Summary: The White Scourge

Nearly every aspect of American history involves white supremacy. Upon the discovery of the Americas, the Europeans believed they entered into a land inhabited by savages (Boyer 20). According to President Jackson, the mistreatment of the Indians was to “kill the Indian, but save the man” (Williams) in order to purify America. They were forced to adapt to the dominate society or be killed. According to Wiethaus, “the Trail of Tears is a story of tragedy far overshadows the longer term economic consequences of Indian land for the United States economy and the disruption of individual lives for those dispossessed of their homes” (29). The Columbian Exchange involved the slavery of Africans which later became an issue during the 1800’s once the colonies formed into states. African-Americans did not receive emancipation until after the civil war. Before then, slavery was at the heart of the Commercial Revolution which set the stage for the modern era of economic growth (Wright 14). During the 1800’s, states became divided upon the issue of being a Slave or Free State. After the Civil War, Johnson approved of the emancipation of slaves (Boyer 497). However, during the Reconstruction, “black codes” were constructed to prevent African-American to be considered worthy citizens. Many Acts were passed to give them equality, but they still received inhuman treatment (Boyer 509-511). It took years of marches, protest, and riots

take about hundred years later after the Civil War (1861-65) for the United States’ government to pass the Civil Rights Bill in 1964 recognizing the black community’s rights? Basically, the Civil War was about fighting for what kind of labor force was going to prevail. The north represented for a free labor economy while the South fought for the preservation of slavery. As Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor stated that the “wealth and power were not equally distributed in Southern society” (Yamahtta). While a small white proportion owned slaves in the South, the rest contributed in the southern society by maintaining order. In the North, free blacks were an obstacle for whites since they were constantly competing with each other for occupations. As a result, the

A girl by the name of Linda Brown. Just as any school girl, loved being with her friends, and she loved her family. However, Linda’s black skin color restricted her from attending a school that was a few yards away, and forced her to walk miles to the nearest all black school. In outrage, the family fought for their daughter to attend a local white school. Why would she not be allowed to attend a school so close to home? The question became strong enough to begin a movement that would impact the nation.

In 1866, Congress passed The Civil Rights Act of 1866 which allowed them to be genuine citizens and thus granted them federal protection under the law. Score for the blacks. Furthermore, the South was placed under military rule to ensure that this act was being enforced. During this tremendous time of freedom, blacks were allowed to vote and hold office – something that finally extended a voice and position in our country to their community. Meanwhile, whites were growing tired of all the nonsense. They wanted their beloved Old South back. Many refused to attend the integrated Reconstruction-era state constitutional conventions. Southern whites would use highly exaggerated and publicized incidences of “social injustices” to protect their claims of being thrown over to so-called negro domination. Any action was necessary that could help clinch their argument and overturn the Reconstruction

After the war, laws were passed that defended the rights of African Americans, but that all changed with the Klu Klux Klan. Originally, “The Constitutional amendments were passed, the laws for racial equality were passed, and the black man began to vote and to hold office,” but, “The violence mounted through the late 1860s and early 1870s as the Ku Klux Klan organized raids, lynchings, beatings, burnings… As white violence rose in the 1870s, the national government, even under President Grant, became less enthusiastic about defending blacks, and certainly not prepared to arm them” (Zinn Ch. 9). Africans Americans were granted the equal rights that they wanted, but with the actions of the Klu Klux Klan, a white supremacy group, the US government began to back off from supporting the African American due to fear of more attacks (possibly becoming more violent). The African American also lived in poverty, “The average wage of Negro farm laborers in the South was about fifty cents a day, Fortune said” (Zinn Ch. 9). Not only were the newly freed blacks being hunted down by white supremacy groups, but also they lived in poverty. Yes, they life of some approved greatly and they were able to receive an education, but for the majority of African Americans, they were still living in the shadow and fear of whites.

In 1865, the United States government implemented what was known as Reconstruction. Its’ purpose was to remove slavery from the south, and give African-American’s the freedom in which they deserved. However, the freedom that they deserved was not the freedom that they received. With documents like The Black Codes restricting them from numerous privileges that white people had and the terroristic organization known as the Klu Klux Klan attacking and killing them, African-American’s were still being oppressed by their government as well as their fellow man. Slavery may have been abolished, but African-American’s were not yet given the freedom and rights that their white counterparts took for granted.

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.

In the beginning of the book, “The Scourge” by Jennifer A. Nelson, there is a girl named Ani who was venturing the woods within her part of the country. She was then caught by wardens searching for those who had the disease, ‘the Scourge’. Her friend Weevil was supposed to be by her side, but he was also taken captive. The two wardens were supposed to bring 5 river people to be tested but only brought two. Eventually, they reached the town where the governor was testing people to see if they had the disease. That night Ani and Weevil escaped the prison like area they were in. Ani ran near a river where a girl was in need of help. She was different from Ani, their kind didn’t like each other. Ani was seen, from there Della was also taken in to be tested. They both tested positive, and were taken to the colony. Thn after they received their medicine, Ani accidentally got Della’s thrown away.

Racial inequality during this period of time was immense in the Southern part of the United States. Neighborhoods were segregated on the distinction of color, businesses were segregated, and all aspects of life were bounded by segregation. Racial inequality was rampant, and the idea of white

With the end of Reconstruction in 1877 white supremacy was still extremely common. White individuals saw themselves as superior to African Americans and people of the lower class. The White politicians had stopped caring about protecting the rights of African Americans. They passed laws which are known as the Jim Crow Laws. The Jim Crow laws separated whites and African Americans in schools, trains, and even water fountains. The Jim Crow Laws allowed white supremacist to discriminate African Americans by just saying that they were separated but still being treated equally. This was not true, the conditions in which the African Americans were being placed in were not at the same quality as the whites. Since the amendments that gave African Americans rights were still enacted White Supremacists often tried to prevent African Americans from exercising their rights. Whites were also more credible than

Many of the sources I have looked at to investigate my essential question, what privilege do people have based on their identity, have essentially all been based in our time period now. Although The White Scourge is based on only one specific area, Texas, I liked how it

The concept of equality changed from 1804 to 1865. 1804 was when northern states abolished slavery, this began the division that tested our nation, “...slavery divided the nation and states were forced to determine if the fight for equality was worth it.”₁. During this time, so many people thought equality was just concerning the rich, just among the white people who “worked hard”, to earn their pay. Little did they know, slaves were the ones who were working hard and not earning their pay. When the Civil War began in 1861, people in the U.S. were threatened because they felt that their jobs and hard work would soon be taken away if slaves became functioning members of society. Throughout the civil war, northerners begun to see what equality

The Civil Rights Movement in the 1960’s was the final blow to institutional racism. People of color have been on a steady downfall since the days of race-based slavery. Barack Obama, a black man, to the highest political office in the United States is proof that we lived in a “Color Blind” society. Great progress has been made in achieving a fairer society. Alexander argues that this story largely misrepresents the conditions of poor and working class blacks today. “Nathaniel Bacon was a white property owner in Jamestown, Virginia who managed poor whites, indentured servants and blacks.” Slaves were in the lowest position they could possibly be in; even though the whites were free most of them lived in extreme poverty. Slaves were defined as three-fifths of a man not even considered a human being. After the death of slavery had been gone race still lived on , and is living on today. (Page 4; The Birth Of Slavery) Civil Rights Act of 1866 the thirteenth amendment abolished slavery, the fourteenth amendment “Prohibited states from denying citizens due process and; “equal protection of the laws”, the fifteenth amendment “Provided the right to vote should not be denied by anyone no matter what your race is”.

Although the conclusion of the Civil War during the mid-1860s demolished the official practice of slavery, the oppression and exploitation of African Americans has continued. Although the rights and opportunities of African Americans were greatly improved during Reconstruction, cases such a 1896’s Plessy v. Ferguson, which served as the legal basis for segregation, continue to diminish the recognized humanity of African Americans as equal people. Furthermore, the practice of the sharecropping system impoverished unemployed African Americans, recreating slavery. As economic and social conditions worsened, the civil rights movement began to emerge as the oppressed responded to their conditions, searching for equality and protected

Although slavery and segregation laws are obsolete, racial inequality remains visible within our society. Throughout the course readings, one thing is for sure: the slave trade is the primary cause of racial inequality from 1500 to the present. Those sold into slavery become the property and a product of violence. Moreover, throughout the 15th to mid-18th centuries, slavery caused people to despise those who looked different from them, based on skin color. Slavery has caused numerous gaps among the privileged white community and minorities who have a history of slavery. This created a divided society based on skin color, with effects that continue to be a small part of our contemporary world.