Black Codes: The Effects Of Black Discrimination

The effects of black discrimination have haunted the nation for centuries. Despite cover-all acts and amendments, there have always been ways around anti-discrimination laws. Even following Union victory, some southerners withheld slaves until troops were at their doorsteps. The Black Codes, laws that outlined the rights of African Americans, are perfect examples. These Codes, were lists of societal restrictions meant to keep whites on top. Common "Codes" included restrictions on weapons and travel , while others were less explicit. The codes could grant blacks the rights to marriage, but make it illegal to marry whites. They could allow for the usage of the legal system, but make it a crime to testify against a white person. Some were far

These children usually ended up working for the same people that enslaved their families. Almost all positions open to children and their mothers were those of house and farm work. Opportunities for better positions came at a high price, and were available to few. Blacks in South Carolina that wished to pursue better forms of work were taxed up to $100 annually. This made it nearly impossible to work one’s way out of financial depths. The roadblocks thrown up in the South were becoming increasingly obvious to northern lawmakers. Luckily, they diminished with a series of bills and Civil Rights Acts released later on.

The South wasn't quite ready to accept a more equal society. Our nation was so divided over the issue that federal agents were sent from the North to establish order. Despite some legal victories, African Americans were yet again met with unprovoked legal retribution. A new set of Black Codes in the 1880s and 1890s refreshed the idea of “Jim Crow”. This led to a nation drunk on the idea of

Randolph Philip played a large role in the fight for labor equality. Many of his efforts pushed for the formation of federal labor rights and unions. Philip also led a passenger rail service union, The Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters. Working his way towards national recognition, he organized protests that numbered in the hundred-thousands. Philip’s March on Washington would have had over 100,000 people if it actually happened. The Roosevelts convinced him to cancel it in fear of the protesters' safety.

The Fair Employment Act was signed in 1941, halting discrimination on several fronts. This sated Philip’s appetite for change in place of the cancellation. Later, he organized what is likely the most famous march of protest in U.S. history: the August 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, where Martin Luther King gave his speech, “I Have a Dream”. These efforts helped expose the nation to the more modern issue of racial equality. Still, it's going to take a lot of work if the United States is to know true