Slavery And The African Americans

In 1865, slavery was abolished, by the Thirteenth amendment. This Amendment brought humongous changes and a large number of problems. (Lecture 1) After the destruction of slavery, it left nearly four million African American with no property, little training, and few rights; which made the definition of freedom for African Americans the central question on the nation’s agenda. The big question of the time period was, “what was freedom for African Americans?” (Give me liberty! An American 550)

n 1619 a Dutch ship brought 20 slaves to America and it took nearly 240 years for slavery to end in 1865. In the absence of rights or freedom, my ancestors were put to work growing anything from cotton to tobacco. For centuries, my people fought for equality. Although we are “free” the fight has still remain. As a black women raised in America, I was hit with some harsh realities at a very young age.

Most people understand that slavery was a terrible thing, but most might not fully understand the struggles that free colored men and women endured as well. While slavery was legal, free men would often be kidnapped and forced into slavery, and sometimes slaves actually escape to freedom. If an African American was considered a free man, he or she had to get official documentations stating so. Even after the documents were given to them, some of them still found themselves as slaves. There are many different stories about slavery, but just because a slave escapes from slavery, does not mean he or she is free from a slave’s mindset. Although they were in different positions in life, slaves and free African Americans experienced the same hardships, fears, and daily struggles.

Tocqueville anticipated the future these three races. For the Native Americans, Tocqueville anticipated that they were bound to vanish. With a specific end goal to survive, they should be acculturated or begun a fight were one of the two races could vanish. What 's more, Tocqueville anticipated that they will be secluded by the whites. For the Negros, he anticipated the racial blend will extend Negros race everywhere throughout the country. Additionally, they will be more acknowledgeable of their rights and battles will occur between those two races. Moreover, the bondage will be passed from one era to the next residual disgrace and disrespect to the Black race and hate to the white. At long last, Tocqueville proposed that intermix of

Modern and historical forces combine to keep the racial hierarchy in the dominant cultures control. Historically, slavery was diplomatically protected within our constitution safeguarding the control and ownership of African Americans. The three-fifths compromise written into the constitution in 1787, safeguarded slaveowners by greatly increase the representation and political power of slave-owning states (Laws, 2017). Slavery was widespread within the southern states until the year of 1865, when slavery and involuntary servitude were abolished, except for those duly convicted of a crime. Between 1866 and 1870, through congress a radical reconstruction era was executed ensuring guaranteed freedom and civil rights to former slaves. These turn of events, incensed southern slave owners giving rise to white Supremacy and the Ku Klux Klan. Such historical events and accounts help us understand present conditions for people of color through recognition of the enduring struggle of those who have fought slavery and racism.

The Unites States during the 1850s was a harsh time for African Americans, not only were they treated extremely harsh; but many of them were slaves as well. Slavery was the topic of every discussion during this time period and the United States was literally split on the issue of slavery. A lot of the Southern States wanted to continue slavery because it was a way of life. Many of the southerners depend on slavery to help grow and harvest crops that were on acres and acres of land. Northerns, on the other hand were against slavery. Slavery to them were not only inhumane, but Northerns rarely depended on slaves. Abolitionists were present throughout the United States, they created escape routes and safe houses for slaves who wanted to escape. The Underground Railroad was a prime example of this, not only was this risky for the slaves themselves but it was also risky for the people who helped them along the way. With the Fugitive Slave Act in full affect, Abolitionist were indeed breaking the ‘law’; but for equality for everyone no matter the skin color was a risk many were willing to take and die for.

A black African-American that was one of the many few who was born free in Wilmington, North Carolina went by the name of David Walker. Walker’s father whom died before his birth was a slave but his mother was a free woman. In the state’s laws Walker inherited his mother’s liberated status although, being free did not keep him from witnessing slavery. Walker traveled throughout his time in his younger days in the South, noticing the injustices of the slave system that the whites had going on. Even though Walker was a free slave he still seen and knew what slavery and racism was. Charleston, South Carolina is where he settled and eventually found a church home that goes by the name of African Methodist Episcopal church. A large population of free African Americans lived there at the time. In the year of 1822, a revolutionary plot was uncovered that resulted in severe cruelty of black churches which made things very difficult for the blacks during those times. Walker up and moved to Boston in the year of 1825 where he married a fugitive slave that went by the name Emily. He established a profitable secondhand clothing business and very active in helping the poor and needy even including the runaway slaves. During that time he joined a political organized black community group. Walker became involved with the nation 's first African American newspaper, that went by the name Freedom 's Journal out of New York City, in which Walker contributed some. He spent a lot of time

Unfortunately, inequality has not completely ceased to exist in the United States of America. As a country, we have had a long history of injustice among our people. From the enslavement of African Americans, to the mistreatment of Native Americans on the Trail of Tears, and the subtle and sometimes overt discrimination oppressing American women today, there has been a long and continuing history of discrimination and unfair action against our fellow citizens. It would be deceitful for us to think that our nation has lived up to the ideals of the words “all men are created equal” since the day the Constitution was written by the Founders. Slavery comes in many forms, and inequality has existed among many kinds of people, whether the issue

For 20 years slavery had existed in the United States of America despite its immorality and the objections of many citizens. Strides were made to correct this injustice around the time of the Revolutionary war; colonists started to demand their natural human rights from Britain. In 1766, our founding fathers were the first faced with a decision to abolish slavery; they felt the pressure from facing the purpose of their campaign due to the irony that they were denying these same rights to people of color. This paradox created tension between the American government and African Americans, slaves also recognized the hypocrisy of white Americans. Unfortunately, the second time the

Enslavement of African Americans was a common and legal practice in the United States from the 18th to the 19th century. Slavery of African Americans began in the American colonies when the British colonies in America bought slaves from Africa. It was a practice that was used as well as legal in all 13 colonies. It lasted in many states up until the end of the American Civil War. Slavery lasted longer in some states then it did in others. In the north slavery was abolished earlier then it was in the south. Reason being is in the south, there was more plantations and farms that needed tending to. Many young slaves were exposed to harsh conditions, having to pick cotton on farms or work in the plantations for their owners who treated them poorly.

For centuries, the African-American race has dealt with the brutal, inhumane act of supremacy upheld by whites through slavery. It has rewarded whites with free labor and wealth and as a result, whites use their power to keep slavery flourishing and leave slaves pauperized. Viewing slavery as “good” for slaves is, in every way, unethical and greatly affects one race more than the other.

The end of the Civil War should have signified the end of slavery as well; however, this was far from the truth. President Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation referred to only slaves within the southern states (Byng). African Americans found themselves no longer bound to their plantation homes, but they also found themselves without the means or rights needed to make new lives. Many of the attitudes and discriminatory practices present prior to the Civil War were still in effect and continued to make the lives of African Americans difficult and in many cases, threatened.

During the early developments of America, multiple states instituted the practice of owning African-Americans and using them as slaves. Surprisingly, this form of slavery was not only present in the Southern states, but also in the Northern too. Plantation owners from all over found their use in owning slaves, and were even shown taking advantage of the practice. By having ownership of slaves, it often contributed in farming production on plantations and also became useful when it came to voting. Unfortunately, though, the practice was abused by many plantation owners. When looking back at the many accounts written at the time, there seems to be a pattern of how the slaves were treated. Furthermore, the accounts additionally revealed problems that not only existed in the south, but also in the north too. Therefore, by using an account of a traveler visiting America and a plantation owner who owned slaves, it’s able to understood on how the slaves were actually treated within society. These two sources not only reveal a problem amongst the owners, but also reveal a side of the North that many did not know.

After the American Revolution, slavery and discussion on whether it should be implemented or illegal dominated the development of the United States. These different views on slavery were the main reason for the Civil War and there is no argument about it. Without slavery, it would not have happened only because there was continuous bickering back and forth. Slavery is a major issue and faced the states, both the North and South wanted to do what they could to either protect or protest what they believed in.

“Those who will not reason, are bigots, those who cannot, are fools, and those who dare not, are slaves, ” said George Gordon Byron. Though slavery has never had a universal definition, one might describe it as the dependent labour by one person performed to another who is not of his or her family. It was thought to have come about after a dramatic labour shortage in particular areas or countries. In America, slavery has always been a highly debated topic throughout the years. Often, people associate slavery with words such as “brutal, cruel, inhumane, and horrible”. Slaves were forced to forget about freedom and about the liberties of life that Americans now take for granted. During the years 1775 to 1830, African American slavery saw simultaneously the freedom of many colored men and the enlargement of the institution of slavery. The free and enslaved African Americans had different methods in approaching the challenges in front of them. The demand for a labor force in the production of cotton encouraged the expansion of slavery; however, due to increasing national identity, the republican value of equality and freedom denounced the systems of slavery, allowing for a more widespread bondage; the free slaves in the North focused on tangible reasons for freedom, while the enslaved African Americans in the South focused gaining freedom through practical means.