Jakhaylah Jefferson
Mr.Nestoras
Period :2
June 8 2018
Slavery and Racism
Slavery caused many troubling events throughout U.S history.Slavery is the practice of owning slaves and it started when the first African American was brought to Jamestown,Virginia in 1619. People practiced slavery throughout the American colonies between the 17th and 18th century.It caused segregation,the Civil war and the Reconstruction.The South needed slaves as workers in the fields of the plantations they had. The Civil War is started by many things and was in many political events. The North and the South were against each other. These actions were increased after the western expansion of the United States. The Southern states led to the beginning of the Civil War. President Abraham Lincoln saw the Southerners attempt to continue being rebellious, and vowed to preserve the Union.The South wanted to produce more goods.They made a lot of money to be able to buy slaves from the exports.Slaves became linked to the economy itself.Close to 4 million African Americans were enslaved during the beginning of the Civil War in 1861.
Slavery made life harder.Life for enslaved men and women was brutal.They went through many harsh punishments.Southerners made profits and slaves and fought in war. Northerners did not need slaves.Lifestyle as a slave depended on the owner.Working on the fields meant that slaves would work sunup to sundown.Barely any food was given and it wasn’t suitable for most. Education was prohibited for slaves.People would be punished and fined if so.
Many slaves were ripped away from there families and lives in plantations.In the plantations, there were rural slaves and urban slaves. Rural slaves worked in the field and lived in the rural part of the South. Urban slaves lives in the urban part of the South.Slaves moving to the South was a huge issue.The main crops that were grown were cotton,tobacco,coffee, and sugar. There were demands for slaves to be in ships.Textile manufacturers in Europe wanted cotton due to mass production.Many slaves who worked in the city got better privileges than slaves who worked in the plantations.Most of the small farmers were focused on their own plantations while bigger plantation owners built a bigger society.
Many African Americans faced discrimination.Racism is a belief that inherents differences between race that leads to one race thinking that they are superior and has the right to rule others.Racism has been in every civilization throughout history.People do not realize how much racism goes on in the world.Racism has been a major issue since the colonial era.After the Civil War and the Reconstruction,more than 3,000 African Americans were killed between 1889-1918.Asian Americans were ineligible for citizenship because of the Naturalization Act in 1790.Hispanics in the Southwestern region were forced into discrimination.Over a million people faced deportation.
The Reconstruction was a part of history.It helped over four million slaves gain their freedom back. The South needed to rebuild which caused many problems that they had to face. The new Southern state legislatures passed black codes which controlled labor and the behavior of former slaves.These black codes restricted African American freedom and compelled them to work based off of low wages and debts.Black codes were replacements for slave codes.
Jim Crow Laws began in the south in the late 1900s.Many blacks had to attend different schools,couldn’t live in the same towns, or even the same buildings as whites.Interracial marriage was illegal and many blacks could not vote because they couldn’t pass certain tests.Blacks faced discrimination at jobs and when they tried to get an education.This law separated blacks and whites from each other.Blacks and whites were separated at school and most of the money sent to the schools went to the white only schools.These laws changed everything and ruined African American social lives.Thomas Rice came up with a skit called “Jim Crow.” This gave whites the thought of blacks being fools and immature.African Americans rarely left their homes during this time.
There were many people that were freedom fighters.Martin Luther King Jr was an American baptist and activist. He was a leader in the African American Civil Rights Movement.He wanted to advance Civil Rights.Frederick Douglass escaped from his owner and went on to lecture at the American Anti Slavery Society.Harriet Tubman was a former slave that led other slaves to freedom in the Underground Railroad. She was a well known speaker on rights and slavery.President Abraham Lincoln made a proclamation stating that all slaves will be free.It was following by the US Constitution and the 13th Amendment.Last but not least, Nelson Mandela was a anti-apartheid leader and spent 20 years in jail for his opposition.Thomas Jefferson signed a bill that would stop the slave trade. He took many actions to end slavery. Many abolitionist also believed that slaves had the rights to the country.
The Abolitionist movement was established in 1830 and was an effort to end slavery and believed that everyone should be treated equally.John Brown was an American Abolitionist that wanted to overthrow slavery.He was a hero to the Northerners and in 1858, he made a small army to encourage rebellion among slaves. the Northern states were based off on industrialization and the South was based off of labor and farming. The cotton gin made by Eli Whitney, helped cotton turn into a cash crop.
December 1995,Rosa Parks was arrested for civil disobedience.She refused to give up her seat to a white man on a bus in Montgomery,Alabama. The Supreme Court found out it was against the Constitution and that blacks could sit on the bus if they wanted to.This was a start for racial equality.She became a hero for fighting for equality for African Americans.Montgomery officials wanted to destroy the Boycott that was made. Almost 100% of the African Americans refused to take the bus, which led to the bus companies losing a lot of money.That day led to a whole new beginning.
Therefore, I am against racism and slavery.Everyone should be created equally because we are all humans. It shouldn’t matter on our race.It is not right for people to go through the things they went through. All races and cultures are represented in America's society.People should not have to suffer from these levels of hardship. Slavery and racism is harm to our society.People shouldn’t have to go through being treated differently than others.Many people to this day still face inequality. It should not matter on what race someone is because we all have the same body parts.Slavery is against human rights in many ways.They were treated like property and animals.Many slaves were forced to work and were kidnapped from different tribes.Labor was forced upon them. Many slaves were punished in ways that affected most of them. They would get whipped and sometimes were taken away from their families.Children started labor at a young age and boys usually worked on the field. Clothing was basic for children and torn clothes were not replaced. Slaves went through harsh conditions, poor diet and lack of medical help.People do not deserve to be treated like this.The world would be in a better place.