they took a step forward in equality outside of the south, it didn’t really help that much as they couldn’t do much with the vote because of the attitudes shown towards blacks from whites.
Race Relations after the Civil War 3 The way white Southerners made it difficult on former slaves in the South was to create what was called “Black Codes”. These codes were laws made by southern states to try to ensure their way of life could not be infringed on in the wake of the passing of the 13th amendment which outlawed slavery. Examples of such codes varied from state to state. However, the message was clear to the former slaves that they were still unequal. Examples of these laws are as follows: 1.
As most Indians viewed Indians from other tribes as less than human, so did America view African slaves or precisely, anyone of a color other than white. Because of this, it was justified to use slaves by their masters to establish and advertise higher status and wealth. The bigger their plantation was, the