Civil War Dbq

1865, the most fatal war in American history finally ended. The Civil War was fought between the Union (northern states) and the Confederacy (southern states) over the issue of slavery. The Union felt slavery was unconstitutional and a form of dehumanization to other races. The Confederacy believed that slavery was very much needed for any success in agriculture. On May ninth, 1865, in the Appomattox Court House, the Confederate States surrendered to the Union. This meant that the south must join the Union and abide all of their laws, including the thirteenth amendment. “Passed by Congress on January 31, 1865, and ratified on December 6, 1865, the 13th amendment abolished slavery in the United States and provides that "Neither slavery nor

Although Jim Crow laws were a terror in the south, they were rarely enforced in the north, making northern states a safe haven for African Americans. Some of these laws were extremely obscure and completely abused the government's power against blacks. Blacks were not allowed to associate with whites in public. Blacks couldn’t use the same water fountains and restrooms as whites, and black children had to attend separate schools with little heat, supplies, and classrooms. Jim Crow laws also segregated African Americans on buses, trains, and in restaurants. “Buses: All passenger stations shall have separate waiting rooms and separate ticket windows for the white and colored races. Railroads: The conductor of each passenger train is authorized to assign each passenger to the car designated for the race to which such passenger belongs. Restaurants: It shall be unlawful to conduct a restaurant or other place for the serving of food in the city, at which white and colored people are served in the same room.” - jacksonsun.com. African Americans started to become very frustrated about the way they were being treated and discriminated. This caused them to boycott, riot, protest, lawsuit, or strike. Blacks would often stop using bus transportation in an effort to get transportation services to treat them fairly. Another example of the protesting is sit-ins. African

Most of the protests during this time were peaceful. Blacks rarely had the intention of promoting violence. Many of the protests included boycotting buses or other methods of transportation, going on strikes in schools or offices, or marching down streets with signs demanding egalitarianism, meaning complete equality. At first, whites attempted to ignore the protesting, but it was soon eminent that something had to be done. Soon, whites began to act violently toward African-Americans. Peaceful protestors were often sprayed with fire hoses or beaten to death. Black leaders like Dr. King were constantly in danger of getting assassinated. Quickly, the government realized that they must get involved. At first, the government would only get involved when the law was not followed in protest and a crime was committed. But, by the 1950s and 1960s, the movement started to become out of hand. Jim Crow laws were allowing the nation to be split into two different groups. This was causing violence, panic and suffering towards the minority of the two. Finally, on July 2nd 1964, the government passed the Civil Rights Act, which outlawed discrimination based on race, color, religion, or nationality. Once racial discrimination has finally been outlawed, African Americans were treated with more respect. Separation because of race became illegal and was much more uncommon after 1964.