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African American history BEFORE 1877
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More handpicked essays just for you.
African American history BEFORE 1877
Essay on the 15th amendment
African americans The times of slavery
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Recommended: African American history BEFORE 1877
DBQ Essay Did you know the 13th amendment gave African Americans their freedom from slavery. Then the 14th amendment gave them their citizenship. Finally, the 15th amendment was passed so that they had the right to vote. These amendments were passed during reconstruction. Even with these amendments, freedmen’s lives didn’t change much socially, economically, and politically throughout reconstruction.
They barred African Americans from things such as voting, serving in the state militia or even testifying against white people in court. African Americans were required to sign labor contracts which kept many on the same plantation they had worked on as slaves. For many blacks, the end of freedom did not mean the beginning of freedom. The problems encountered by both American Indians and by African Americans were almost entirely created by white Americans.
Reconstruction happened after the Civil War ended, during 1865-1877. Many things happened during the time of the Reconstruction and it definitely did not do as much for African Americans as everyone thought it would. But they were still free. African American were free because of the 13th Amendment ended, the institution of slavery in the United States.
The American Revolution and the founding of the United States were a catalyst in opening up new opportunities for African Americans as, before this, they were treated as mere boosts to the economy. Thomas Paine’s common sense argued for African Americans as slavery denied their natural rights,the revolution marked the time of equality and liberty for the masses, and Benjamin Banneker’s letter to Thomas Jefferson marked a time of enlightenment and pursuit of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Thomas Paine’s common sense passionately advocated for independence from Great Britain and pushed for enlightenment ideas. Millions of African Americans pre American Revolution were subjected to slavery as a sort of necessary evil with their owners having a conscious awareness of how brutally sadistic and unethical slavery is yet still used slaves as a means for economic gain.
The African Americans were “free” but were still being treated like slaves. They were given rights but had them taken away and were working for very little pay which was unfair compared to how whites were working for more. The blacks couldn’t even own a house or even rent unless they worked for a white man. They couldn’t even work unless it was for some white person or former owner. This is why reconstruction in the south after the civil war was a big
Although slavery was declared over after the passing of the thirteenth amendment, African Americans were not being treated with the respect or equality they deserved. Socially, politically and economically, African American people were not being given equal opportunities as white people. They had certain laws directed at them, which held them back from being equal to their white peers. They also had certain requirements, making it difficult for many African Americans to participate in the opportunity to vote for government leaders. Although they were freed from slavery, there was still a long way to go for equality through America’s reconstruction plan.
It was rough for African Americans in the 1890’s, and though they tried to live a normal easy life they always had obstacles that got in the way. They had thought everything was going good for them with the 13th and 14th amendment being announced. Also The Emancipation Proclamation which stated, on January 1, 1863, "that all persons held as slaves" within the rebellious states "are, and henceforward shall be free" was a speech that actually came out before the 13th and 14th amendment which was the whole reason why those amendments had came out. The 13th amendment stated that "Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction”. This was such a big deal since
This inquiry is the most essential. In the Declaration of Independence it is expressed, "We hold these realities to act naturally obvious, that all men are made equivalent, that they are enriched by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the quest for Happiness"(Jefferson1). He is suggesting that these rights are not being reached out to African Americans. At the point when this nation was made it was intended to be where everybody could be free and have similar rights. Frederick Douglass trusts these rights have been taken far from African Americans and change is required.
The 15th Amendment (Amendment XV), which gave African-American men the right to vote, was inserted into the U.S. Constitution on March 30, 1870. Passed by Congress the year before, the amendment says, “The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude.” Although the amendment was passed in the late 1870s, many racist practices were used to oppose African-Americans from voting, especially in the Southern States like Georgia and Alabama. After many years of racism, the Voting Rights Act of 1965 aimed to overthrow legal barricades at the state and local levels that deny African-Americans their right to vote. In the
Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation promising freedom to all slaves, 100 years before 1963, but black people aren’t really free yet. They might not be shackled with the chains of slavery but they were not free, not while black people faced execution, violence, jail, physical and verbal abuse, discrimination, and the segregated lifestyle. The Declaration of Independence signed by the founding fathers in which they gave every American citizen guaranteed rights of “Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” Black people are American citizens, in fact you get citizenship for being born here and all were born here, but they were still denied these guaranteed rights. They lived a limited life, had few liberties, and even less happiness.
The Reconstruction period lasted from 1865 to 1877. The thirteenth, fourteenth and fifteenth amendment were created during the twelve years of rebuilding the country. All of the amendments were made to protect former slaves and their rights but on paper they did not have any rights. The reconstruction period had its successes and failures.
The reason why so many African Americans felt that civil rights was not pushed enough in supporting their new freedom was seen here in, “The Ghetto Uprisings.” In this section Eric Foner states that, “With black unemployment twice that of whites and the average black family income little more than half the white norm.” The point here is that if civil rights had pushed freedom over and above then they might could have decent jobs and fix their poverty problems. Seen in the section, “Freedom and Equality” Eric Foner says, “Johnson’s Great Society may not achieved equality … but it represented the most expansive effort” When conditions such as this came up and fell through, African Americans began to feel that if freedom had been promoted more,
Post Civil War, African Americans started to gain rights to gain rights, and soon gain rights equal to whites. While there were some people/things standing in their way (KKK, Black Codes), in the end they got what they needed; Equality. Many acts and laws were passed to aid the new rights now held by African Americans, as well as the numerous people willing to help. New Amendments were added to give African Americans rights after the war, all giving them some equal rights to whites. The first of the three added was the Thirteenth Amendment, it gave African Americans freedom from slave owners, and stated that no one could be kept as a slave in the U.S..
Freedom is a natural right, but in the Civil/Post Civil era, not everyone can take advantage of it. A citizen’s skin color, would have a heavy impact on that person’s outlook on freedom. Society strived for a different view of freedom, some believed freedom was only meant for certain people, however, others would wait their whole life just to receive the opportunity to establish their rights. In “Stanzas on Freedom” by Russell Lowell, it describes a pain that slaves have felt. The law stated that everyone was equal, yet white men have not felt the pain that the black man has lived with their whole life.
Today’s generation slaves aren’t used anymore, which means freedom was granted to the slaves between the 1800s and the 20th century! Races, people would judge different races that weren’t white back in the early 1900s and even before then. African Americans, and Hispanics were a few of the different races that were judged. Historical people such as Martin Luther King Jr. and Rosa Parks were involved during the time of different races being a problem. The 4th and 15th Amendment go over the freedoms for different races.