Why Does Society Allow Groups Of People To Think That They

During the Transatlantic Slave Trade, whites established slavery for power and wealth (Aworawo 2001). Through their establishment, whites dehumanized people of color and made them believe that Black people are inferior to Caucasians. Amid the Slave Trade, their belief system spread from Europe to Africa and then to the Americas. In modern times, in the United States, this belief system continues to be prevalent but has evolved into new forms of racial oppression. Today, in society, the idea is represented in several ways, including through micro-aggressive statements, whites stealing intellectual property from Black people, gentrification, police brutality, etc. Minorities have also fallen prey to this repressive mentality. Because of the aftermath and repercussions of slavery, some minorities prefer to be white, and others mistreat their people because they want them to be in worse positions than themselves. The aftermath of slavery has caused both invisible and visible divisions within our society that will take many more years to

America, unlike the UK, has a written constitution, which has the intention of granting equal rights to all citizens. Under this constitution, slavery was legally abolished in 1865. As compensation during the reconstruction era (1865-1877. History.com). Freed slaves were given a plot of land and a mule so that they could begin to provide for their families and to develop their own economy. Black Americans had been granted the rights to become citizens and Black men the rights to vote. However, in practice very few men of colour exercised this right. Many states, particularly in the southern states in the US altered their state laws in order to exclude non White Anglo Saxon Protestants (WASP’s). Some of the tactics employed to exclude Blacks were; literacy tests, the ability to understand complex legal frameworks and a tax payable to vote ( p.31). Some states also asked Black people questions that were unanswerable, such has “how many bubbles are there in a bar of soap?”. It should also be noted that the above tactics also

When Confederate states wanted to join the Union after Civil war, they were required to undertake “Civil War” Amendments. The Thirteenth, Fourteenth and Fifteenth Amendments were developed, with each supporting equality within the states. However, these Amendments proved to be insufficient in the provision of equal rights to African American citizens (Medley,2003). In the late 19th Century, laws limiting civil rights of the Blacks swept through state legislatures. Segregation then became a requirement in both Southern and Northern states.

Though the federal government created Amendments giving rights to slaves, opposers prevented them from benefitting from their rights. Within the 13th Amendment, the national government affirmed that slavery wouldn’t be accepted in our country “except as punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted”. The added exception allows states to determine what crime is appropriate for the punishment that is similar, if not identical, to slavery. The state governments used the exception to their advantage, creating minute laws with severe punishments. Then the national government establish the 15th Amendment, giving the freed black men the opportunity to vote, as the right to vote couldn’t be denied “on account of race, color,

Following the American Civil War, the bloodiest armed conflict on US soil, slavery had been outlawed from the US. It had taken the US until January 31, 1865, less than two-hundred years ago, for slavery to be abolished. Yet, it was still abolished, albeit, later than many other nations throughout the world. It had taken yet over another year for the fourteenth amendment to be passed in June 13, 1866, making all former slaves into citizens. But, perhaps the greatest and most important right of all, the right essential to any democracy or republic, the right to vote, was given to former slaves through the fifteenth amendment.

In America’s history, each race has been portrayed as inferior or inferior, because of one’s skin color, or the beliefs of a culture. Oppression In early America varied in some ethnicities. Some races didn’t even have any civil liberties at all, they were not allowed to vote, not even allowed to become professionals. This was to keep everyone that was not of the superior race below them. Even though they are classified as U.S citizens. In most areas, the ruling race is the upper white class that runs the system, and have a disproportionate amount of power. In other areas, it may not be the white race, but it is still the race that makes up the majority. The majority, who makes the laws, and/or has money, are keys to dominate over the weaker minorities that don’t have the

From this time on through the south, Freedmen didn’t wanted to go to white churches so they made their own and they even did their own schools. They could now do what they wanted like learn to read and have their kids to learn to read. When masters no longer were master and slaves were no longer, In “The Late Convention of Colored Men” (1865). Former slaves asked the federal government for security and assistance now that they were free. This was because it was it primary concern in order to sustain life. Also it was important for them to own land so they wouldn’t be workers anymore. On the other hand, the Mississippi Black Code (1865). Created by the white Mississippian’s who strictly made labor contracts by which slaves had to sign or they will be arrested and they would also be hired out to white landowners. However it did grant freedmen the right to legally marry, own land and limit access to court. Freedmen and Frederick Douglas were demanding on the antislavery society it was a shout out, Douglas was afraid that a lot much had to be done. Another agency helping the freedmen and after the civil war was the freedmen’s

The promise of freedom to all “slaves” came with the end of the Civil War. The 13th amendment, ratified on December 6, 1885 officially freed any remaining slaves. Then, the 14th amendment was ratified in the summer of 1968; it stated that “all persons born or naturalized in the United States” would be given citizenship. The 15th amendment followed and gave all men, but not women, the right to vote regardless of race. It appeared as if all freed men and women would soon be as fortunate as any white person. Unfortunately, this was an illusion. While Congress could ratify amendments, the states retained a massive amount of power and utilized this to reissue the Slave Codes as Black Codes. While all of the southern states passed Black Codes,

This amendment was the law that the radical republicans really hit on the nail, this amendment was the most in favor of the former slaves and its intent really tried to integrate them into society the most. This law made former slaves full citizens of the United States, "No state shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges if immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any state deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law" (Doc A). Now, according the law, all people (including former slaves), have all the same rights and should be treated equally. Even though the Radical Republicans made these efforts, the Former Confederates fought back just as hard. The Former Confederates consistently carried through with finding loop holes to oppress people of color. Southern states quickly started stripping former slaves of their rights with things like the Jim Crow Laws. These were laws that separated and segregated black and white people from using the same facilities, rooms and schools (Doc D). These were made to prohibit black people's citizenship to keep white people superior to black people. This attitude was ingrained into our society, creating a prominent hierarchy, these actions followed through into modern society. The Black Codes created a major impact, reverting the movement of Reconstruction and Amendment 14 back to what it was

In the wake of the Civil War, the 13th, 14th, and 15th amendments were ratified which abolished slavery and in theory granted people of all races the citizenship rights, equal protection, and suffrage that society owes them. However, that did not stop a wave of backlash policies from passing especially in Southern states that felt their way of life was threatened by the newfound independence of black Americans. These laws served to perpetuate racism and white privilege, and further divide the racist,

The newly passed laws became known as “Black Codes” and socially, they directly impacted the lives of all freedmen and indirectly benefited the white race. These laws restricted the rights of free African-American men and women (Doc A). In Opelousas, Louisiana, some of these restrictions were the denied right to keep or own a house in the town, the denied right to enter the town without special permission, the denied right to hold public meetings, the denied right to carry firearms or any kind of weapon, and a requirement that every negro must be in service of some white person (Doc A). The elite members in the South did everything they could to prevent blacks from gaining civic power, and the reasoning for supporting these codes ranged from fearing black political influence to the comfort of knowing farmers still had a stable and reliable work force. Even in the post civil war North, people believed blacks were unfit to be government officials (Doc E). Pro-freedman presses ran racist letters arguing blacks were not fit for the proper exercise of political duties, and their generation needed a period of probation and instruction in order to learn the ways in which society ran (Doc E). Many northerners felt blacks were incompetent to hold important jobs; therefore, the government was in no way aiding the reconstruction efforts to provide equality to all people in America.

An understanding of the Fourteenth Amendment begins not in Congress, but in the history leading up to the Civil War. The first crucial story in understanding the Fourteenth Amendment is the striking changes in the law of race relations that took place in the North - especially in Bingham’s home state of Ohio - in the dozen or so years before the Civil War began. The second story is about the South, and the legal repression and brutal racial violence that took place there immediately after the Civil War ended (Finkelman, 2003).

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.

“Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction.” In chapter 12 and 13 of the textbook, it says that juries were always all-white in the South, even after the Civil War, so I feel like it’s a given that they would convict black people probably every single time they were charged with a crime, especially if the trial was in the South (Hine 303). So even if the wording of the Amendment wasn’t intentional, it was certainly immediately abused to take away the voting rights of black men and keep the power in the hands of white people. Some of the examples of charges against black people were so stupid too, like loitering or being homeless.

Through the 13th, 14th and 15th amendments to the constitution, the republicans tried to protect and establish black freedoms. At the same time southern state legislators were passing laws to restrict free blacks’ freedoms. Through the use of black codes and vagrancy laws, the south attempted to keep blacks in a state of slavery. These laws were worded in a way such that blacks rights would be so restricted that it would remain impossible for them to gain any real freedom.