Dbq Essay On African Americans

No one should be ashamed for the way they are born, but people bully people into believing it’s their fault for being a certain race, sexuality, gender, or something else others label human beings. Though there are many subjects of conversation on the topics of equality, race is one of the most influential disagreements in history. From the beginning of time African Americans have been discriminated against by being forced into labor, not having equal rights as white males, and not even being considered citizens of the United States. This is truly one of the darkest times in American history. Now, how were African Americans affected by the acts of society throughout the Colonial Period through Reconstruction? Well, throughout history, slaves

(“-whose ancestors were brought to this country and sold as slaves.”: Document C). The government and slave owners spent their money on purchasing slaves to fuel their economy through labor. All they ended up having to do was sell the products that were harvested for them from men, women, and children of color. (The picture shown African Americans working and some are as young as what appears to be 8 or 9: Document E). These slaves are working in the fields to avoid a poor fate for no pay in harsh conditions. Some are so little and still are forced to work. This is something no decent human being would tolerate, and even today certain groups of people are receiving less pay than that of a white male. At the end of the day, we’re all going to end up in the same place one day, and the sooner we realize that, the sooner we can claim the title of a decent

At first they weren’t allowed to vote, sue in court, or be considered a citizen. In fact, when counting for representation for collecting taxes, slaves were only counted as 3/5ths of a person. The 3/5ths Compromise was a foolish compromise if anyone ever saw one. (“Consequently, the special rights and immunities guaranteed to citizens do not apply to them.”: Document C). The word ‘them’ is referring to African Americans/freed blacks. They could not give freed slaves the same rights as those of a white male. This statement was said in the midst of the Dred Scott v Sandford case, and Sandford ended up winning the case, causing black males to not be permitted to sue in court. (“There shall be neither slavery nor involuntary servitude in the said territory.”: Document G). This was the Northwest Ordinance where they made a process for admitting new states/territories to the US. One of the requirements was that slavery was not allowed. Though this is the case, southerners still were permitted to own slaves, and any escaped slaves were to be taken back to their owners. This is showing that slavery is beginning to be handled, but everyone is still struggling to let it go, even when they know it’s wrong. The political side of things soon worked in favor of the African