...The Black Experience: 1865 to Present Valery Taylor HIS 204 Prof. Steven Harn September 10, 2012 The Black Experience: 1865 to Present In the late nineteenth century our country has been defined by native born versus immigrants, rich versus poor and worker versus capitalist. But, in the former Confederacy, despite the call for the New South after Reconstruction tension still focused on the relationships between blacks and whites. Being of African American decent and raising a African American son I can still see the systematic effects of segregation, discrimination and isolation. However, through the civil rights movements of the past African American have attained equal rights in the present. In this paper, I will take a journey through the historical timeline of slavery. In addition, I will discuss historical events from 1865 to present that ended segregation, discrimination and isolation to attain equal rights. Africans were shipped to North America as Slaves in the 1600's, by 1787 the writers of the United States Constitution decided that slaves will count as three fifth of a person when deciding how many representative each state will have in Congress. In 1820 the Missouri Compromise was designed to maintain the number of free and slave states. During that period there were many notable freed slave that played significant roles in the advancement of the slaves. Isabella Baumfree also know as Sojourner Truth played a significant role...
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...African American History Michele Matthews HIS 204 American History Since 1865 Instructor: Mark Hoffman November 13, 2013 African American History To earn their place in America’s Society, African Americans fought many battles that brought them a very long way from 1865. African Americans went through a whole lot of hardship to get where they are today. Yes it is not perfect now but every actions made a big different through history. There are many achievements African American has made since the ending of slavery. Many sat, spoke, marched, cried, fought, died, and dreamed to make footprint in history. In this paper I will discuss some very important event in African American history like our 44th President Obama back to when slavery was ended. It all started in 1865 when the Civil war ended. The African American felt their freedom was a great turning point. Once slavery ended African American made plan to expand their culture. In our textbook, it states “They had a clear vision of what freedom meant. It was not just freedom from white control, but also the opportunity to expand the institutions and autonomous culture that they made while they endured slavery” (Bowles, 2011). As they develop a new society and beliefs, the laws started to change as while. The Plessy v. Ferguson case was the birth of the Jim Crow law. In David Bishop journal, he stated “Bernstein concluded that the “Supreme Court was compelled to distort cases before it could pollute the stream...
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...African American History Since 1865 Alishia Colella HIS 204 American History Since 1865 Instructor Thomas Roka March 11, 2013 African American History Since 1865 Most individuals are probably familiar with the well-documented information regarding African American history, such as the Civil Rights Movement and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., but there are also many little known facts about their history that are of equal importance. African Americans have been present in the United States ever since the early 1600s and their presents plays an important role in American history not only because of the Civil Rights Movement, but because of the strength and courage that they had struggling to try and live a good life in America. History is rife with records of decades of untold torture and harrowing experiences that African American slaves suffered from at the hands of their captors and masters; they were even denied all natural rights as human beings and forced to live like animals. In all actuality, a slave was viewed as one-third of a person and the property of their owner(s), treated as an object instead of a person. Therefore, one could assume that after their emancipation, life would have become significantly better because the slavers were free to move away from the torturous hands of their masters. However, most of them faced incredible opposition and discrimination even after emancipation. Thus by and large, did not truly free them nor did it directly lead...
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...the South. In the 1800s-1900’s segregation was enforced to keep African Americans separated from whites. During this time African Americans had to deal with the symbols of what was called Jim Crow’s, (Whites Only and Colored Only) signs; which are found today in museums, old photographs, and documentaries. Now since an African American has been elected President of the United States, a person could say segregation seems as old-fashioned and distant as watching an old black and white television. Although, the major challenge is to explain the reasons for the legacy of segregation, discrimination, and isolation to attain equality and civil rights, that African Americans worked to end. The best way to describe the shape of the United States in the second half of the 19th century, “according to eminent historian Robert Wiebe, the answer was isolated island communities,” (Bowles, 2011, Section 1.1, Para 1). Wiebe used the symbol of the island because cities were very much separated and isolated from each other and had a weak system of communication between them. The time came, after the divisiveness and devastation of the Civil War, when the nation searched for order economically, politically, geographically, and racially. Although, emancipation came during the Civil War, nearly 4 million freed slaves struggled to make a home for themselves as citizens during a period known as Reconstruction, which lasted from 1865 to 1877. “Though Reconstruction was unable to end the social...
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...Dear journal, the term African American is usually associated with people living within the western hemisphere that their descendent originated from Africa. Though not voluntary Africans were brought over to what is now known as the United States as slaves. This is how we, became known as African American. I am an African American and this is my story. The migration and colonization started around the 17th century when Africans were transported from West Africa to America as slaves. We were sold or traded to colonists who were already established in the New World. Primarily as labors to develop the country a second migration movement came after the Revolutionary War when more Africans were involuntary brought over to the eastern portion of the states primarily in Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Tennessee. In the late 1800s there was an estimated 4,000,000 black slaves in the states and mostly in the southern region. After several indifferences within the country a Civil war began in 1861 and lasted until 1865. This was an effort to unify the nation and to end slavery as we know it. President Lincoln emancipated the slaves in 1863 but it wasn’t until 1865 that the 13th amendment was added into the Constitution of the United States abolishing slavery completely. Then came the reconstruction period as we the nation tried to rebuild itself with the war ended and the country moving in a new direction. Many of the previously owned slaves moved out from the southern states in...
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...The African American’s History in the United States 1865-Present Gina R. Carter Hist:204 Instructor Ronnie Peacock April 8, 2013 The African American’s struggles have been many as well as continuous throughout the centuries. However, this race despite the trials and tribulations thrown at them, stood fast when faced with adversity, discrimination, oppression and segregation. They are a people once condemned by the country that stole their heritage and identity, forced them into slavery and labeled then subhuman. After imprisonments, the loss of lives, much sacrifice and an undeniable refusal of contentment, they are now America’s doctors, lawyers, priests, educators, judges and Secretary of State. From slavery to the White House, the African American took control over its fate and today continues to orchestrate its own destiny. After many years of involuntary servitude, beating, rapes and hangings, the Thirteenth Amendment was ratified on December 6, 1865, stating, "Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States.", the African American slave finally had a taste of freedom, so he thought. Even though the Thirteenth amendment was the Constitutional end of slavery in the United States, this was not the end of slavery. Instead the American southern states introduced slavery by another name. American History 1865-Present | End of Isolation states;...
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...parts and needed fixing. The question is did Reconstruction succeed in doing so? Some may say that the Reconstruction was a failure and didn't actually put an end to slavery and still left the country divided. Others may say that it still took a step towards the right direction and fixed issues. When we assess the outcomes, the Emancipation Proclamation and the 13th Amendment would now take a step towards ending slavery and giving African American the rights they deserved. However many groups like the KKK arose because of this and White...
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...Running head: AFRICAN AMERICANS African Americans Past to Present HIS204 Tyrone Johnson Professor Kimberly Hornback June 18, 2012 Before the American Civil War, medical observers deemed psychosis to be rare in slaves, but common in free blacks of the North and of Caribbean descent. After 1865, the prevailing psychiatric perception of African Americans was that psychosis was increasing at an alarming rate. Basically observers that many African Americans had some sort of mental illness, which lead to them being over diagnosis, which created very much false impressions of who they were. Jarvis (2008), Reasons for the increasing rates were initially scribed to the effects of emancipation, but as researchers reported rates of psychosis to be on the rise through the first half of the 20th century, the stress of internal migration and social adversity were increasingly invoked as explanatory factors. Even though many changes and the challenges did not seemly to actually change. The involvement in the ending of isolation among African Americans, as well being one of the culture groups of people involved in the struggles, segregation, civil rights movement...
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...African Americans and Their Service Daniel Owsley His 204 Instructor Christina Winn October 11, 2010 African Americans and Their Service African Americans have contributed to the security of this nation by serving this country in spite of the racism they faced. From the Civil War to the present war in Iraq and Afghanistan, the African American soldiers have served and broke down racial barriers in the face of adversity. This is a look at the contribution of service to this country as soldiers from 1865 to present day. During the years of the Civil War, 1861-1865, the African Americans were participating in the war whether they were freemen or slaves. In the southern states many slaves were forced to aid in the war effort by the Confederate army. On the other hand, the Northern states turn away black men at the beginning of the Civil War, but towards the end of the war the Northern army (the union) began accepting Negro soldiers into the army. “For the black soldier in the Union Army, the reason for the war was to free the slaves”, although President Lincolns effort was to save the Union. Emancipation or freedom of the slaves became a major part of the Civil War and it provided additional resources to the Union Army in the way of black soldiers (Simmonds & Carter, 2010). According to Simmonds and Carter (2010), the “Negro Soldiers” fought bravely and won praise in over 200 battles during the Civil War (Para. 4). One of the most recognized or famous black regiment...
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...RUNNING HEAD: African-American Progress to Attain Equality and Civil Rights 1 How African-Americans Worked to End Segregation, Discrimination and Isolation to Attain Equality and Civil Rights Paulette Dorsey HIS204: American History Since 1865 Instructor: Professor Marisea Stanley January 21, 2013 African-Americans Progress to Attain Equality and Civil Rights 2 How African-Americans Worked to End Segregation, Discrimination, and Isolation to Attain Equality and Civil Rights Since the period of slavery years, African Americans have gone through a hard period of isolation, discrimination and were segregated on the basis of their skin color. Disfranchisement, legalized segregation, discrimination, and exploitation had become a part of the American way of life. But, through vehicles as the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, migrations to the North, several activists including Nat Turner, Fredrick Douglas, Richard Allen, and Booker T. Washington just to name a few, rose from the depths of slavery and the terror of lynching to win an equal place in American democracy. How African-Americans Worked to End Segregation and Discrimination Segregation is defined as “the practice that divides people in terms of color, religion, and even wealth” (Student Notebook, Webster’s Dictionary). African Americans went through a rough period where segregation laws and practices were in place to encourage racial separation. They were forced to ride...
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...The first Blacks in North America Slavery in America began in 1619, when a Dutch ship with 20 Africans were brought to the North American colony of Jamestown in what now is Virginia. They served the purpose to work in the plantations, so that the harvest would go faster. The slavery was fast to spread and in 1641 Massachusetts were the first to make slavery legal. Soon it was officially legal. The slaves helped build the economic foundations of the new nation. When the cotton gin was invented in 1793, the importance of slavery was central to the South’s economy. The Civil War In the mid 19th century, America expanded and six new states were admitted to the Union. Along with a growing abolition movement, a great debate over slavery began...
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...Past of U.S. African Americans Annotated Bibliography Jennette M. Bird HIS:204 American History 1865-Present Instructor Bruce Carruthers January 13th, 2014 The Troubled Past of U.S. African Americans As we move into the new century, our reliance on the past has never been more apparent to how we should proceed in the future. Our past experiences, in some respects, are still problems in the present. Throughout history, African Americans have struggled with equality. One question that still remains is: How can we (Americans) move forward while incorporating past experiences to overcome this ever pressing issue that has plagued the U.S. for so long? The answers might very well be a combination of understanding our past, while educating and changing the mentality of our nation. In this paper, I will focus on the racial discrimination and segregation the African American population suffered from, and fought to abolish throughout our history to the present day. I will cover events dating back to 1865, such as the “Black Codes”, and the “Colfax Massacre”, leading into events such as the Chicago Race Riots, to more current events that dated around the mid to late 1900’s such as the “Harlem Renaissance”, “The Freedom Flyers”, otherwise known as the Tuskegee Airmen of the 1940’s, and the “Civil Rights Act”. The chain of events that took place that helped shape the society that we live in today, was not always pleasant. Throughout the years from 1865 to 1895,...
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...Racial Oppression in American History The United States of America was born from a rebellion and has become one of the leading super powers; a place that is highly sought after to live. Throughout, American history there are instances where racial oppression was the status quo. The rights and civil liberties of people were cast aside either by deep rooted racism, misguided fears or both. Some of the most well-known misdeeds of the United States is the historic treatment of African Americans, Native Americans and Japanese Americans as has been discussed in class. Racial oppression has been in American history in one form or another, taking on many different faces and going in various depths. These blemishes are but a few of the dark bricks laid...
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...Merely 35 years after the last shot was fired in the American Civil War on June 22, 1865, in 1901, anticipating his imminent displacement, George White—the last African American remaining in Congress—retired. He was a victim of North Carolina’s disfranchisement schemes. On the eve of his departure from the House, Mr. White lamented, “The mule died long ago and the land grabbers have obtained the 40 acres.” Audible in his tone was the frustration that underlay more than 30 years of broken promises made to African Americans. The phrase “forty acres and a mule” that Mr. White refers to in his address has its roots in the Special Field Order # 15 (SFO # 15). The order was signed into effect on January 16, 1865 by General William Tecumseh Sherman; just two months after Abraham Lincoln had been reelected to office. SFO #15 entitled each freed family forty acres of tillable land on islands and the coast of Georgia. However, there is no mention of mules (or any animals) in the field order. A popular fable is that Sherman's commissary man came to him complaining that he had a large number of “broken down” mules for which he had no means of disposal. Sherman sent the useless animals for distribution along with the land. The first two sections of the SFO # 15 describes the area where the land was to be reserved and section three clearly indicates the size of the land to be allocated. “Special Field Orders, No. 15 I. The islands from Charleston, south, the abandoned rice fields along...
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...English, it was the power to beat, to hit, to flog, to whip, to inflict quick and dirty punishment.” As a result of the 13th Amendment, white Southerners lost their ability to control African Americans through forced labor, and wanted new ways to control African Americans. Many white Southerners took advantage of the convict lease system which, as stated in the 13th Amendment, would take prisoners, mainly African Americans, who could not pay off debts and sell them into forced labor for railroads, farms, and plantations. Although slavery had been abolished, powerful white Southerners found ways to control African Americans. The death penalty is an ever-present situation for many Americans after the end of the Civil War, and capital punishment...
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