Apostles Of Disunion Essay

Charles B Dew, PHD, a winner of Fletcher Pratt Prize from the Civil War Round table of New York for two of his books: Apostles of Disunion and Iron maker to the confederacy, is a native of St. Petersburg, Florida. A son of the south. His book Apostles of Disunion is a book in an attempt to analyze the question: why did the southern states went to secession? In his book, Dew explains why he is writing it and tries to answer (which I believe he does successfully) the question of was the secession due to state right or was the end motive the institution of slavery? The author clearly mentions that he is writing the book in

The 13th amendment abolished slavery and freed millions of African Americans. This was supposed to improve their lives and give them a new beginning. However, more than 30 years after the abolishment, their situation has not improved. Their right to vote was revoked in many southern states during the early 1890s. Less than 40% of black children were enrolled in schools in Georgia by 1880. Between 1880 and 1918, over 2400 African Americans were hanged. Africans had the lowest paying jobs and very few owned land. Jim Crow laws were established in many southern states to legalize segregation. Their situation was disastrous and wasn’t improving. Four respected spokespersons presented their ideas to fix this racial inequality crisis. The four courageous people who offered their alternatives were Ida B Wells, Booker T. Washington, Henry Turner and W.E.B Du Bois.

The thesis of the book is that segregation of black and whites was developed later in life than it did when slavery was just introduce. In the earlier years blacks and white would live within the same residence and or property, sharing the same premises if not equal facilities. The black and white would attend the same church and sit in the pews. As life progress and economics and Political conflicts took place that’s when the segregation began.

“We know the road to freedom has always been stalked to death”,Angela Davis .This quote speaks for the journey that the African American community has dealt with and is still going through today. So what is equality? Equality is the state of being equal, especially in status, rights, and opportunities. The nineteenth century was a time of movement and complete transformation in political and legal status of African Americans.The Years right before 1920 was a hard era for African Americans , during this time it was a period of radical hatred towards blacks. There were groups such as the Klu Klux Klan who terrorized blacks,and there were constant riots between the blacks and whites. There were two influential people at this time Booker T Washington and W.E.B Du Bois who influenced many people's views on different ways to come about getting equality among the blacks. Some people sided with Washington's views which were that blacks don't need to directly fight because that leads to more violence so they should become more educated ,or sided with Du Bois who believed that blacks needed to take firm actions to protest illegal actions and murders.The similarities and differences between Booker T. Washington and W.E.B Du Bois are distinct and they deserved to be investigated.

The struggle for equality and the battle to have one’s suppressed voice be heard is prevalent throughout the history of the United States. The Native Americans, women, and even Catholics have all encountered discrimination and belittlement in one shape or form, which eventually urged individuals within those groups to rise up and demand equal opportunity. As the United States began to shift away from slavery, one of the most deep rooted, controversial dilemmas aroused- what do black people need to do in order to gain civil rights both economically and socially? Booker T. Washington’s “Atlanta Exposition Address” and W.E.B. Du Bois's “The Soul of Black Folks” were pieces of writings influenced by the puzzle that black people were left to solve. Booker T. Washington and W.E.B Du Bois had contrasting ideas, but they both contributed a piece to the puzzle in hopes of solving the never ending mind game.

In his book Apostles of Disunion, Charles Dew's thesis is that the south felt that the Federal Government was reaching too far into states’ rights with using slaves an example, they felt that the only way for the south to survive was with slaves since that was there general means of an economy.

Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation, and the passing of the Thirteenth Amendment of the United States Constitution were historical milestones in which the ever controversial topic of racial equality was first challenged. In theory, these two movements laid the groundwork for a racially equal United States of America. A country in which every member, regardless of skin color, or race were to be treated equally under the eyes of the law and to one day be treated as equals within all realms of society. As historic and powerful as these movements were, they did

Given these points, the Civil War was coming close to an end. A new movement had started about complete African- American rights. They had got to the point where slavery wasn’t as common. Some still broke the law and threatened the slaves and never got caught, but mostly the forced labor of blacks was done and over with. Now they wanted to get to the point in time where they were totally equal with whites. Racist beliefs changed towards blacks now that slavery had ended, but that wasn’t good enough because they still weren’t totally equal like I stated

In Maryland there are white’s and the white slave the people Douglass left Maryland he had to leave the country because some men wanted to take Douglass back to Maryland. The white would boss the slave’s around all the time. They would always work, some slaves would die really fast because their bodies couldn't take the pain anymore after all the whips they had gotten and all the struggles. This would affect all of the slaves because the slaves are people, which means they have a life to leave. They should have their rights and their

Dew uses the speeches and public letters of 41 white southerners who, as commissioners in 1850 and 1861, attempted to secure support for secession by appealing to their audiences’ commitment to the preservation of slavery and the doctrine of white supremacy” (Madaras page 207). As Dew look at these letters he finds that these men (about 52 southern commissioners) arguments consisted of the threats by race amalgamation, race war, and racial equality. He also mentions that the main reasons the southerners opposed was indeed to protect the purity of whites and slavery. One of the Mississippi commissioners says “Our fathers made this a government for the white man, rejecting the negro, as an ignorant, inferior, barbarian race, incapable of self-government and not, therefore entitled to be associated with the white man upon terms of civil, political or social equality”… Charles asks himself. Did these men really believe these things? They made these statements too many times in too many places. (Madaras page

The Campaign rhetoric of Horace Greeley in 1872, the religious revivals of D.L. Moody, and the yellow fever epidemic of 1878 influenced northern white attitudes regarding African Americans in the South in a way that actually had a negative impact. I had no idea these three events could have had the ability to, in a sense, set back the progress that could and should have been for African-Americans. To me, it is not so much of an attitude whites had regarding African-Americans as much as a complete erasure from their memories as to what should have been happening with regard to helping the African-American population to properly integrate into American society.

During this time African Americans served as an underlying issue to the civil war but personally there seemed to be little apprehension about their actual development and progression in society. Initially, Negroes’ attitudes and contributions to the Civil War and their desire for freedom were major factors in their struggle with white America. Obviously, there were various circumstances that described African American lifestyles; being broken down to North vs. South or Freed slaves vs. Slaves, but the main

The issue that was primarily discussed throughout the book was the right to vote and for Negroes to hold political offices. For some reason it was hard for people of European descent to see blacks equal to their capabilities. An example of this would be James Alston returned home from a Republican Party meeting, late one Saturday night at the Negro Zion Church in Tuskegee. Alston was the leader of the local black Republicans and also represented Macon County in the Alabama Legislature. As he and his wife were going to bed, gunfire was blasted through their house like hail. Alston was struck in the back and hip and his wife, who was pregnant at the time, was hit in the foot. Incredibly, nobody was seriously injured in which more than three hundred-buckshot holes were counted. J. T. Menifee, who was the county general and probate judge who was a Republican aligned with the Democrats made it absolutely clear that how white felt about blacks holding political offices. He made a stern warning on Saturday night events very clear: "a nigger couldn't hold no office in this county no longer." (p. 4). He later he told Alston that he was going to be shot and that "a nigger wasn't fit for nothing else than to

The article by W.E.B. DuBois explains the issue of prejudice, discrimination, and racism against African Americans. He starts by telling us how he experienced racial discrimination when he was very young. We then learn the desire of African Americans to be black and American at the same time. This desire was thought to be fulfilled by the Emancipation Proclamation but that was not the case as discrimination continued. Then the ability to vote was thought to bring some respite but again this was not the case. Then African Americans turned to “book-learning” to educate themselves to bring them to the same level as white Americans. But it was impossible to be close to that level as African Americans were discriminated at schools, job places, political

The fight for the abolition of slavery was a big battle but the one for racial segregation was a bitter one. “Race should not be a source of power or advantage or disadvantage for anyone in a free society” (Steele, page509). It is quite difficult to understand that America a nation of freedom, liberty and opportunities could have allowed some people to be oppressed. Even in the court of law the injustice persisted. “Negroes have experienced grossly unjust treatment in the courts” (Letter from a Birmingham Jail).