Blacks: Indirectly Enslaved
After the Civil War was over, reconstruction began in the south. During this time, many things were done to rebuild the United States. Different issues were examined; one such issue was slavery and what to do with the newly freed slaves. Slavery was abolished with the 13th amendment after the Civil War, but indirectly slavery remained for southern blacks, for through social, economic, and political domination by the southern whites, southern blacks remained enslaved.
Southern whites kept blacks re-enslaved economically by keeping them dependant on whites for survival. After the war, freed slaves were given rights, such as the right to vote, which southern whites did not receive. However, the president was lenient on the southern whites and because of this, the southern whites were able to do what they pleased. Consequently, they then passed the black codes. The black codes were laws that took away black’s privileges. An economic privilege taken away from the blacks was their right to vote. Without the black’s rights, they were kept enslaved because they were not able to do anything and had to depend on the whites. They were now dependent on the white southerners because they had no land and couldn’t vote to do anything about the land they lost. They had to depend on the whites for survival. Later, the Radical Republicans became a major part of the Congress and passed the Freedman’s Bureau, and the 13th, 14th, and 15th amendments. The Freedman’s Bureau and the amendments gave the blacks help politically, socially, and economically. Giving the blacks numerous rights, including the right to own land, made the white southerners angry. The blacks were dependent on the Freedman’s Bureau for land until Johnson destroyed it. It took back their land, which took away their money and supplies. The loss of the bureau left no where for the blacks to go. They only had the whites to rely on. 15% of blacks owned their own land, 85% worked on white man’s land to get their money and to survive. The blacks that worked on the white man’s land relied on them through sharecropping. Sharecropping was when white landowners supplied all the seeRAB, fertilizer, and supplies and the blacks supplied the work. Whites also made the blacks buy food from stores owned by white landowners that over priced. The whites did this to keep the families in debt so they couldn’t leave. The blacks were totally dependent economically on the whites for survival, working on the white man’s land for survival the same way they did when they were slaves.
Through social struggles, southern blacks were enslaved through the segregation the southern whites brought upon them. The whites tried everything they could to bring them down, lower than the southern whites. The movie The Birth of a Nation showed how the whites looked at the blacks in the social society. They thought the blacks were inferior. In the movie blacks were portrayed as cheats who were impolite, ill mannered, uncivilized, and ignorant. Such a negative portrayal segregated the blacks from the whites. The Jim Crow Laws made segregation legal. The KKK also kept the blacks segregated from the whites. The KKK did not like the blacks because they got so much power and left the white southerners with none. It was their intimidation and terror that made them segregated from the rest of the society. All the segregation kept the blacks enslaved because again, they were treated as unequal people, the way they were treated when they were slaves. Even as citizens with the same rights as everyone else, blacks were segregated as a lower class.
Southern whites kept the blacks enslaved through political rule, by leaving them with no rights. When Grant became president, many blacks voted in Republican representatives, black and white. Many former slaves were elected to many government positions; in fact, 16 African Americans were elected to Congress. Because the blacks had much more authority, the whites were furious. Many blacks held government positions that helped get the blacks more privileges. With the blacks in Congress, many blacks voted for them. A majority of whites did not want blacks voting and wanted to return to the “white mans rule”. They made many political moves to take away the black vote and power. The whites did such things as stuff the ballot box, making the box full before the blacks could vote, used terrorism, and gerrymandering. Gerrymandering was used to divide the black vote. Another thing they made was the poll tax. The poll tax was a tax paid to vote. Many blacks did not have much money to vote, so this kept many blacks from voting. The whites also made the literacy test to see if one could read or write. If not, they were not able to vote. Because many blacks were not able to read or write, they were not able to vote. What also kept the blacks from voting were the acts of the Ku Klux Klan. The KKK was a white supremacist organization that used terror and intimidation to re-enslave southern blacks, and take away their political power. They did many negative things to the blacks and white supporters such as lynching and shooting. They terrorized the blacks that wanted to vote. The KKK had a major impact on the nuraber of blacks who voted. With less and less of the blacks votes, it brought them lower and lower in society. Politically, the blacks had no more rights. With no rights, the blacks were loosing their power, which led them to the life style they had before, like a slave.
Even though slavery was abolished and blacks were given the same rights as the whites, the blacks were still indirectly enslaved. They were enslaved through the social, economic, and political rule. Once the newly freed slaves were given power, the whites weren’t happy with what they had and took it all away. The whites tried so many ways to take away the rights and privileges the blacks had and did so. Having nothing else left the blacks with nothing, no rights, and no freedom. The blacks were treated again as if they were slaves ruled by the white man.
After the Civil War was over, reconstruction began in the south. During this time, many things were done to rebuild the United States. Different issues were examined; one such issue was slavery and what to do with the newly freed slaves. Slavery was abolished with the 13th amendment after the Civil War, but indirectly slavery remained for southern blacks, for through social, economic, and political domination by the southern whites, southern blacks remained enslaved.
Southern whites kept blacks re-enslaved economically by keeping them dependant on whites for survival. After the war, freed slaves were given rights, such as the right to vote, which southern whites did not receive. However, the president was lenient on the southern whites and because of this, the southern whites were able to do what they pleased. Consequently, they then passed the black codes. The black codes were laws that took away black’s privileges. An economic privilege taken away from the blacks was their right to vote. Without the black’s rights, they were kept enslaved because they were not able to do anything and had to depend on the whites. They were now dependent on the white southerners because they had no land and couldn’t vote to do anything about the land they lost. They had to depend on the whites for survival. Later, the Radical Republicans became a major part of the Congress and passed the Freedman’s Bureau, and the 13th, 14th, and 15th amendments. The Freedman’s Bureau and the amendments gave the blacks help politically, socially, and economically. Giving the blacks numerous rights, including the right to own land, made the white southerners angry. The blacks were dependent on the Freedman’s Bureau for land until Johnson destroyed it. It took back their land, which took away their money and supplies. The loss of the bureau left no where for the blacks to go. They only had the whites to rely on. 15% of blacks owned their own land, 85% worked on white man’s land to get their money and to survive. The blacks that worked on the white man’s land relied on them through sharecropping. Sharecropping was when white landowners supplied all the seeRAB, fertilizer, and supplies and the blacks supplied the work. Whites also made the blacks buy food from stores owned by white landowners that over priced. The whites did this to keep the families in debt so they couldn’t leave. The blacks were totally dependent economically on the whites for survival, working on the white man’s land for survival the same way they did when they were slaves.
Through social struggles, southern blacks were enslaved through the segregation the southern whites brought upon them. The whites tried everything they could to bring them down, lower than the southern whites. The movie The Birth of a Nation showed how the whites looked at the blacks in the social society. They thought the blacks were inferior. In the movie blacks were portrayed as cheats who were impolite, ill mannered, uncivilized, and ignorant. Such a negative portrayal segregated the blacks from the whites. The Jim Crow Laws made segregation legal. The KKK also kept the blacks segregated from the whites. The KKK did not like the blacks because they got so much power and left the white southerners with none. It was their intimidation and terror that made them segregated from the rest of the society. All the segregation kept the blacks enslaved because again, they were treated as unequal people, the way they were treated when they were slaves. Even as citizens with the same rights as everyone else, blacks were segregated as a lower class.
Southern whites kept the blacks enslaved through political rule, by leaving them with no rights. When Grant became president, many blacks voted in Republican representatives, black and white. Many former slaves were elected to many government positions; in fact, 16 African Americans were elected to Congress. Because the blacks had much more authority, the whites were furious. Many blacks held government positions that helped get the blacks more privileges. With the blacks in Congress, many blacks voted for them. A majority of whites did not want blacks voting and wanted to return to the “white mans rule”. They made many political moves to take away the black vote and power. The whites did such things as stuff the ballot box, making the box full before the blacks could vote, used terrorism, and gerrymandering. Gerrymandering was used to divide the black vote. Another thing they made was the poll tax. The poll tax was a tax paid to vote. Many blacks did not have much money to vote, so this kept many blacks from voting. The whites also made the literacy test to see if one could read or write. If not, they were not able to vote. Because many blacks were not able to read or write, they were not able to vote. What also kept the blacks from voting were the acts of the Ku Klux Klan. The KKK was a white supremacist organization that used terror and intimidation to re-enslave southern blacks, and take away their political power. They did many negative things to the blacks and white supporters such as lynching and shooting. They terrorized the blacks that wanted to vote. The KKK had a major impact on the nuraber of blacks who voted. With less and less of the blacks votes, it brought them lower and lower in society. Politically, the blacks had no more rights. With no rights, the blacks were loosing their power, which led them to the life style they had before, like a slave.
Even though slavery was abolished and blacks were given the same rights as the whites, the blacks were still indirectly enslaved. They were enslaved through the social, economic, and political rule. Once the newly freed slaves were given power, the whites weren’t happy with what they had and took it all away. The whites tried so many ways to take away the rights and privileges the blacks had and did so. Having nothing else left the blacks with nothing, no rights, and no freedom. The blacks were treated again as if they were slaves ruled by the white man.