Slavery without submission, emancipation without freedom Essay Example

states that came over to the North. The Proclamation also opened up the Union army to the blacks. This was later issued January 1, 1863, encouraging antislavery forces. Later in April 1864 Senate had adopted the Thirteenth Amendment, declaring an end to slavery, and in January 1865, the House of Representatives followed. The Fourteenth Amendment declared that “all persons born or naturalize in the United States” were citizens.

This limited states’ rights regarding racial equality. The Fifteenth Amendment said: “The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude. ” This opened the door for congress to pass laws making it a crime to deprive African Americans of their rights, like allowing them to enter into contracts and buy property. With these laws Negroes formed political organizations.

They were however held back for several years by Andrew Johnson who became president while serving as Vice President under Lincoln when Lincoln was assassinated at the end of the war. Johnson vetoed bills that helped African Americans and allowed states to rejoin the Union without guaranteeing equal rights for blacks. Johnsons’ actions did not sit well with Senators and Congressmen. Later in 1868, Congress almost succeeded in impeaching Johnson but was one vote short in the Senate. Later that year, Republican nominee Ulysses Grant would win the presidential election by 300,000 votes over Johnson.

This again opened up doors for blacks, who were being elected into southern state legislatures and the US Senate & Congress. Black women were also helping

to rebuild the postwar south along with black children getting a better education. Even though it looked like African Americans were on their way to becoming equal there was still a lot of opposition and dependency on whites for work and necessities. The south used economic power to form the Ku Klux Klan and other terrorist groups. It wasn’t long until things were almost back to where it started.