Racial violence

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Today, the United States is considered to be one of the most diverse countries in the world with regards to its citizens being of a different race and ethnic background other than white, but sadly this was not always the case. During the post-emancipation era, also known as the period of “redemption” for southern whites, was a time of great racial violence and hate from most white individuals, typically farm and plantation owners, towards the newly freed slaves emancipated after the civil war, which of whom were predominantly black. Right before the civil war, society was separated into two racial hierarchies: white, and black. If an individual was of any color other than white they were labeled as a slave and considered someone’s, referring to white slave owners, property. After the civil war America’s social lifestyle and overall government changed dramatically due to the emancipation of slaves in the south. When African Americans were emancipated the idea and concept that was once accepted, any individual other than white is considered to be insubordinate and a slave, was now abolished and considered inhumane. This caused a major disruption within society because former slave owners lost huge amounts of manpower that use to work and generate profit by making enslaved individuals farm their land. As a result, once wealthy farmers and plantation owners became the poorest of poor with no one to work their fields and no money to even hire anyone because of post-war fees that needed to be paid. With that being said, African Americans are considered now to be citizens of the United States but sadly were not treated equally by their white peers till the Civil Rights Act (1964); and from the time of reconstruction through the period of... ... middle of paper ... ...ly towards African Americans because they had false perceptions of black individuals and automatically categorized them as horrible beings. The result of this kind of thinking condemned these poor people targeted to an angry mob with death by lynching. This reveals that whites had false notions on how black individuals are and they reacted purely out of ignorance and hate for successful African Americans. In conclusion, the rise of racial violence and lynching during the post-emancipation era was determined by two main factors: whites trying to remain superior, and the general fear of mixing the two races. Unfortunately, many African Americans suffered at the hands of racial violence just due to the fact of being a different skin color other than white. The idea of true freedom and equality is a battle which many people gave their lives for trying to achieve it.

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