As a leading country of the world, the United States of America has done everything to its maximum capacity when solving current issues and dilemma. Our country has gained the reputation of serving equality for all races and ethnic groups, but in different times this belief was inconceivable. The events of Reconstruction had no effect at helping ex-slaves and freedmen as they were faced with racism, hate, and cruel laws, returning them to their state of oppression they had once faced during slavery. Many historians say that the laws and amendments passed, helped freedmen to gain assistance and rights throughout the United States. The harsh reality of the situation was the treatment of freedmen and ex-slaves was barbaric. An excerpt from …show more content…
The Plessy v Ferguson court ruling states, “No person shall be permitted to occupy seats in coaches other than the ones assigned to them, on account of the race they belong to” (Document F). The Plessy v Ferguson court case ruled that segregation of public facilities was approved, and any private individual could segregate his facility against anyone he wanted to, as long as equality of accommodation existed. The separation of seats based on race allowed whites to physically and conceptually hold a partition against ex-slaves and freedmen, which would return them to a very similar state of mind they had faced during slavery. In reality, facilities for freedmen and ex-slaves were inferior to those of whites. The fact of the matter was that ex-slaves and freedmen were viewed as lesser objects in the perspective of whites; their treatment was the same as it was in their state of oppression felt during slavery. Ex-slaves and freedmen had no role in the social development of society, returning them to their state of oppression and along with it, taking away their integrity. With segregation legal, ex-slaves and freedmen were being overlooked as a member of society, and would have minimal power trying to influence who their new leader would
During the time period of 1860 and 1877 many major changes occurred. From the beginning of the civil war to the fall of the reconstruction, the United States changed dramatically. Nearly one hundred years after the Declaration of Independence which declared all men equal, many social and constitutional alterations were necessary to protect the rights of all people, no matter their race. These social and constitutional developments that were made during 1860 to 1877 were so drastic it could be called a revolution.
After reading the primary source, it has become clearer to me that the efforts made toward helping freedmen receive civil rights during Reconstruction were ineffective. The southern states were forced against their will into Reconstruction by the north, only adding more tension to the relations between the whites and people of color. Shortly after the last of the northern troops were removed, the south’s favored party, the Democratic Elite, regained control of the southern government and began restricting the rights of the freedmen.
On june 7, 1892 Plessy v Ferguson purchased a first class ticket he took possession of a vacant seat in a white car. He was arrested and convicted of violating the 1890 law of having no blacks in a all white car. Plessy v Ferguson challenged the law that it was an illegal arrest.He set a lawsuit against the state of louisiana. Plessy v Ferguson was seven-eighths white and one-eighth black he had the appearance of a white man. Plessy v ferguson and other many other black people were being treated unequally because you could clearly see that all white cars were more well put together than colored people cars. They had white people and colored people separated because of segregation laws put in place. The 13th and 14th amendments had the supreme
The State of Louisiana passed a law “that all railway companies carrying passengers in their coaches in this State shall provide equal but separate accommodations for the white and colored races by providing two or more passenger coaches for each passenger train … No person or persons, shall be admitted to occupy seats in coaches other than the ones assigned to them on account of the race they belong to.” The Plessy v. Ferguson case was brought before the high court to decide if Mr. Plessy civil rights under the Thirteenth and Fourteenth was violated when Plessy was assigned a seat in the black car and when he refused was subsequently arrested for violating the law. The court felt the Thirteenth Amendment was about abolishing slavery and involuntary servitude which the court proved was not applicable to apply to this case. Since the case Roberts v. Boston, 59 Mass. (5 Cush.) 198 (1850) the states had widely accepted the concept of separate but equal education system, and the separation of races in places of entertainment have become widely approved throughout the country. Based on these examples, the court felt no infringement of equal rights was inflicted on Mr. Plessy as stated in the Fourteenth Amendment. The Supreme Court affirms the lower courts ruling that Mr. Plessy civil rights were not
Reconstruction’s greatest successes were the changes to the Constitution; giving freedom, the right to vote and equal rights to all men. The dismal failures lie within the South’s ability to adjust laws in ways that reflected different intents towards the newly freed slaves than the ones outlined in the document, however. Although blacks were to receive fair and equal treatment, Southerners were allowed to use their own version of “fair and equal” and often it was more slanted towards whites than not.
There was no clarification on what race would be considered white or what would be considered black. During this incident, “Homer Plessy, who was seven-eighths white and one-eighth African American, purchased a rail ticket for travel within Louisiana and took a seat in a car reserved for white passengers. (The state Supreme Court had ruled earlier that the law could not be applied to interstate travel.) After refusing to move to a car for African Americans, he was arrested and charged with violating the Separate Car Act.”(Duignan 2017). Judge Ferguson ruled that the separation was fair and did not violate the fourteenth amendment. The state Supreme Court also backed up this decision. The case was brought to the Supreme Court and "The law was challenged in the Supreme Court on grounds that it conflicted with the 13th and 14th Amendments. By a 7-1 vote, the Court said that a state law that “implies merely a legal distinction” between the two races did not conflict with the 13th Amendment forbidding involuntary servitude, nor did it tend to reestablish such a condition." (History.com Staff 2009). This decision set the key precedent of Separate but Equal in the United States. Racial segregation kept growing.
Ferguson( 1896); one of the most well known civil right cases regarding " equal but separate laws" in relation to public seating. In 1896 Homer Plessy an African American was denied the right to be seated in a white only section. The Supreme court denied Congress the authority to prevent unequal privileges to restraints and inns. Following this statement, the Supreme Court upheld a Louisiana state law that allowed for, "equal but separate accommodations for the white and colored races" ( Supreme Court ). Consequently, transportation segregation was not unconstitutional but, “implies merely a legal distinction” (John A. Garraty). Nonetheless segregation in America was then more acceptable than before. Plessy vs. Ferguson, Judgement, Decided May 18, 1896; Records of the Supreme Court of the United States; Record Group 267; Plessy v. Ferguson, 163, #15248, National
The freedmen fought hard for their freedom and even though they got their freedom it was followed by a brutal contraction, which was imposed by the white people. This contradiction is emblematic of the African-American experience. The era of reconstruction was a short-term success, a medium-term failure, and a foundation for the long-term successes of the civil
Following the abolition of slavery (13th amendment), the freedmen (i.e., the former slaves of the Confederate states in the South)? dealt with significant judgement and expectations, not only from others, but from themselves too. They were put into a society that none of them were accustomed to. Similarly, the rest of the population was not accustomed to the African – Americans having the same rights as them either. Rather than just accepting the minimal newfound rights, the freedmen fought for complete equality, enabling the passage of the fourteenth and fifteenth amendments of the
party. Southerners saw the Republican party as the party of the “negro and corrupt white man,” who hated the South. Eventually, former Confederate states were limited to only the one-party system. Also, although the U.S. Congress tried to give more political and voting freedom to blacks in the 15th Amendment, Democratic leaders limited their access by reducing the number of eligible black voters. Literacy and educational tests, poll taxes and other property requirements, and the “grandfather” clause were all devices to reduce the number of Blacks who met voting qualifications. The last device, the “grandfather” clause, barred the Blacks and still made it possible for undereducated “poor whites” to vote.
North won the Civil War. Throughout the American Civil War, The North proved to be victorious to The South. The Union had a power and wealth, better economy and technology. There were many key factories: the money, the resources, the commanders, the manpower, the skill and determination and the most important the advanced weapons. Civil War was considered the first modern War in the World, because of new advanced weapons- rifled muskets, that cold reach 300 yards. Although, both sides had access to these weapons, North had the larger quantity. Union solders, were free people and some of Confederate solders were slaves, so the did not really care to fight. What were they defeating: slavery?
Ferguson case, the U.S. Supreme Court issued another ruling supporting racial discrimination. This 1896 decision supported a Louisiana law that mandated separate railway cars for black and white passengers. The court ruled that the law was not discriminatory. The judges stated that the law allowed all passengers access to the railway cars, but in separate facilities. The Plessy v. Ferguson case gave rise to the expression "separate but equal." It became the basis for widespread legal discrimination throughout the South for many decades to come. The separate but equal ruling offered a way out for governments wishing to adhere to the Constitution but wanting to continue segregation. In reality, facilities for blacks, whether in railway cars, schools, or hospitals, were far from equal to those for whites. Decisions like that of Plessy v. Ferguson allowed state and local governments in the South to make numerous laws that restricted or denied blacks access to places like beaches and
Slavery in America came to an end along with the end of the Civil War, resulting in the restoration of the thirteenth fourteenth and fifteenth Amendments, which were constructed to fortify equality to recently liberated slaves. Despite the abolition of slavery and the promises of new hope in America, black people continued to be robbed of their rights equality and freedom for another century, just as was the case since they had been forced into slavery centuries before. Thus, the abolition of slavery falsely implied that black people be provided with their rights to freedom and equality, but in reality the struggle for these rights had only just begun and would continue along with more suffering, hardships and determination.
June, 1892, Homer A. Plessy was arrested and jailed for boarding a car that was intended to seat white patrons only. He was a mix of two races, white and black. Plessy was 7/8ths white and only a meager 1/8th black. He was allowed to ride in his cart until he made his race known to the conductor, who then asked him to move to the cars for black patrons. When Plessy refused, the conductor had him arrested. On May 18, 1896 in a 7-1 decision, the policy of “separate but equal” was declared constitutional and enacted. This policy of segregation lasted almost 60 years until Brown vs. Board overturned the law, announcing it to be unconstitutional in 1954. The outcome of Plessy vs. Ferguson welded segregation into law, ultimately resulting in the perpetuation of pre-existing divisions in America.
After the American Civil War, Congress passed several laws to protect the rights of the newly freed black slaves such as the Thirteenth Amendment that prohibited slaves in the United States. In addition, Congress also passed the Fourteenth Amendment to fortify the rights of freed black slaves in which the Amendment granted the citizenship to all citizens who born in the United States, regardless of races, and the citizens entitled to “equal protection of laws” of the states where they lived.