Old South, New South, or Down South

Public Education for African American children was much harder, deprived of money, and good supplies. Often times they would have to use the old discarded school books from the white kids, if anything at all. African American school buildings were worth a sliver of what the white communities were worth, which made is so that some students couldn't even attend. “Less money went to schools for African American students. Sometimes black students used the books discarded from white schools” (Ncp). The property taxes on land depleted and schools wouldn't have enough resources to teach as many kids. Some teachers even were getting paid almost nothing. The students were unable to receive a good education. “The value of farm land plummeted, and that meant that property taxes that supported schools fell as well.” Some schools cut school lunches, and lunch workers. Students had to bring their own lunches, and most of the time it was nothing more than a biscuit. They had to drink the water from the school well, and most of the students didn't eat at all. Some students went to school hungry, and came home even hungrier. “Some schools saved money by getting rid of cafeterias and cafeteria

The movement in Florida had both successes and failures but the failures seemed to outweigh the successes because of the length of time it took for total cooperation with desegregation. Even decades later race still seems to be an issue in Tallahassee, although segregation was done away with. Whites just found different ways of showing their racism. Blacks had to break through many, many barriers to get to where they are today. It’s only been a couple of decades since the first black city officials have been elected into office. Tallahassee didn’t start adopting a unitary school system until 1970, sixteen years after the Brown case. There have been some successes for blacks during the movement years in Tallahassee; they just seem minute compared to how long it took them to achieve it and how much longer they got to go.

The first segment is about the "old" South and the plantations, slavery, supported by law, church, schools, and press. The second is the new order of Reconstruction, occupation and a changed federal Constitution. The third one is the third regime, following Reconstruction, which was the longest, characterized by the regime of "Jim Crow.” The last segment is the newest phase, comprising the demise of Jim Crow and the renewed intense devotion of the federal government and civil rights leaders to establish racial equality. This segments of Southern history has been involved to the relationship between the white and black race, specifically the legal and social status of blacks, and this work is essentially a study of the third segment - the rise and entrenchment of Jim

“As soon as blacks gained the right to vote, secret societies sprang up in the South, devoted to restoring white supremacy in politics and social life” (digitalhistory) Those organizations beat, lynched and executed former slaves and republicans in order to try and maintain their hold on the power they thought were fleeing from their grasps. Others sought more political and ‘lawful’ ways of achieving white supremacy. They became politically involved, gained power, and were able to pass pieces of legislatures known as ‘black codes’. The Black Codes were a “series of laws passed by Southern states to define freedman's rights and responsibilities.” According to Florida's Black Code, “blacks who violated labor contracts could be whipped, and sold for up to one year's labor. “ And just like that, blacks realized that their freedom meant absolutely nothing. In fact, if a former slave did not adhere and respects the black codes they could potentially be sold back into slavery. Slavery may have been abolished, but Southern leaders became pioneers in the world of systematic and Institutional racism. A form of racism that is so strong that it’s still deeply entrenched in

The local schools were a source of communal pride and were priceless to African-American families when poverty and segregation limited severely the life chances of the pupils. A major part

The victory that led to school desegregation in 1954 came with its gimmicks. Although everyone saw the best in the enforcement of the law, only some saw its flaws. Just because blacks were

Dr. Barbara Sizemore was a teacher, principal and superintendent who was extremely passionate in her efforts to advance the opportunities of low income African American students (Bradley, 1996). She implemented several educational tactics, such as the development of the teacher and new school policies to create the school achievement structure program (Bradley, 1996). To enhance the learning experience of the African Americans and low income students, Sizemore made the school system suitable for all types of students. She did not strive to accelerate and advance the educational environment of the African American student body exclusively, but sought to improve the entire structure of the school system in general (Bradley, 1996). Barbara Sizemore achieved to be an effective member of the African Diaspora through creating an effective school system, proving the disadvantage in desegregation, and the creating her school achievement structure program.

To understand the present and the future one must understand the past.  The book Civilities and Civil Rights by William Chafe provided a detailed look at North Carolina, specifically Greensboro between the years of the 1930s through the 1960’s. The state of events that occur can be linked to many of the events that one sees today due to the fact that the foundation and structure of the south was built on racism. No one came straight out and said they were racist, instead the problem was covered up with civilities. Few leaders wanted to rock the boat or change things that would allow African Americans rights. This report will show how the civilities during this time hindered the success of civil rights in Greensboro, and also how it was harder for activists in Greensboro to win support and accomplish their goals.

The African-American during the Reconstruction Era probably felt victorious as well as discomfited. Prior to the Civil war, slaves hoped freedom would give them the right of equal status in American society, but their dream of an egalitarian America was impeded after Lincoln’s assassination. To add to former slave woes, the southern economy lay destitute. Many southerners felt the added wage earners (former slaves) would destroy the cotton business’s productivity. Stated thus, many African-Americans were subjugated by White Elitists. Nevertheless, black Floridians advocated for economic, social, and even political equality, despite the hostile environment. This is interesting because it goes against the popular misconception of Florida’s

Education was and still is a very important aspect in life, but Jim Crow laws made receiving an equal education an impossible task. “Education: The schools for white children and the schools for Negro children shall be conducted separately” Florida (“Jim Crow Laws”). Although both races did receive an education, they were not equal. Schools for white

The lack of education was an issue regarding black people because of their race. In Florida the Jim Crow Laws state, “The schools for white children and the schools for negro children shall be conducted separately” (“Jim Crow Laws-Martin Luther King Jr. National Historic Site”). Due to the separation of the black and white school much of the money sent towards the school went to the white only school. This shows that the state did not want interracial schools and refers back to the thought “separate but equal” but not really equal. Although the thought was “separate but equal”, it doesn’t exactly mean people will follow that thought. In Concord, North Carolina, a black woman named Mary McLeod Bethune wanted to spread education for other black children. McLeod opened a school with any money she had and borrowed, for an all black girl institute in Daytona Beach. When other people discovered what she did, the Ku Klux Klan threatened to burn down the school, but never followed through. In 1929, the all girls’ school merged with an all men’s school (“The Rise and Fall of Jim Crow”). “It is our pledge to make a lasting contribution to all that is finest and best in America, to cherish and enrich her heritage of freedom

Although I wasn’t in Mississippi during the ‘Freedom Summer’, I had a solid understanding of how life was during the ‘Freedom Summer’. This was years of racism and segregation towards the blacks in the US during the Civil Rights Movement. My aspect type was racism, and I learned of its impact on life through our analysis in the class of The Color Purple (1982) by Alice Walker, an epistolary novel about the lives of black people in rural dominated white racist Georgia during the 1920’s-50’s. Furthermore, we discussed Nelson Mandela’s Inaugural Speech in class, and how Mandela fought for Independence from the white racist government. With extra research of the Freedom Summer project launched by the Student Nonviolent Coordinating

Currently in the United States of America, there is a wave a patriotism sweeping across this great land: a feeling of pride in being an American and in being able to call this nation home. The United States is the land of the free and the home of the brave; however, for the African-American citizens of the United States, from the inception of this country to midway through the twentieth century, there was no such thing as freedom, especially in the Deep South. Nowhere is that more evident than in Stories of Scottsboro, an account of the Scottsboro trials of 1931-1937, where nine African-American teenage boys were falsely accused of raping two

I was supposed to teach six months out of the year, but actually I taught only five and a half months, from late October to the middle of April” (Gaines 34). In the article “Ending School Segregation In The U.S” It talks about the developments of the Jim Crow laws which divided up students based on their race “States across the North and South passed laws creating schools and public facilities for each race.” (USHistory.org). This would cause colored children to be at a disadvantage when it comes to learning and socializing with other kids. The colored kids were separated from the others based solely on their skin color, Grant didn’t even have a real desk to teach from, he had to use the table that was used during the church services on Sundays. “My desk was a table, used as a collection table by the church on Sunday’s” (Gaines 34). They had to be very careful with the tools that they were given because they couldn’t afford replacements because most of the funds went to the white schools. “The school board doesn’t give it away. They already gave me what they said was enough for the year. They’re not giving us any more. Do you understand what I’m saying to you?” (Gaines 36). With the unfair economic distribution, it leaves the colored kids to have less tools to work with than the white kids.

Ordinarily, a short story is characterized by the inclusion of crucial details, consistent characters, linear plots, and a significant closure; Argentine novelist Jorge Luis Borges’ 20th century compilation of short stories, Ficciones, defies these characteristics, and, upon its release, conclusively revolutionized the genre. Such “fictions” hold incomplete backgrounds, thinly-sketched characters, non-linear plots, and open-ended conclusions. The emerging genre, affectionately titled Borgesian Literature, is illustrative of the aforementioned qualities, where texts under this genre are often composed of concise language with critical detail laced throughout the narrative. In “The South”, the