Free Blacks: How Free Were They in the North? During the 1860s, 46% of all free blacks lived in the North. Based on that, many would have reason to believe that the North would be a safe-haven for the free black population. That would be partially true because the abolition of slavery in the North provided some protection. But even though free blacks in the North had some freedoms, blacks lived a very restricted life with little suffrage, discrimination, limits on economic opportunities, and segregation. The Declaration of Independence states, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” Suffrage is a liberty, which is an unalienable right, yet free blacks during the 1860s were denied this right. Document A explained how free blacks in the North were either denied or restricted the right to suffrage. Eleven out of the sixteen Northern states did not provide black suffrage and jury duty (Doc A). Due to this, 93% of blacks could not vote, which led to extremely biased elections, unjust juries, and little to no …show more content…
Document B explained how an English visitor viewed the problem. “We shall not make the black man a slave; we shall not buy or sell him; but we shall not associate with him,” (Doc B). Abolishing slavery was an improvement, but not associating with the black population should have been considered unjust. For example, blacks could not share railway cars, steamboats, hotels, restaurants, schools, hospitals, prisons, or cemeteries with other races (Doc B). Furthermore, during the 1860s, everyone was judged based on their education, but blacks were judged by their history as slaves. This led to many hate crimes against the black population, little to no contact between the races, and a restricted lifestyle for
Blacks fell subject to discrimination and harassment again. Voting deterrents were at new high, with violence keeping blacks at home and fearful to go near the polls. Jim Crow laws were welcomed to the south and it seemed when African American to a step forward in American history, they were placed two step back. Eventually blacks were extinguished from state legislature in every southern state and positive colored influence came to a
In ‘The Convict Lease System,’ Frederick Douglass discusses the reasons why black people made up about ninety percent of convicts, which most of the blame for that is put on the whites in the essay. Why does Douglass say that the exclusion of black people from White religious institutions serves as a catalyst for their convictions and why does he also hold White people responsible for the conditions of this system? African-Americans were convicted in immense amounts during the 1880’s. Not only were they convicted, but they were also treated in a way that seemed to be a by-product of slavery. Black people were excluded from public locations and were “left up to grow up in ignorance and vice.”
Crimes were continuously imposed against the African Americans and the death rates became outrageously high. Segregated laws were put in effect in effort to drive separation between the whites and African
This was a method to ensure the disenfranchisement of black Americans as they could not vote of topics that directly affected them such as pushing for an anti-lynching
Annabelle Wintson Bower History 8A March 12, 2018 Title Although the slavery was abolished in 1865, the rights given to African Americans were not nearly equal to those of white Americans. After slavery was abolished, inequality in American society ran high, and many laws were put in place to restrict the rights and abilities of African Americans. Some laws include the Jim Crow Laws (1870 to 1950s) and the Supreme Court Ruling of Plessy v. Ferguson (1896) that ruled that there could be “separate but equal” facilities and services for people of color and white Americans.
In a way, this lead to dehumanization among black people because of the harsh treatments during the slave
“I saw over twelve colored men and women, beat, shot and hung between there and Shreveport,” former slave Henry Adams writes. After the Civil War, the legal institution of slavery was abolished unless used as a just punishment. Additionally, these “freedmen” were naturalized and made citizens of the United States which allegedly granted them equal protections, whatever color or race, would have; and, they were granted black male suffrage. Some may argue that African Americans were free after the Civil War for the obvious reasons of a document stating so. However, African Americans were not free post-Antebellum era because they were deprived of their rights as “Americans citizens” through the institution Black Codes and the continuation of
Preston Abbe The Voting Rights Act and Texas Voter ID GOVT 2306-90 Voting rights in Texas has not always been accepted for all, but since Texas became a state of the United States of America in December of 1845, civil rights have evolved to become more universal for every citizen regardless of race or gender. Up until 1870, when the Fifteenth Amendment was ratified, slaves and “freedmen” were not allowed the privilege to cast a ballot. And not until the Nineteenth Amendment was ratified in 1920 were women allowed the right to vote. But even after the Fifteenth Amendment said “the right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or any State on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude” the states began to change their constitutions and
Such as Susan Sedgwick, she was born a slave and sued for her freedom using the fact that the Massachusetts constitution stated that “all men are born free and equal.” Others went in a different direction, William C. Nell thought that he had a better chance of getting slavery abolished if he proved that black Americans contributed to the founding of the
It brought the continuous mistreatment of African Americans once again apparent. It also devastated many states in economic and personal ways. Homes and businesses were destroyed, loved ones were lost and
By using this reference, it illustrated the severity of the alienation of blacks in the Southern United States. In 1619, a Dutch ship “introduced the first captured Africans to America, planting the seeds of a slavery system that evolved into a nightmare of abuse and cruelty that would ultimately divide the nation”. The Africans were not treated humanely, but were treated as workers with no rights. Originally, they were to work for poor white families for seven years and receive land and freedom in return. As the colonies prospered, the colonists did not want to give up their workers and in 1641, slavery was legalized.
Their schools and buildings were severely underfunded and not properly maintained. Blacks could not socialize with white people in public or they risked being arrested. “A black male could not offer his hand (to shake hands) with a white male because it
Even though it granted Blacks citizenship it did not give them equality, and soon arose numerous
If someone were to walk down the bustling streets of Times Square in New York City, they’d likely see a large variety of people coming from different ethnicities and cultures. The diversity of this country is why America is referred to as a “melting pot”, and why this country is one of the greatest in the world. Several blocks away in Times Square, there stands a lady in the harbor with open arms, who once welcomed immigrants from various walks of life into the country. Despite this, history reminds us that America wasn’t always such a welcoming place. Those who were different were looked down upon and labeled as pariahs, savages, or animals.
In document four it states in 1881 during the Reconstruction Period after the Republicans fall Frederick Douglass a civil rights activist was surprised to find a different type of prejudice and discrimination in the South. Douglass found that African Americans were still treated poorly with no real rights as if they were still slaves. They were not treated as equals to the whites who had once been there masters, even though they were newly freed slaves. The white man wanted to much power and no real change. They were still in charge and did not want to give up the power they had possessed.