Ancient History and Slavery

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Slavery is a condition defined as one human being owning another human. Ancient history shows the Greeks, Romans and Mayans accepted slavery. Later continental Europeans became involved in slavery, importing slaves from Africa to the New World. During this time over eleven million African slaves were taken from their homeland as part of the transatlantic slave trade. Eventually the American Civil War led to slaves freedom due to the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation, which was signed by President Abraham Lincoln. Nearly a century passed before slavery became undeniably eradicated due to the mistreatment and displacement of newly freed slaves even though it legally ended on 6 December 1865. Sharecropping and the Jim Crow laws maintained a chokehold on the freemen and poor white sharecroppers. After the American Civil War, sharecropping replaced the big plantations throughout the soft. Sharecropping was a response to economic depression caused by the end of slavery. Many poor white and black farmers earned a living working the land owned by someone else. The first sharecroppers were the former black slaves. The system continued to enslave the freemen to a certain degree because of the control the landowners possessed. The laws benefited the owners and not the croppers. The poor white farmers eventually entered the system. The owner of the land would provide the sharecroppers land and tools to cultivate the fields. The poor sharecropper would be responsible for purchasing seeds, fertilizers and anything else, which a farmer needed to have available. With little room for any profits, this became the new slavery. To purchase anything extra that the sharecropper required, the owner of the land would provide the c... ... middle of paper ... ...ng the status quo begin to lead to change. Sharecropping and the Jim Crow laws reflected the power and ownership the whites held over the black people. The short falls of respect between the societies forced change. Black American’s in the south were striking at the core of white supremacy. Majority of the fight came from sharecroppers, factory workers, and laborers. They all played an important role in challenging racial oppression. The struggle during the slavery period and Jim Crow era were essential to making America as it is today. Through struggle and fighting Americans have come together against the odds. The freeman liberties gave the black people false hope initially, but with sheer determination, they were able to fight for the rights, which they deserved. The fight did not only help the black Americans it also helped the poor white Americans.

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