As America had a Federal system of government it was possible for laws to differ significantly between states as each state had its own government. The Thirteenth Amendment to the constitution, made slavery illegal, the 25 years after the civil war were efforts were made to make America a fairer society and to rebuild the southern states. This period was known as Reconstruction. In this period, two additional constitutional amendments were delivered in an attempt to give African Americas the rights they had been denied for so long. The fourteenth Amendment (1868) gave citizenship rights to all people bon in the USA and was an attempt to assure the rights of previous slaves.
This would mean an entirely different lifestyle for African Americans. There was still racism going on, but no African American was considered a slave. By ending slavery this forced the south to find a new way of supporting themselves and working their cash crops. In 1863 President Lincoln had issued the Emancipation Proclamation meaning that all people that were held as slaves within the United States shall be forever set free. But this did not end slavery in the nation.
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.
Initially formed to protect local communities from police brutality and racism, The Black Panthers believed that the non-violent campaign of Martin Luther King had failed and any promised changes to their lifestyle via the 'traditional' civil rights movement, would take too long to be implemented or simply not introduced. The Black Panther Party believed they could offer the black community a political organization that would serve their needs and interests at a time when “black people were moving away from the philosophy and strategy of non violent action toward sterner actions” Newton and Seale formalized the party with a uniform of blue shirts, black pants, black leather jackets, black berets and openly carried loaded shotguns. They developed the Ten Point Platform (appendix 1) detailing the objectives of the party. Newton and Seale believed the Black Panther Party for self-defense, aimed to end oppression of blacks and voiced the idea that black people in America were waging a war against the US government. The Black Panther Party was seen as a militant group responsible for
The northern parts of the United States accepted African Americans, and many try to escape to the north to try to get employed and leave the racial segregation in the south. The south had state laws that prevented African Americans from doing what they believe are right. (265, packet) Even though it was said that, African Americans are equal to whites under the constitution, as long as part of the United States still have the segregation going on, then the African Americans do not have rights in the whole country. This was a huge obstacle to stop the racism and try to fit them into the society to live with whites. Women were part of the minorities along with the blacks because of the way they were treated.
The American Civil war To what extent was the American Civil War effective? Melissa Horacek – Year Eleven Modern History Melissa Horacek – Year Eleven Modern History The Civil War, is a war between civilians, began due to the fear of the abolishment of slavery. Its purpose for the South was to continue slavery, while the North fought for the abolishment of slavery. When the United States was established by colonists and a constitution was created, the constitution did not abolish slavery, but incorporated compromises made by the men who crafted it. Some, especially Northerners who didn’t really adopt slavery had little slaves living there, apposed slavery, they were referred to as Abolitionists.
1896 Plessy VS Ferguson US Supreme Court Case HIST222 African American History after 1877 Instructor Dr. Donna J. Nicol June 13, 2010 Back in the twentieth century African Americans were newly freed slaves. These were very hard time for the African American race. Even though they were free the laws of the land did not allow African Americans to be treated as everyone else. “The end of the Civil War had promised racial equality, but by 1900 new laws and old customs created a segregated society that condemned Americans of color to second-class citizenship.”(Museum of American History) African Americans had to follow a different set of laws called the Jim Crow Law. Jim Crow Law was used to keep blacks separate from whites.
• Southern school for blacks were poor standards which resulted in black people not being educated enough to vote or work for a living. • Southerners and northerners refused to work alongside one another due to the stress and havoc of the Civil War • The plantation southern belle’s morals and beliefs had all changed so the social class fell. • Racism continued to increase in the southern rather than decrease causing backlash amongst the black citizens. • Black people began to blend in with social classes as they were not trapped anymore and were ‘free’. • Even though slavery was illegal, sly and unofficial slavery took place in order for black people to survive and live in both the south and north of America.
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.
Jim Crow: A Clever Ruse with Cruel Intent by Nunya Buisness English 151 Professor Weezy 21 April 2013 Racial inequality and segregation was not a new manifestation. Before the Civil War, when slavery had established the status of most blacks, there was no apparent need for statutory measures segregating the races. The initial postwar governments passed a few segregation laws and some restrictive Black Codes, but these did not continue to exist past Reconstruction. What replaced them, however, was not racial integration but an informal code of exclusion and discrimination. (Litwack 8) The Jim Crow system gave Southern whites a legal way to reclaim all-encompassing control over the lives of blacks after the Civil War and Reconstruction.