Discrimination on African-Americans Essay Example

America, some masters who objected to slavery freed their slaves and this led to the rise of the free urban communities. The whites, however, began to sense a threat from the freed slaves when they opted to join the British during the War of Independence. Some of them had even revolted to form independent states. Federal laws were enacted to tame the slaves so that black immigrants could not acquire naturalization.

They were further weakened when they were denied to form militia groups that they had formed during the American Revolution. The blacks were banned from carrying mails because the white lawmakers thought of them as a loophole that would have communicated subversive ideas to the minority black community (Finkelman 394). With time, the Northerners and the Southern States disenfranchised the blacks so that they were not allowed to perform most of the activities they were allowed before. As the civil war came to an end, only New England granted equal voting rights to the blacks. Though the State of New York allowed them to vote, it put in place code that allowed those whose property was worth more than two-hundred and fifty dollars. The slaves were later banned from serving on juries or even testifying in courts especially in the cases that involved the whites.

Tougher penalties were stipulated for the blacks with states such as Illinois even permitting their sale for slavery. The number of black people in prisons was higher than that of the whites, and this was attributed to their poverty and prejudice from the presiding judges. In jail, the black prisoners still encountered discrimination where they were segregated in facilities with poor

conditions. Discrimination also began to take center stage in religious bodies. The black who had been integrated into the white. People’s meetings were now urged to form their churches.

There even came a point where black ministers were no longer ordained, and the white congregation refused to worship in the same churches as the blacks. Regarding work, Finkelman notes that the African Americans were prohibited from holding the posts they previously held. The southern states even passed laws banning the involvement of the blacks in certain types of business activities such as shoemaking or brick- layering, jobs that had previously been their sole source of income. The Northern states went as far as restricting employment opportunities for the African-Americans. In the event where they got lucky, they were given derogatory jobs.

This trend forced the black people to opt for occupations that did not require much skill such as domestic workers and casual laborers. They were also segregated regarding housing so that they occupied the outskirts of the cities where most of the dumping sites and sewages were located. The African-American formed their community where they had their doctors, community leaders and also other professionals because they could not get services from the whites. Public amenities and facilities such as hotels and buses segregated the blacks such that they were accorded inferior accommodation and low-class travels. They also received a different payments form that which was given to the white people despite the fact that they did same jobs. Among all the forms of discrimination that the blacks were subjected, physical and psychological abuse were by far the worst.

All forms of media, be it newspapers, radios or

televisions often put more emphasis on the fact that the blacks were inferior and therefore deserved to be treated as a second class citizen. A constant reminder perhaps for their closeness to slavery was often stressed by the kind of punishments they received when they committed offenses that would not even get a white man imprisoned, let alone receive fines. The sentiments echoed by the whites during American Colonization alluded that the white people would have even preferred that the black people are deported back to Africa. It is such perceptions that paint the exact picture of how much the white people loathed the blacks. Selfa even alluded to the fact that most of the US presidents at the time supported the society’s plans with the only impediment being the costs of deportation and the resistance they would be likely to encounter from the African Americans.

They also acted with the help of local authorities by causing havoc in the black communities and even exiling them from their homes whenever they sensed any form of social disorder from the black people. The sentencing of black criminals to slavery and also forcing them to carry freedom certificates while using derogatory names such as negroes to refer to them was another form of discrimination directed towards the African Americans. Upon the purchase of Louisiana in 1803, many whites moved into the state that was predominantly African American resulting in the abolition of black militia and also the reduction of black people’s rights. The periods between 1830 and 1895 saw a rise in racial discrimination as it permeated and became profound in all aspects of human life. There was

the Institution of Chattel Slavery that was responsible for spreading the propaganda that Americans of European descent were more superior compared to the African American and as such the latter deserved to be excluded from most of the spheres that were associated with the white Americans. The Africa American status did matter because whether free or enslaved, the still were subject to racial discrimination.

Such challenges pushed them towards establishing their educational institutions through which they educate themselves about the effects of slavery and how to eradicate it. They also saw it as an avenue in which to address the issue of discrimination that would help them overcome the inferiority complex created by the white people. The state laws provided a platform through which discrimination on educational grounds was justified. From 1830 to 1865, there were laws in the South-Eastern part of the United States outlawed the teaching of slaves and free blacks on how to read and write. The people who went against such laws faced prosecution where they were either fined or imprisoned. Cases such as those of Roberts versus Boston City were filed, a move that was aimed at bringing to an end the challenge of racial segregation in public schools.

What is even more surprising is that judges at the time upheld the laws that barred racial integration. The children who were lucky to be admitted to racial sensitive schools still underwent racial segregation as they were not allowed to mingle with other students. The situation, not withholding; some philanthropists took upon themselves to develop institutions of learning for the blacks. The Universities that were established during this period still enroll more students

drawn from the black population compared to the whites to date.

The issue of slavery was deeply ingrained in the American law system. This made the black people live in constant fear of being kidnapped and sold off to slavery. When examined from a critical angle, one is likely to conclude that the law itself sanctioned the kidnappings because no form of redress was offered whenever such cases were reported. The blacks created a Fugitive Slave Law in 1850 that would help prevent kidnapping.

The Northern and Southern States differed on the issue of the ownership of slaves resulting in a civil war that lasted for four years.

The Rise of Jim Crow Laws

Reconstruction, a term used to describe the period that followed the civil war witnessed several possibilities that signaled for change. The passage of the ‘civil war amendments’ (thirteenth, fourteenth and fifteenth amendments) 1865 provided a legal platform with which the African Americans could now be in a position to challenge their continued omission from the American Society. Laws were enacted that stipulated the abolition of slavery which would only be permitted as a form of punishment for crime. During this period, Tischause notes that some states passed laws that ensured equal access to public amenities by the African American, though not much was done to make sure that these laws were enforced (2). For example, where the discrimination was either legal or illegal, there were no proper legislation or de jure that facilitated for the issues on the side of the African Americans.

The fourteenth amendment was reversed consequently allowing the African Americans to acquire citizenship from their states of residences. The fifteen amendment

also ensured that the black male secured a chance to vote in the elections. The Southerners in response to the amendments enacted laws that were termed as the ‘black codes’. The laws ensured that the African Americans were not allowed to own property, the freedom of movement and association, carrying firearms or even testifying in courts. The Jim Crow laws had now proved to be the most potent tool in which the African Americans could be easily excluded from the American Society.

These laws were discriminatory in all aspects of life be it on the social, political or economic sphere. The courts became racially segregated to the extent where the black people could not even be allowed to swear using the same bibles that were being used by the white people. The African Americans continued to challenge the segregative laws publicly. There was the emergence of civil rights movements whose aim was to ensure that the African Americans secured the same rights that were accorded to the whites (Norgren 46). This entailed the fundamental rights and privileges that were stipulated in the United States Constitution.

Though they began before the 19th century, these movements began to gain much prominence during the periods between the 1950s to 1960s. The movements were well coordinated with the participants drawn from both local and national level and were mostly centered off the Southern region of America. This was the area that contained a larger population of the black community and also experienced massive discrimination be it in the political, social or even educational arena. The major issues addressed during the movements included the racial segregation, the rights to vote and elect

leaders and also the cases of children being discriminated in schools.

The Brown Decision

The ruling on Brown versus the Board of Education of Topeka in Kansas City in 1954 was one of landmark decisions that paved the way for the struggle for civil rights. The judges reached a final verdict that banned the issue of racial segregation in public schools. The whites, in particular, protested the decision and targeted the petitioners who were led by the National Association for the Advancement of Colored people. They had some court cases filed to address the challenge posed by racial segregation in schools. It had also set the pace and opened avenues through which the black people from local communities could combat discrimination in their communities. Following the Brown decision, Little Rock, an all-white school admitted black students and this caused violence with the white majority protesting the move.

The following year in 1955, the black community organized a massive protest that was led by Martin Luther King Jr. The people boycotted city buses for a record three hundred and eighty-one days, a retaliatory move that was instigated by the seating segregation directed at Rosa Parks. The protest was largely successful as the black people were integrated into the seating arrangements in buses. Another incident at the North Carolina College involved four black students who initiated the sit-ins at the segregated lunch counters.

Other students from different universities followed suit and in the process there was a desegregation in many other lunch encounters. During the sit-ins, the protesters decided to form the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee. Many more members joined the committee to form the Congress of Social Equality in

the 1940s. The organization organized freedom rides in which both the black and the white people boarded buses to Washington DC. The Congress of Social Equality’s aim was to determine the effectivity of the Supreme Court decision that had outlawed segregation in the transportation terminals used by different states. Their plan did not go as anticipated since the protesters faced a lot of hostility and were beaten up in an incident that had some of the buses burnt.

Protestors and Human rights activists were subjected to lots of brutalities in their quest for equality, a move that brought to the attention of President Kennedy the need to put in place legislation that addressed all the civil rights. The African Americans emerged victorious when the law was put in place that outlawed any form of segregation in public places and also prohibited discrimination whether racial or gender in places of work (Davis n.p.). The people of the South were still denied the rights to vote up until the 1960s. The African Americans move to initiate efforts that would see them being given the rights to vote were met with resistance from the white people. They started a project dubbed Freedom Summer that was aimed at registering black voters who until then were not allowed to vote.

The move was not also received well by the local whites in Mississippi who turned violent and many people were killed during the violence. Efforts to register voters by the blacks captured the attention of the lawmakers who called for a review of the legislation on voting rights. More and more demonstrations like that of Selma were witnessed which forced the president

to sign the Voting Rights Act into law. The Civil rights activists began to shift their attention to the racial discrimination that was still subjected to the black people in the Northern States. The Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee began popularizing the concept of ‘black power’ whereby they advocated the black population to take charge of their economic well-being and at the same time preserve their African Heritage.

Conclusion

The African Americans constitute one of the largest minority groups in America. Their origins can be traced back to Africa where they were taken as slaves to work for the white people. Despite many generations having passed since slavery was abolished, a large number of the white people still associate them with slavery. Cases have been reported whereby some people still dare to carry the confederation flag or even use derogatory terms to refer to the black people just because they deem them inferior because of their skin color. The black people receive treatment that can only be accorded to second class citizen especially. An example is when they are not allowed to take their children to certain schools or even the looks they get when they visit certain restaurants.

Their qualifications in other cases are overlooked because they have a skin color that is considered inferior. Cases of white law-enforcement officers shooting black people just because they associate them with violence or drugs have been on the rise. One surprising thing is that these people are not charged, and those who have been brought before courts end up being exonerated. It is important to note that the society is nurturing a generation that is likely to emulate what

is done and said by their elders, and this could put the efforts of the civil rights movements and leaders into futility.

Works Cited

1. Davis, Jack. "Civil Rights Movement: An Overview | Scholastic.Com". Scholastic Teachers. N.p., 2014. Web. 14 June 2016.
2. Finkelman, Paul. Encyclopedia Of African American History, 1619-1895.

   New York: Oxford University Press, 2006. Print.

3. Norgren, Jill, and Serena Nanda. American cultural pluralism and law. Greenwood Publishing Group, 1996.
4. Selfa, Lance. "The Roots Of Racism". SocialistWorker.org.

   N.p., 2010. Web. 14 June 2016.

5. Tischauser, Leslie Vincent. Jim Crow Laws. Santa Barbara, Calif.: Greenwood, 2012. Print.