African Americans Essay, Research Paper

Ethnic Group Essay

For my Ethnic Group Essay, I chose African Americans because they are the group that has, for the most part, been a main target for racism in today society, and through out the whole 18th and 19th century. There are many actual, recorded incidents where this can be shown.

During the Civil War, blacks were free from slavery in the North, but still suffered from an enormous amount of racism. During this time, black males were legally able to vote in only New York and New England, but had to meet a certain land requirement which made it nearly impossible for any black man to vote, not to mention racist groups such as the Klu Klux Klan. Only in New England could black children attend the same schools and white children. They were also forced to ride on segregated public transport if they were aloud to ride at all.

On January 1, 1863, Abraham Lincoln issued the emancipation proclamation. This stated that all slaves in the confederate states were now free. With emancipation, thousands of former slaves joined the army to help fight a war of liberation. By the end of the war, over 10% of the Union forces were made up of African Americans. Even though the were able to join the army, they were forced to fight in segregated regiments. In these cases, the blacks were usually enlisted longer than the whites, and also paid less.

During World War II, the military was still segregating their men along racial lines. During this time, The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) demanded that some African Americans be allowed to become officers. Because of this, an African American Officer Training Program graduated 639 officers in Des Moines, Iowa. The military still did not give high rank to any of these officers. White officers commanded these black officers, while in some cases, black troops were integrated with French troops once they arrived in Europe.

During the civil rights era, a group called the Black Panther Party was extremely active in promoting civil rights for the black. This organization was struggling against slavery and oppression of the blacks. This group was armed and ready for a revolution. They were against capitalism and supported the socialist view. The Black Panther Party also advocated for women?s equality. The group was very big on propaganda. They got there messages out through newspapers, mass rallies, slogans, posters, leaflets, ect?

Huey P. Newton was one of the founders of this organization. Later in the history of the organization, this leader was one of the many corrupt leaders of the Black Panther Party. He and other leaders were acting in a manner such as to destroy the BBP deliberately.

The civil rights act of 1964 was a major victory for the African Americans. It stated that all segregation laws were unconstitutional and desegregation of all facilities was ruled.