THE DEATH OF SLAVERY

By: Melyssa Gowen

THE END OF THE CIVIL WAR BROUGHT 4 CENTURIES OF SLAVERY TO AN END.

“All men are created equal” – Thomas Jefferson

WHITE SUPREMACY BECAME A RELIGION OF SORTS AFTER THE CIVIL WAR

• It became a faith that the African race was bestial

• Whites were superior and slavery was for their own good

With the end of slavery, it created a dilemma with the southern white society. They believed,

• The regions economy would collapse

• There was no longer a formal way of maintaining racial hierarchy with an inferior group of individuals such as the African race.

Mass hysteria of planter elites and poor whites began over complete outrage of emancipation.

Southern whites strongly believed a new system of racial

control was required, but no idea what form it should take.

White southerners believed African American’s lacked the motivation to work. This made them unpredictable and were labeled as menacing and

dangerous – aggressive unruly predators.

Whites even feared an angry black mass would rise up and attack them or rape their women.

And so the creation of black codes were started… these are only a few.

Black Codes

• Curfews: Black people were not allowed to gather after sunset.

• Vagrancy Laws: Black people not working or able to show proof of employment were fined, whipped or sold for a years labor.

• Labor Contracts: Freedmen had to sign agreements in January for a year of work. Those who quit in the middle of a contract often lost all the wages they had earned.

• Land Restrictions: Freed people could rent land or homes only in rural areas. This restriction forced them to live on plantations.

The Black Codes were eventually overturned by Legislation that was passed to protect the freed slaves.

• 13th Amendment: Abolished slavery• Civil Rights Act of 1866 : Full citizenship of African American’s• 14th Amendment: Prohibits states from denying due process and equal protection of laws• 15th Amendment: Right to vote no matter what your race is• Klu Klux Klan Acts: Interference with voting is now considered a Federal Offense

Freedmen’s Bureau: Created to assist newly freed slaves with food, clothing, fuel and any other forms of assistance they may need to survive as a free man.

An education system was developed that gave African American children and poor whites the right to an education to learn to read & write.

POLITICS IN THE AFRICAN AMERICAN COMMUNITY

African American’s were now able to vote and they came in large numbers to take advantage of that liberty. They were able to somewhat

control the local politics and although they did not hold any seat in a political office, things changed 3 years later.

15% of all southern elected officials were black.

RACIAL SEGREGATIONThe south strikes again using the 15th Amendment as their platform to enforce “Black Codes” against African Americans yet again.

• Educational and residential qualifications as well as poll taxes and literacy tests were used to try and prevent blacks from voting.

They were too poor to sue for their civil rights so claims went unreported. On top of all of that they were threatened with violence if they even tried to report it.

Racial Segregation = The New Racial Caste System – known as Jim Crow

There may not be any slavery, however, there was now racial segregation to try and prevent any race-mixing & to preserve racial hierarchy.