Slavery has existed in one form or another for centuries and in some places in the world it still exists today. In most places slavery is a way of life and there is nothing that can be done about it, and in southern America that was the case too for over three hundred years. During that period many people fought against slavery and tried to get it abolished from the country, but little did they know how long and how brutal the fight would be. Even after slavery was abolished by the thirteenth amendment in 1865, the African American and some European people suffered even harder times than they did during the years of slavery. After slavery was abolished a few years later the Jim Crow laws were introduced in the south, making it nearly impossible for African Americans to live a free life, and these laws would eventually shape the race relations in the south for several years to come. The Jim Crow laws made African Americans second class citizens to the white people of the south. Even though slavery was abolished in the south, these laws made sure that African Americans were not able to enjoy their new found freedom. These laws were implemented by white community to make sure that they kept the power that they once had over the African Americans, because they were afraid of what might happen if they gain power. The white people in the south were successful in doing so for almost eighty years.
Through out history education has been a topic of many concerns. Historically Black Colleges and Universities were established to try and provide freed slaves education they were not able to obtain. For African Americans in the 20th century attending school was a burden. The children had to withstand long walks to get to their designated schools, being denied classes that the white students had in their schools, outdated books and hand me down classroom materials. African Americans all across the United States fought for their kids rights to get a good education, education provided to white only schools. There was a period of time schools were able to legally deny a student acceptance into their institutions based solely on the color of their skin. Many African Americans tried and majority of them got denied. Students at all levels were being denied, from Pre-K all the way up to college. After many attempts to integrate schools parents of the children being denied education just like the white kids, they realized it would be easier to just build their own schools.
Blacks were treated unjustly due to the Jim Crow laws and the racial stigmas embedded into American society. Under these laws, whites and colored people were “separate but equal,” however this could not be further from the truth. Due to the extreme racism in the United States during this time period, especially in the South, many blacks were dehumanized by whites to ensure that they remained inferior to them. As a result of their suffering from the prejudice society of America, there was a national outcry to better the lives of colored people.
A common misconception is that all white citizens hated and disrespected black citizens; however, “Even when the Jim Crow laws were being enacted, many people (including white people) felt that they were not fair. They believed that blacks and whites should have equal access to opportunity” (The Impact of Jim Crow Laws on Education 1). The Jim Crow Laws legally separated black citizens and white citizens with segregation in schools, public bathrooms, water fountains, and many more public places. Signs that read “Colored Only” or “White Only” were visible everywhere during that time period (Racial Segregation in the American South: Jim Crow Laws 1). Shockingly, in South Carolina, black textile workers could not even enter through the same door as a white man, let alone work in the same room (A Brief History of Jim Crow 1). Black citizens had a hard time earning money because of this, especially because many unions passed laws that disabled African-americans from working there (A Brief History of Jim Crow
Prior to African American Civil Rights, African people struggled for their rights and equal space in schools and public places. There were many protests, boycotts and marches to stop the racial discrimination. However, after they received their African American Rights, African people or dark skin people are still facing racial prejudice. White Americans brought these Civil Rights, but in the process they separated the two communities instead of treating them both the same.In some states there were two different washrooms for white people and black people. White people were treated with greater respect while black people were mistreated and segregated.
Some of the impacts caused by these laws were cultural, such as black people not being able to wed Caucasian (white) people. Other impacts were mental; “Jim Crow” also caused “Segregation Stress Syndrome (SSS)”. This syndrome also had a long lasting psychological effect on young and elderly African Americans. Last but not the least, the financial status of the African Americans compared to that of the Caucasian people was greatly impacted by these laws. Based on these laws African American people were considered as second class citizens, whereas white people were considered as first class people. The “Jim Crow” laws have affected many people in the present era by playing a crucial role in our nation’s history, these laws have made us revere our African American leaders more than what we would have if these laws never
The Strange Career of Jim Crow discusses Jim Crow systems dealing with legislation regarding race that powered the South in the late 1800's. Even though things were being attempted to prevent segregation, people, especially those in the South, thought ending slavery wasn't the right thing to do given the situation it would put them in, more of an inconvenience because of the system they were using and were very used to. This sparked inside those who were opposed equal rights. Every person entitled to the opinion that said person choses decides how he or she will act. Woodward states that it would have been a total inconvenience and even a blockade in the "system" that was, and had been established in the Old South (Woodward, 28). Segregation is pretty self-explanatory, separate place for separate races. That is an example of Jim Crow Laws.
Although African Americans were finally able to gain back their freedom; they did not gain equality in the eyes of their former oppressors. Resentful of the newfound freedom of African Americans, laws known as Jim Crow laws were established throughout the United Stated by states and local governments. These discriminatory laws worked to systematically oppress African Americans through segregation and violence. They were segregated from whites; forbidden to attend the same schools, eat in the same restaurants or intermarry. African Americans were treated as second class citizens; lesser beings that had no rights. “Blacks could not vote, sue whites, testify against them, raise their voice to them or even look them in the eye or stay on the sidewalk if they passed.” (BL p.98) The era of Jim Crow was a dangerous time where even a glance was enough for an African American to be murdered. But there was only so much abuse that would be withstood. The winds of change were beginning to stir and African Americans and their supporters were beginning to demand their equality.
For many years, African Americans were abused by Caucasians in the United States of America. In the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, Americans were taking advantage of the continent of Africa by bringing the people who lived there on ships in poor condition and forcing them to work for very little to no pay. Huge ships were sent to the continent and rounded up thousands of African Americans and shipped them to be sold and work for the rest of their lives as slaves. African Americans were abused by their owners and were shown little or no respect. When the thirteenth amendment was written, many African Americans believed they would freely live. However, in response, a set of laws were written that prohibited African Americans from living freely. The Jim Crow laws that were put into affect about ten years after the Civil War impacted African American's social and political freedoms.
For decades, African Americans have been on a racial discrimination and extremely deadly roller coaster ride for justice and equality. In this new day and age, racial tendencies and prejudice has improved since the 1700-1800s,however, they are slowly going back to certain old ways with voting laws and restaurants having the option to serve blacks or not. It all began with the start of slavery around 1619. The start of the New World, the settlers needed resources England and other countries had, which started the Triangle Trade. The New England settlers manufactured and shipped rum to West Africa; West Africa traded slaves to the West Indies for molasses and money . From the very beginning, they treated African Americans like an object or animals instead of another human being with feelings and emotions. Women that were pregnant gave birth to children already classified as slaves. After the American Revolution, people in the north started to realize the oppression and treatment of blacks to how the British was treating them. In 1787, the Northwest Territory made slavery illegal and the US Constitution states that congress could no longer ban the trade of slaves until 1808 (Brunner). However, since the invention of the cotton gin, the increase for labor on the field increased the demand for slave workers. Soon the South went thru an economic crisis with the soil, tobacco, and cash crops with dropped the prices of slaves and increased slave labor even more. To ensure that the slaves do not start a rebellion, congress passed the Fugitive Slave Act in 1793 that made it a federal crime to assist a slave in escaping (Black History Milestones). This is the first of many Acts that is applied to only African-Americans and the start of many ...
But even though, these laws existed they were still treated unfairly. African Americans had been very poor as slaves and being free didn’t make them rich. Most did not receive their own land, which means that they had to go back to work for whites. Laws were introduced to prevent blacks from voting. They had to pass a literacy test and be able to pay a poll tax. Only if their grandfather had been able to vote, then they could skip the two tests. Barely any Negro was able to fulfill these requirements, and so they remained without the promised right to vote. On top of this, Jim Crow laws were introduced. They enforced segregation and prevented both races from using the same public services such as schools, restaurants, buses, etc. Facilities for blacks were of lower quality than facilities for whites as can be seen in Figure 1. The picture shows a black man drinking from ...
Williams, E. (2007). Unnecessary and unjustified: African American parental perceptions of special education. The Education Forum, 74, 251-259.
This view of race during and after slavery led to the idea of racism. In both Spanish America and North America racism was fairly prominent, mainly focused on one’s skin color and hair. Most Africans in the Americas faced racism and oppression. In Spanish America racial and ethnic differences were used to divide and control the African Americans and Native Americas. In the United States even freed slaves were segregated in society. Slavery was used as a controlling form of segregation, with African Americans being separated in society by attitudes, behavior and sometimes even expectations of them. Slavery in its entirety ended up affecting Africa and African Americans for centuries.
“The ‘Jim Crow’ laws got their name from one of the stock characters in the minstrel shows that were a mainstay of popular entertainment throughout the nineteenth century. Such shows popularized and reinforced the pervasive stereotypes of blacks as lazy, stupid, somehow less human, and inferior to whites” (Annenberg, 2014). These laws exalted the superiority of the whites over the blacks. Although equally created, and affirmed by the Supreme Court, and because of the Civil War officially free, African Americans were still treated with less respect than many household pets. The notorious Jim Crow laws mandated segregation and provided for severe legal retribution for consortium between races (National, 2014). Richard Wright writes about this, his life.