The Role Of African Americans In The Civil War

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Throughout American history, African Americans have struggled to find a place in society all their own. African Americans have been facing inequality since they were initially brought over from Africa to be slaves. Once they got their freedom, people still didn't treat them as equal, but as lesser. During World War I, white American soldiers left home, which opened up many job oppurtunities for African Americans. As African Americans migrated north, they developed their own culture in Harlem, New York. As African Americans settled in Harlem, their American Dream transformed from an idea of freedom into a dream where they could remember their history as a race and achieve racial equality in their careers, education, and entertainment.
The first advancement in the free Negro history was when they were released from slavery’s grasp through the Civil War and Emancipation Proclamation. While the Civil War was not only about the questioned ethics of harboring slaves, it was one of the driving forces that fueled the war, and led to many people giving their lives to either protect or condemn slavery. About 620,000 people lost their lives fighting for freedom in the Civil War, which is equivalent to the city of Baltimore, Maryland's entire population (Civil War Facts). Almost 40,000 African Americans died throughout the course of the war (Civil War Facts). However, once the Civil War was over, African Americans were not yet as free as they would have liked. They had to deal with segregation, which demoralized them and made them feel like they did not belong.Those feelings were made even worse with the Plessy v. Ferguson United States Supreme Court case. Even though Plessy was a free man, he was jailed for not being segregatd to make a s...

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... Jazz derived from slavery songs and beats (Raatma 24). As the movement continued to expand, so did the reflection on African Heritage.
The Harlem Renaissance brought new ideals to African American culture that helped transform their American Dream. They strived for freedom from slavery and when they got it, they still had to struggle with segregation. Once many African American moved to New York and settled in Harlem, a new African American culture emerged that was rich in art, literature, music, their views on politics and society as a whole. Harlem was the place where they could be free to be themselves and express themselves and revere where they came from. Harlem made African American realize their American Dream was more than just the achievement of equality, but to make the best of their lives in a country that had yet to fully welcome them into society.
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