One of the major goals of the American Civil Rights movement was to give all people regardless of race equal rights. In the United States, Civil rights are supposed to be for all people. Throughout history, people have had to fight for their rights when others tried to deny them. The ones who opposed them were mostly politicians. They passed the Jim Crow Laws. These laws affected millions of people and changed the course of history. The Jim Crow Laws created two separate societies, one Black and one white. The laws were meant to crate a racial barrier between blacks and whites. They were successful. Black and white Americans couldn’t use the same bathrooms, the same modes of transportation. In some states they couldn’t …show more content…
even walk on the same side walk. Blacks were denied access to beaches, swimming areas, parks, picnic areas, and many hospitals. They couldn’t use the same train cars as whites, sit in the same waiting rooms, sit the in same theaters, attend the same schools, or eat in the same restaurants as whites. While whites normally had access to many restaurants and other utilities, blacks usually only had one or two that were willing to serve them. Most of those that served blacks were run by blacks. The Jim Crow Laws were largely influenced by the Black Codes.
The Black Codes created a separate but equal policy. Even though the laws promised equal, the black utilities like water fountains and bathrooms were always dirtier and worse quality than white people’s. They would fall apart or they were so dirty that you could get sick just by using them. In 1865 South Carolina and Mississippi passed the first Black Codes. South Carolina law said that blacks only have the job of a farmer or servant unless they payed a taxes of $10 to $100 depending on their job. Mississippi law required blacks to have written proof of employment by January. If they didn’t have evidence then they were forced to give any earlier money that they earned. Under these laws blacks were given a big punishment for vagrancy. Punishments included unpaid plantation work. It essentially turned them back into …show more content…
slaves. After the Civil War, when the slaves were freed, the U.S.
began a period of reconstruction. This time was used to rebuild the south. It was at this point in time that the Black Codes were introduced by southern legislatures under the administration of president Andrew Jackson. These Black Codes outraged northern citizens. These angry citizens dissolved support for the presidential reconstruction. This breakdown led to the triumph of the radical wing of the republican party. The party started something called “radical reconstruction.“ During this radical reconstruction blacks started to have a voice in the government. Blacks started to win elections for southern legislatures and even congress. During reconstruction the republican party in the south was mostly made up of black Americans. White republicans were called “carpetbaggers“ and “scalawags“ in both the north and the south. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 ended segregation in public areas and banned employment discrimination. The act was considered one of the most important moments in the Civil Rights movement. The act was originally vetoed by Andrew Jackson but it became the first law to become a law even after a president's veto. The veto eventually led to Jackson's impeachment. The first southern state funded schools were created during this period of reconstruction. Less than 10 years after all of this, the KKK would appear and reverse all of the progress Americans just
made. The Black Codes helped create the Jim Crow Laws. After the Civil War the southern states adopted these Black Codes. Being modeled on slave laws, these Codes restricted the movement of blacks by forcing them them into a labor economy backed by low wages and debt. They allowed blacks to be arrested for minor infractions and allowed them to be lent out for unpaid labor. At the time they called this method “convict leasing” and was very popular in southern states. During reconstruction any states that passed the Black Codes were placed under Army Occupation. Many of the laws still stayed active long past reconstruction even though many people’s views had changed. The Jim Crow Laws reached much farther than white Americans had meant it to. These codes effectively influenced the worst disaster in human history. Millions of people died in the Holocaust. “During the 20th century, America was the leading racial jurisdiction in the world.” (James Q. Whitman) Nazi lawyers took interest with similar goals in mind. The lawyers were especially interested in the Jim Crow Laws and they debated on introducing similar laws in Germany. They decided that the laws were good enough for America but not harsh enough for Germany. In summary, the Jim Crow Laws changed the lives of millions of people all across the world, not just in America. Blacks were treated horribly while these laws were in place. Through the Civil Rights movement blacks were able to get these laws repealed and blacks were eventually viewed and treated equally by many Americans. While there are still people out there who think the KKK was right to believe that blacks are below whites, the majority of the world regard whites as equals and are best friends with them.
Jim Crow laws were a formal, codified system of racial apartheid that dominated the American South for three quarters of a century beginning in the 1890s. (Jim Crow Laws, PBS). Jim Crow laws had the same ideals that slave codes had. At this time slavery had been abolished, but because of Jim Crow, the newly freed black people were still looked at as inferior. One of the similarities between slave codes and Jim Crow laws was that both sets of laws did not allow equal education opportunities. The schools were separated, of course, which cause the white schools to be richer and more advanced in education than black schools. This relates to slave codes because slaves were not allowed to read which hindered their learning of when they were able to read and write. Another similarity is alcohol. In the Jim Crow era persons who sold beer or wine were not allowed to serve both white and colored people, so they had to sell to either one or the other. This is similar to slave codes because in most states slaves were not allowed to purchase whiskey at all, unless they had permission from their owners. Slaves did not eat with their white owners. In the Jim Crow era whites and blacks could not eat together at all, and if there was some odd circumstance that whites and blacks did eat together then the white person was served first and there was usually something in between them. This relates to slave codes because
During this era, LBJ and the Civil Rights Bill was the main aattraction. July 2, 1964, President Lyndon Baines Johnson signed a civil rights bill that prohibited discrimination in voting, education, employment, and other areas of the American life. At this point, the American life will be changed forever. LBJ had helped to weaken bills because he felt as if it was the states job and not the goverment, but why did he change his mind? Was polictics the reason LBJ signed the Civil Rights Bill of 1964?
Although many laws were passed that recognized African Americans as equals, the liberties they had been promised were not being upheld. Hoffman, Blum, and Gjerde state that “Union League members in a North Carolina county, upon learning of three or four black men who ‘didn’t mean to vote,’ threatened to ‘whip them’ and ‘made them go.’ In another country, ‘some few colored men who declined voting’ were, in the words of a white conservative, ‘bitterly persecute[ed]” (22). Black codes were also made to control African Americans. Norton et al. states that “the new black codes compelled former slaves to carry passes, observe a curfew, live in housing provided by a landowner, and give up hope of entering many desirable occupations” (476). The discrimination and violence towards African Americans during this era and the laws passed that were not being enforced were very disgraceful. However, Reconstruction was a huge stepping stone for the way our nation is shaped today. It wasn’t pretty but it was the step our nation needed to take. We now live in a country where no matter the race, everyone is considered equal. Reconstruction was a success. Without it, who knows where our nation would be today. African American may have never gained the freedoms they have today without the
“There must be the position of superior and inferior” was a statement by Lincoln which formed the basis of discrimination towards black Americans as it highlighted the attitudes of white Americans. Although civil rights for black people eventually improved through the years both socially and politically, it was difficult to change the white American view that black people are inferior to white people as the view was always enforce by the favour of having “the superior position assigned to the white race”.
The main idea of the Jim Crow laws was to keep black people away from whites, to live separately but equally. Most often this did not happen, which the whites were expecting the “Negros” to be lower than themselves and unable to function without them, until a community in Tulsa, Oklahoma, USA, was started by blacks in 1908. They lived in a community called Greenwood. With only fifteen thousand residents, the blacks built their own little country despite the adversity they had received. Their community was one of the richest in the USA. So, it seems the Jim Crow laws that was meant to leave them destitute, was the option for the blacks to thrive. Blacks had their own businesses, schools, movie theaters, churches, transportation system, and they even had their own airlines. They were their own doctors, teachers, architects, pastors, artists, and musicians. As a bonus they were also very oil rich as well.
After the Civil War, in 1865, the southern plantation owners were left with minimal labor. They were bitter over the outcome of the war and wanted to keep African Americans under their control. Black Codes were unique to the southern states, and each state had their own variation of them. In general, the codes compelled the freedmen to work. Any unemployed black could be arrested and charged with vagrancy. The ones that did work had hours, duties, and types of jobs dictated to them. Codes were also developed to restrict blacks from becoming successful. They discouraged owning and selling property, and raising and selling their own crops. Blacks were often prohibited from entering town without written permission from a white employer. A black found after 10 p.m. without a note could be arrested. Permission was even required from a black’s employer to live in a town! Section 5 of the Mississippi Black Codes states that every second January, blacks must show proof of residence and employment. If they live in town, a note from the mayor must b...
Black codes were state, or county laws used in what was known as the solid south as a way to keep the newly freed slaves from having real freedom. Most of these laws were completely ridiculous, and violations of these laws would lead to jail. An example of a black code was that black people were not permitted to be out at night past a certain time however white people were not bound to these rules, and regulations. Many people would unintentionally break these rules since many African Americans at the time were traveling from county to county to find work they were often not aware of the laws of the county they were in. Since farmers had lost free workers after the civil war most people who violated black codes, instead of going to jail would have to work on farms, or get involved with chain
Radical Republicans repassed the Civil Rights Bill and were also able to get the Reconstruction Acts passed in 1867 and 1868. Despite these acts, white control over Southern state governments was gradually restored when organizations such as the Ku Kux Klan were able to frighten blacks from voting in elections.
the civil rights movement dramatically changed the face of the nation and gave a sense of dignity and power to black Americans. Most of all, the millions of Americans who participated in the movement brought about changes that reinforced our nation’s basic constitutional rights for all Americans- black and white, men and women, young and old.
The Jim Crow system in the United States compared to the apartheid system in South Africa were very similar to each other. The Jim Crow system was just another way for white people to control the blacks. Blacks were no longer in slavery but were dependent on their former owners because they were not given any resources to start a new life on their own. The Jim Crow system is when segregation between blacks and whites legally began; it was as if they were in two separate worlds for two different types of human beings. The Jim Crow laws required separate but equal opportunities for the black people. The black people were not allowed to use the same facilities as the whites; the bathrooms were separate, the drinking fountains, their designated
“Jim Crow was more than a series of rigid anti-black laws. It was a way of life.” (“What was Jim Crow?”). The laws created a divided America and made the United States a cruel place for over 70 years. The Jim Crow Laws caused segregation in the education system, social segregation, and limited job opportunities for African Americans.
The Civil Rights Movement began in order to bring equal rights and equal voting rights to black citizens of the US. This was accomplished through persistent demonstrations, one of these being the Selma-Montgomery March. This march, lead by Martin Luther King Jr., targeted at the disenfranchisement of negroes in Alabama due to the literacy tests. Tension from the governor and state troopers of Alabama led the state, and the whole nation, to be caught in the violent chaos caused by protests and riots by marchers. However, this did not prevent the March from Selma to Montgomery to accomplish its goals abolishing the literacy tests and allowing black citizens the right to vote.
The Civil Rights movement began when African Americans started fighting back against social injustices they faced. From the Civil Rights Movement emerged two black activists, Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X. Martin Luther King believed that blacks and whites should work together in order to achieve equality. Meanwhile, Malcolm X believes that blacks and whites should work separately. Martin Luther king also said that black and white kids should go to school together. Malcolm X however, believes that black children and white children should go to separate schools and that black schools should be run by black parents and teachers. Economics wise, Martin Luther King said that boycotting businesses is the best way to accomplish their goals
The jim crow laws were state and local laws enforcing racial segregation in the south which was enacted after reconstruction. The Jim crow law in Texas stated “The county board of education shall provide schools of two kinds;those for white children and those for black children.” is just one example of how society thought about education. A big influential case that was the reason of the case of Brown .v. Board Of Education all began because of the plessy v. Ferguson case. It essentially was involving Homer Plessy, who was a man who was arrested for sitting in a whites only railroad car in Louisiana. He argued that the jim crow laws violated the equal protection clause of the fourth amendment which the case later even reached the supreme court. The judges ruled that segregation was constitutional as long as the facilities provided to backs were equal to those provided to whites. This was a dramatic change due the fact that this “separate but equal” principle was soon applied to almost every aspect of live in the south. This aspect was very important because what it says is literally what it means ,meaning that according to the country and the law, both whites and blacks deserve to have the same rights, but not be mixed together because they still believed they should be separated. Although it wasn’t a big change it was a step forward to what was happening in the US involving segregation.
The America¬¬¬n Civil Rights movement was a movement in which African Americans were once slaves and over many generations fought in nonviolent means such as protests, sit-ins, boycotts, and many other forms of civil disobedience in order to receive equal rights as whites in society. The American civil rights movement never really had either a starting or a stopping date in history. However these African American citizens had remarkable courage to never stop, until these un-just laws were changed and they received what they had been fighting for all along, their inalienable rights as human beings and to be equal to all other human beings. Up until this very day there are still racial issues were some people feel supreme over other people due to race. That however is an issue that may never end.