Essay On African Americans In The North

Many people will tell you that African Americans were free during the reconstruction after the civil war, which on paper may be the case. Life during this time was getting better, however, it still wasn’t good. African Americans faced multiple different forms of oppression that would make it seem that they were in prison. A few of these were the black codes, and the government's reaction to the 13th, 14th, and 15th amendments. However the amendments were not meant to have the states to poke holes in them, they were made to give freed African Americans the same right as everyone else.

Following the Civil War, America was in shambles. There were many groups with strong, conflicting ideas of how things should be. However, most groups had one idea in common: reducing the rights of African Americans as much as possible. Freed slaves had very little freedom under the law, were treated like a lesser species by those around them, and faced dangerous environments everywhere they went. Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation may have legally freed slaves, but African Americans were barely more than paid slaves.

Although the first steps towards in improvements for African-American culture began in the North, social and economic conditions didn't improve much at all. The racial attitudes of whites were still obvious among the white society. Laws banning interracial marriage and voting among free blacks accompanied every northern state emancipation. These laws were supposedly designed to

Africans first arrived in the area that later became the United States of America in around 1619 in the Chesapeake area. The large amount of fertile land in the area gave the settlers their biggest cash crop, which was tobacco. As time went by, more and more tobacco was being exported to England. Because of this, more labor was needed. This need for more labor was not only in the north, but in the south as well due to their mass production of cotton. This movement started the institution of slavery in America. Then, the colonies and other countries started to trade slaves and it became a business. The Royal African Company was the first slave trading company, which was started in 1672. The slaves were transported by the Middle

Whites have always considered themselves superior to blacks, no matter if they were slave owners or not. Blacks were considered lower than humans, making them a main target of oppression of whites. So even when a small group of blacks were given their freedom, they weren’t truly liberated from the chains of slavery and oppression. Blacks were freed in the early 1800s, giving a limited amount of blacks the freedom they deserved. These blacks were usually rural, uneducated, and unskilled domestic servants who had to work hard to survive in the society that shunned them. Free blacks were still given restrictions and laws because of their status in society. In the early 1830s, a law in Virginia was made to prohibit all blacks from getting their education. They even took it to the level where free blacks who went out of state to educate themselves were not able to come back and return to their own state. The worst restriction was that blacks could not testify in court. When a slave owner claimed that a free black was their slave, they could not defend themselves, and would have to conform back to their slavery. Despite the terrible treatment given to blacks, some rose above the oppression and became successful, therefore achieving their goals and potentials of being a free black man, leaving a huge impact on society in the 1800s.

Not all blacks were slaves before the Civil War. Before the dark clouds cast upon the Civil War in the 1860’s, states above the Mason-Dixon Line, also called the Northern states, said that blacks could legally be free. Were blacks really free in the North? Free blacks in the North had limited freedom and many restrictions, in the areas of, political freedom the economy and education, as well as, social rights.

If you were a free black in the 1700´s, how many rights would you have? You may think they would have as much rights as free whites, but they didn’t. Just because a black man was free does not mean that people aren't racist at all. So even if a black was free, he/she was restricted to many different things in the North. Racial prejudice was still shown to blacks all the time from almost everyone. A freedom that blacks had was freedom of religion, they were able to hold private meetings, go to Sunday School, and they were able to learn to read and write. The blacks had a number of rights but not as much as whites.

African Americans in the North did not have Political Freedom because the voting rights of the North was unfair against them. According to Political and Judicial rights, five states allowed African Americans to vote and only one state allowed them on Male Jury Duty (Litwack). If only five states allowed African Americans to vote, then they do not have political freedom because the majority of them have

Throughout history, African Americans both free and enslaved were not treated equally nor permitted with the same rights as white men. African Americans were enslaved and not allowed to vote or hold public office. Since the 15th century, African Americans have been treated less than human, some even experienced brutal punished for justifiable mistakes. The use of African American slave labor was an enormous contribution to agriculture and labor. It became a part of southern state’s economy within America. Additionally, African Americans were forced or born into slavery where they endured harsh working conditions with zero pay and often times were punished by their masters. Even slaves that became emancipated or paid for their freedom were also treated differently than whites. Notably, blacks did not have the same privileges as whites and were forced to carry a “freedom card” wherever they went. Failing to do so would lead to severe consequences, such as being forced back into slavery. Once African Americans were considered free, they faced additional discriminations such as not being able to vote or serve as a figure in public office. Due to this and additional factors, African Americans were almost entirely incapable of defending themselves against whites. Since the start of the 17th century, African Americans, free and enslaved were punished for their skin color and were considered the lowest scale by not being allowed to the same opportunities and rights and white men.

Blacks in the North were only partially free. Document B is and insert from a book called Life and Liberty in America written by Charles Mackay in 1859. Charles was an Englishman who came to America and wrote about his travels and observations. When talking about African Americans this document says, “He shall be free to live and to thrive, if he can,and to pay taxes and perform duties.”. This quote says that African Americans are free to live their lives as an any other American citizen if he is not a slave. He is saying that they will be treated as any white man when it comes to taxes and supporting themselves.

Throughout the creation of mankind and the discovery of North America, society constructed a term that classified human beings into categories. This term is used to identify people based on their physical characteristics, ancestry, or historical background. The term is race. Often, it is used in a negative connotation because of the belief that there is a superior race. However, settlers like John Smith who sought to prosper decided since they had the most power and were the “chosen ones”, they should be the leaders of the modern world and spread their beliefs among those who were unworthy and not fit to be self-governed. Thus, as they instituted themselves as the superior race, people of color were coined as minorities. Those seen as a minority at first were African Americans. African Americans have struggled throughout history to obtain equality against racism occasionally resorting to protests and strikes in order to achieve their goal. This struggle has turned into a war between races. Between 1877 and 2015, African Americans fought for representation in the workforce, integration, and a safe environment. Coming of Age in Mississippi, For the Record: A Documentary History of America, and America: A Narrative History, are all books containing primary sources that will help illustrate the struggles fought by many.

Enslavement of Africans was not exclusive to America, it had been going on in Europe for many years, and came over with the colonists. It was taken to a higher level in the Americas. European slavery was more a feudal system with serfs being at the bottom. Although they did not have many rights, serfs did have more rights than the future black Slaves of the Americas. The European discovery of the Americas is when slavery largely became race based and mostly restricted to the New World. A civil war was fought over the idea of slavery in America, and slavery lost; but discrimination did not. Blacks in America did not receive equal voting rights, one that had been afforded to everyone else, (even women), until 1965. The idea of discrimination towards blacks has remained strong, and America may never be free of it. Segregation stills exists, maybe not in the sense of de jure, which is a formal system of segregation supported by laws, but de facto which is a more informal and done by simple

When African Americans were finally set free from slavery, it meant that they could finally be equal to other people. But also somehow, not. They were equal to everyone else, they didn’t have to be slaves, they could live their lives, but they still were discriminated and segregated a lot. There were black and white bathrooms made, to separate the black people from the white people. There were specific schools ONLY for white people, as well as some water fountains made that were also only for white people. Stuff like this happened quite a bit. Even public transportation; on the bus, you would have to give up your seat to a white person, as if they were superior. They were/are not superior. They should not be more equal than others, but this is how it

Despite being free people, African Americans were treated as a 'secondary race' because of white supremacy ideas held by those around them and those in power. They had little to no civil rights. I believe that this segregation led them to horrible suffering due to factors such as underrepresentation in authority figures, the KKK with racist views, and the Great Depression. The 1930s was the worst time period regarding segregation; compared to back then, the situation has improved greatly. However, it does not mean all problems are solved. Although it may not be as extreme, discrimination against African American people still exists in the modern society of the U.S. They still experience racism first handedly in forms such as hate crimes. There are still things that need to change. As Dorothy Day, an American journalist and social activist said, "The legal battle against segregation is won, but the community battle goes on" (AZQuotes,

African Americans have overcome many challenges, but they are still fighting to be treated fairly. African Americans were enslaved for hundreds of years, and they were considered property. They provided free labor and worked from sunrise to sunset. African American women that were enslaved often experienced physical and sexual abuse. In addition, they did not have laws that protected them. Most of the laws that were created only protected Caucasians. However, in 1865 African Americans were no longer slaves, because the thirteenth amendment was created. The amendment banned slavery, so people were not legally allowed to be considered property. Although African Americans were no longer slaves, they still experienced discrimination and segregation. African Americans often had to sit in certain areas and attend certain schools, because of the color of their skin. More simply, African Americans were often treated differently based on their race. Furthermore, African Americans today still experience racism and discrimination. People claim to be color blind; however, they judge African Americans on their appearance. For instance, when people label African Americans as criminals or low class because of the way they look. Furthermore, African Americans still experience stereotyping. Overall, African American have overcome may challenges, but they are still fight for equality.