Struggle For Blacks Rights After Civil War Essay, Research Paper

After the Civil War and the emancipation proclamation by lincoln the slaves of america were free. This was a huge step in making our country truly free to all people. The reconstruction of the south did not however work out smoothly for the freed slaves. There were many road blocks along the way such as the “Black Codes”, the Plessy vs. Ferguson case and the terror of the Ku Klux Klan. The 14th amendment gave the freed slaves citizenship and some voting rights. From the reconstruction the 14th amendment the “black Codes” and the Plessy vs. Ferguson case all had significance on the status of african americans from reconstructoin to 1900.

The radical republicans method of reconstruction called for an amendment that would do three things. Extend citizenship for all people. Punnish the southern representation in the house if they didn’t alow black voting, and not allowing and former confederates to hold office. These three things made up the 14th amendment. Also in the radical republican reconstruction plan was the idea of station military in the south. This was very effective in giving the blacks their rights. Unfortunally when the miltary left the rights of the blacks went with them. the white supremecists treated the south as 2nd class people and were not given oppertunities to get any jobs but manual labor. Also the kkk was formed to scare away blacks from voting and keep them in their so called place, the plantation. The 14th amendment was a good thought, but it did not work out how the radical republicans had hoped going into the 1900’s

After lincoln was shot in december of 1965, vice president andrew johnson took over office. He was a southern man and was not interested in blacks having the same rights as white people. Infact he incouraged southern states to inact laws limiting the blacks freedom. These laws were called “black codes”. They ranged in harshness through out the states but in all they were in credibly restricting. Blacks were forced to sign a contract for a laborer at the beginning of each year and could not break his contract even if his boss was abusing him. Also there was vagrancey laws which prohibited freed slaves from even walking on city streets. They were a fined and made to work off there debts. The “black codes” slowed down the evolution of equality between the races consistantly going into the 1900’s

Another very important factor in black history was the Plessy vs. Ferguson supreme court case in 1896 which ruled that segragation is not nessseceraly descrimination and that blacks and whites should be separate but equal, this was mainly a factor in southern schools, whites got 70% of state funding or more for schools. While black children were forced to school in a shack. Blacks were also forced to use different public bathrooms and waterfountains. In 1890 2/3 of blacks were illiterate in the USA. 60% of southern whites won to schools and only 35% of blacks did. This shows that separate was rarly equal. The separate but equal issue continued well into the 20th century.

These threee factors have been very important in the evolution in blacks in america. How can stilll see the effects today. Only 40 to 50 years ago blacks were still forced to use different restrooms and water fountains.