Frederick Douglass And The Color Line Essay

In the United States today, there is what W. E. B. DuBois called a “color line”. This line represents the lack of equality that many people today experience due to their race. This “line” should have been erased from American history in 1865, at the end of the Civil War. During the Civil War and Civil Right movement, abolitionists such as Frederick Douglass and Abraham Lincoln stood on a national stage to speak against slavery and for the equality of all races in America. Somehow, however, the “color line” has remained just as heavily imprinted into American society today as it was earlier in history, just not as radically. Despite this, the road to racial equality has been gradually getting shorter. However, the goals of Frederick Douglass,

He spoke powerfully about the evils of slavery that he himself witnessed while working as a slave in the South. Through his countless speeches and written works, his message of equality for all people became more and more apparent to those who listened to him. Douglass’s words helped people to better understand the urgency of their cause and the need to end slavery immediately.
With Abraham Lincoln’s election in 1860 came another wave of abolitionist strength and motivation. Lincoln was, like Douglass, incredibly anti-slavery. However, Lincoln had initially planned on ignoring the issue of slavery in office and rather focusing on keeping the Union together. After a short time, it became apparent that he would have to face the issue head on. When the Civil War began in 1861, Lincoln remained on the side of the Union and became another powerful voice in the abolitionist movement as well as an advocate for keeping the Union

It called for officials to choose three worthy applicants out of a federally designated list, but employers could choose people farther down the list if they could give reason for ignoring the three most eligible applicants (McClain, Paula D.). Although this seems as though it is fair, it allows for racial bias to come into play when hiring workers. Many people did use this law for that purpose as well.
The Civil Rights movement even continued into the 1960’s, when Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. gave his famous “I Have A Dream” speech during the March on Washington. The actual march advocated for equal pay for equal work and freedom from the segregation that went on at the time. Dr. King’s speech focused in on how he and his fellow African Americans were simply judged based on their outward appearance and not on who they were on the