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African American Slavery Essay

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The Abolition of Slavery in African American Life: The Limitations of a Society Struggling with Racial Prejudice African Americans have been at a disadvantage since their arrival in the United States centuries ago. White oppressors enslaved their relatives and continually forced them to work in horribly, inhumane conditions so slave masters could exploit them for free labor. Despite the abolition of slavery in the 19th century, African Americans continued to face systematic racism and oppression by white supremacists from segregation, restrictions on voting, and media-influenced race riots. The abolition of slavery has been a centuries-old dream sought after by African Americans for centuries. They were stolen from their homelands, brought …show more content…

This dehumanizing treatment was inflicted upon African Americans of all ages, including young children forced into labor and subjected to brutal punishments, coercing their compliance from an early age. Tragically, many African Americans perished due to the inhumane treatment by their masters, while survivors were unable to seek legal recourse against their oppressors. Despite many being born in the United States in the eyes of the law, they were not citizens and therefore only United States citizens could use the legal system(9.5 Primary Source: Dred Scott v. Sandford). Therefore, being a citizen of the United States at this time was based more on race rather than birthplace. This setback worsened conditions for enslaved African Americans, highlighting the government's denial of their citizenship and access to justice with many states also enacting laws condoning mistreatment by plantation owners, often ignoring punishment for slave deaths resulting from such …show more content…

State Supreme Courts One such case was Williams v. Mississippi, which set a precedent for Southern states to enact voting requirements designed to disenfranchise the vast majority of black voters. They had to pass literacy tests, and specific disenfranchisement clauses and grandfather clauses. Not only were States trying to block African American voters, but in the cities they also dealt with extreme harassment, with some white supremacists even damaging buildings that were designated for Black voters. Due to their inability to vote, African Americans were also barred from serving on juries, resulting in predominantly white juries across these states(United States v. Trans-Missouri Freight Association). This resulted in courtrooms being populated by individuals who endorsed segregation and harbored hatred towards African Americans. Frequently, juries exhibited extreme prejudice against African Americans, leading to wrongful

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