Emancipation ended slavery, but not its legacy.
HOW HAVE THE PERCEPTIONS OF RACIAL STEREOTYPING AND ITS EFFECTS EVOLVED FROM THE CIVIL WAR ERA TO THE CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT TO PRESENT DAY?
History of the American civil war:
The American Civil War, which lasted from 1861 to 1865, took place against Northern states and Southern states when The South seceded from the nation to form their own country known as the Confederate States of America. Issues that engaged the separation of the states involved differing beliefs of states rights, Westward expansion and slavery. The nation became divided based upon these controversial issues and caused a conflict that had consequences for decades. The remnants of the American Civil War are still present in present day America.
During this time period in America, the institution of slavery largely impacted the economy, politics and the social lives of people from The South. After the Civil War, Abraham Lincoln passed the 13th, 14th, and 15th amendments. These amendments granted all slaves freedom and banned the institution of slavery, granted all persons born in the United States citizenship and prohibited governments from denying a citizen the right to vote based on their race or ethnicity. Although these amendments were passed, African Americans and other minorities were still discriminated against politically, economically and socially in many ways for even a century to follow.
During this time period in America, the institution of slavery largely impacted the economy, politics and the social lives of people from The South. After the Civil War, Abraham Lincoln passed the 13th, 14th, and 15th amendments. These amendments granted all slaves freedom and banned the institution of slavery, granted all persons born in the United States citizenship and prohibited governments from denying a citizen the right to vote based on their race or ethnicity. Although these amendments were passed, African Americans and other minorities were still discriminated against politically, economically and socially in many ways for even a century to follow.
JIm Crow laws
Jim Crow Laws were laws created that enforced racial segregation of white people and persons of color in public places and transportation. The Jim Crow Laws limited the chances for African Americans to improve their status and gain equality. They separated African Americans from whites in many ways such as: education, entertainment, freedom of speech, marriage, transportation, services and work. Below are some specific Jim Crow laws that were enforced during this era:
- It shall be unlawful for a negro and a white child to play together or in company with each other at any game of pool or billiards.
- All marriages between a white person and a negro, or between a white person and a person of negro decent to the fourth generation inclusive, are hereby forever prohibited.
- No person or corporation shall require any white female nurse to nurse in wards or rooms in hospitals, either public or private, in which negro men are placed.
- The schools for white children and the schools for negro children shall be conducted separately.
- The officer in charge shall not bury, or allow to be buried, any colored persons upon ground set apart or used for the burial of white persons.
A Deeper look into Jim Crow Laws:
The Jim Crow era can be categorized as an era of struggle. The struggle to overcome discrimination, poverty and violence. Many people fought and worked, endangering their lives in the process, to challenge segregation and the harsh Jim Crow laws in the Southern United States. These are just a few people who helped shape segregation and discrimination in the south by their very brave acts:
Ida B. Wells (1862-1931)
"If it were possible, I would gather the race in my arms and fly away with them."
"If it were possible, I would gather the race in my arms and fly away with them."
Ned Cobb (1885-1973)
"[White people] don't like to see a nigger with too much... white people was afraid, afraid the money would make the nigger act too much like is old man."
"[White people] don't like to see a nigger with too much... white people was afraid, afraid the money would make the nigger act too much like is old man."
W.E.B. Du Bois (1868-1963)
"Education must not only teach work- it must teach life."
"Education must not only teach work- it must teach life."
*The language displayed above is a direct quotation, and does not reflect the beliefs of or words from the creator of this site*
Plessy v. Ferguson
SEparate but equal:
Although the 14th amendment to the United States constitution granted all persons born in the United States citizenship, the government justified the Jim Crow laws with a doctrine called "Separate but Equal". This was expressed through the Plessy v. Ferguson case where an African American man, Homer Plessy, was jailed for sitting in the "White" car of the East Louisiana Railroad instead of the car for colored people. This case showed how after the civil war and an attempt at reconstruction, America still had much progress to be made towards total equality for all people.
Images of segregated America:
Works Cited:
- "The Rise and Fall of Jim Crow. Jim Crow Stories . Ida ... - PBS." 2002. 10 Feb. 2015 <http://www.pbs.org/wnet/jimcrow/stories_people_wells.html
- "The Rise and Fall of Jim Crow. A Century of Segregation | PBS." 2002. 10 Feb. 2015 <http://www.pbs.org/wnet/jimcrow/segregation.html>
- "Additional Information: Jim Crow law | United States [1877 ..." 2013. 10 Feb. 2015 <http://www.britannica.com/topic/303897/supplemental-information>
- "Remembering Jim Crow : Laws - American RadioWorks." 2004. 10 Feb. 2015 <http://americanradioworks.publicradio.org/features/remembering/laws.html>
- "Michelle Alexander: Jim Crow Still Exists In America : NPR." 2012. 10 Feb. 2015 <http://www.npr.org/2012/01/16/145175694/legal-scholar-jim-crow-still-exists-in-america>
- "Jim Crow Laws - National Park Service." 2006. 10 Feb. 2015 <http://www.nps.gov/malu/forteachers/jim_crow_laws.htm>