Segregation in the United States

Abstract 

The civil war in American history is associated with multiple consequences. Regarding education struggles met by African-Americans, few blacks from the north could read and write at the beginning of the civil war. Although there were little schools for blacks, Southern states mainly held education of slaves illegal. The study shows that few African-Americans could read and write at the beginning of the civil war and their progress in matters of education continued to receive inadequate support from the government until when Civil Rights Act enacted.

During after the civil war, many slaves got freed. This action enabled some to get education opportunities as benefits of their freedom. However, the majority did not get the opportunities as racial segregations had taken root in most of the states with the spreading of Jim Crow laws. The law separated public amenities such as schools, transportation and public toilets on racial bases. Legally, black people were supposed to attend separate churches and schools; eat in a separate section of a restaurant; access public bathrooms marked “for colored only”; and sit in the rear of a bus.

Instead of allowing blacks to study in all-white state institutions, Southern states preferred establishing colleges and universities for blacks. Segregation continued, and education for African-American graduates in fields such as medicine and law granted them opportunities to have their institutions. In the 1980s, African-Americans would have had massive progress regarding education, but Jim Crow term was commonly used to segregate the institutions and other public facilities. The first “colored” educational center was built in Winter Park for African American children, under the tough conditions of that time. The “separate but equal” rule proven by the Supreme Court in Plessey v. Ferguson (1896) backed racial segregation for public amenities across the states.

There continued disagreements among leaders and thinkers on the right path forward. For example, Booker T. Washington argued that the segregation empowered African-America on focusing their efforts on improving their education and social status unless the whites acknowledged them as equal. However, W. E. B. Du Bois argued by radically as he founded the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) in 1909 to secure equality. African- Americans dominated the organization in the 1920s to overshadow the liberal whites who were very active since its formation. Overturning of Jim Crow laws through courts was the primary focus of NAACP. Challenging racial discrimination in higher education was among its early cases. The Supreme Court gave the states an option of either integrating higher education institutions or equivalent institutions established for African-Americans.

Moved by these and other civil rights, President John F. Kennedy drafted a bill on civil rights which was to be passed into law by the Congress. The legislation proposed to have federal protection to treat African-Americans on equal terms. The civil rights campaign gained momentum and resulted in signing the Civil Rights Act of 1964 by President Lyndon B. Johnson after Kennedy’s assassination. The study shows the struggles of the African-Americans to attain equal rights in the American society after civil war around when slavery abolished. The efforts led to deaths of many activists who were longing to see the end of racial segregation. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 marked the success of the long struggle as it outlawed discrimination by sex, race, ethnicity, religion or origin thus giving equal education opportunities to all races in American society.

Introduction/Thesis Statement: 

Before the Civil War, it was illegal for blacks to have education in many states. They weren’t allowed to educate those of color which of course was a struggle for blacks’ growth and intelligence. During the Reconstruction Era, public schools were open and the literacy of blacks had increased (PBS LearningMedia, 2018). Blacks still struggled because they were financed poorly or even greatly ignored. 1870s, Jim Crow laws ruled the educational system and schools became legally racially segregated. The point of the Jim Crow law was to create segregation. In 1890, the first “colored” school building in Winter Park was opened to African American children, under the harsh conditions of the time. In 1896, the Supreme Court decision of Plessy vs. Ferguson established separate public schools for black and white students. The decision also deprived African American children of equivalent educational advantages. “Colored” schools had to make do with scant financial support and negligible resources

The Historical Background of-and fight against Segregation in America 

The United States experienced immense slavery for more than two centuries before the Civil War. Against the expectations of the Civil War paved way for even worse circumstances for the Blacks living in different parts of the United States. For instance, the Southern legislatures engaged in the practice of passing laws known as the black codes; ideally, these laws came after the Civil war and were mainly aimed at restricting the rights of blacks, alongside segregating then from the White Americans.

Notably, prior to the Civil War, there was no essence of separating whites and blacks considering that approximately 95% of blacks were slaves (Du Bois, 2017). However, the country was characteristic of separate learning institutions, taverns, theaters, alongside other public amenities (Wright, 2011).In a quick response to these laws, the year 1866 saw the Congress seize the initiative in to remake the south. Ideally, Republicans showed the intention of ensuring that the reconstruction of the south would ensure that freed blacks became viable society members in the United States. However, in 1868, the strong legislatures from the South finally gave in and repealed most of the laws that were discriminatory against Black Americans.

Despite a sign of changes, the Democratic parties recollected in 1877 and regained their influence in the South thus ending the Southern reconstruction. It emerged that the move to reconstruct the south would have be devastating to Black Americans as it would almost reverse all the strides made in ending discrimination in the country. Indeed, the reversed steps included the participation of blacks as equal members of the society, holding political offices, and the right to vote. In the real sense, legislators from the South were in a gradual process of reinstating the previous racially discriminatory laws in that part of America. The southerners had the primary objectives of disenfranchising and segregating Blacks from the Whites. Indeed, the laws would ensure that the Democratic Party would bar the Blacks from participating in elections by taking back power that had already been granted to them.

The southern legislators had a wide variety of options to stop the blacks from taking part in elections. The options were inclusive of poll taxes and fees charged at voting booths; ideally, the rates were too high for most blacks who faced complex literacy tests. The blacks would fail the literacy tests considering that most of them were former slaves, and it was also illegal to educate them. The democrats from the south also exhibited the intention of passing laws that created separate schools and public facilities for blacks and whites (Buras, 2014).

The milestone that has been gained towards the end of discrimination also suffered a big blow from the Supreme Court ruling in a civil rights case of 1883. According to this particular ruling of the Supreme Court the Congress did not have power protect people from private acts of discrimination. One Justice Joseph Bradley said that in the event of an individual coming out of slavery, he/she needed to go through a specific process of elevation, to eventually enjoy the rights of an American citizen.

Such other Supreme Court cases as Plessy vs. Ferguson and Williams vs. Mississippi were ruled against the blacks hence blocking them from participating in democratic processes. The year 1896 saw some 130,344 blacks registered as voters in Louisiana; however, the number was reduced to 5,320 by the news State laws in the 1900’s. The new laws were literally developed to support segregation and deny the blacks most of their basic laws.

Upon the start of the WW II the south was completely segregated. The segregation applied to schools, hotels, cars, waiting rooms, restaurants, train cars, elevators, public bathrooms, cemetery, swimming pools, colleges, hospitals, drinking fountains, prisons, and even churches (Fraser, 2016).

The legal system and police in the United States were in full support of segregation. However, beyond the law existed considerable threat by terrorist violence; in particular, Ku Klux Klan, Knights of White Camellia, alongside other terror groups killed several blacks and whites with the objective of barring them from voting, and preventing their participation in public life. Established in 1856, the KKK focused its violence on community leaders, landowners, and politicians (Rowland, 2015). Other targets of the group included individuals who supported racial equalities and Republicans. Ideally, the group relied on lynching as one of the principal forms of violence, and succeeded to lynch over 2000 blacks in the South by 1900. Another reason for the lynching of blacks was their violation of the southern code. Besides the serial lynching, scores of blacks were also beaten to death, shot, or burned alive.

Jim Crow Laws 

The Jim Crow Laws played a significant role on the segregation of America; ideally, it referred to a system of laws and customs aimed at enforcing racial discrimination and segregation in America, particularly in the South. The role of these laws was witnessed particularly from 1900 to the 1960’s (Jim Crow laws, 2017). Notably, race was not specified by any of these laws but their application was in a discriminatory manner against African Americans. The Jim Crow tradition started in 1843, as a group of 4 whites men from Virginia smeared their faces with black cork and danced in a small hall located in the city of New York. Owing to the success of the performance, the group got an invitation to visit other cities, a move which attracted an immense deal of imitation. Ideally, the dancers had succeeded individual performers known for imitating Negro dancing and singing.

It is, however, worth noting that the Jim Crow Laws officially came into existence in 1877 following the end of the Radical Reconstruction. The last two decades of the 19 th century still saw several blacks lose the rights provided in the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments, and the 1875 Civil Rights Act. At least, these amendments enabled Whites and Blacks to ride together, feast in same restaurants, and share public facilities; however, there was still no equal interaction between the two groups of Americans. Ideally, in the Plessy v. Ferguson (1896) case the Supreme Court ruled that the Civil Rights Act was against the Constitution; indeed, the ruling of the Court further specified that individuals could still be discriminated on the grounds of race (Gelderman, 2012). Many people in America viewed this particular ruling of the Supreme Court as the beginning of legalized racial discrimination in the country. The country witnessed passing of laws restricting different elements of life, and that showed disparity among states. Indeed, some of the states held the position that the enforcement of some of the laws had the objective of protecting both the Blacks and the Whites.

Basically, Crow is remembered for extending to restrict public and private rights for all African Americans. The laws were seen as a great move to deny the blacks different social forms of respect. With time, the situation worsened to the extent that the Whites were addressing the Blacks as “boys”, in the midst of an expectation for all Blacks to show difference to the White Americans (Jim Crow laws, 2017). Doors to public places and drinking fountains carried signs with the reading “Whites Only”.

The early 20 th century found the south having passed laws to support the creation of a black and a white society. Ideally, the Blacks were subjected to an immense deal of humiliation, dismal economic opportunities, and separate educational opportunities for their children (Spring, 2016). Consequently, the Jim Crow era saw masses of Black Americans leave the south because of the increased incidence of racial discrimination. Indeed, the blacks were denied access into libraries, stores, hotels, and entertainment places meant for the Whites. As a result, the acts of the Ku Klux Klan, racisms, rioting, and lynching gained momentum.

The south was also characteristic of a trend in which Blacks were discriminated with regard to housing and jobs, alongside facing limitation to their constitutional right to participate in elections. Indeed, some of the States subjected Blacks to curfews and barred them from working in the same rooms with the whites. In 1940, such cases as v. Paiter and McLaurin v. Oklahoma significantly weakened the “separate but equal” principle (Gelderman, 2012). In the long run, the Brown v. Topeka Board of Education ruling brought to an end the segregation which had been sponsored by various States. Following this ruling, there was an assortment of boycotts, legal suits, and mass sit-ins with the objective of facilitating desegregation; this effort mainly came from the National Association of the Advancement of Colored People. Amid the various victories against discrimination and segregation, the Blacks experienced unequal opportunities (Banks, 2015). Consequently, the proponents of equal rights in the United States adopted the use of such new strategies as the Voting Act of 1965, the Black Power Movement, the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and the Fair Housing Act of 1968.

Civil Rights Movement 

The civil rights movement referred to the fight for social justice in America, in the mid 20 th century, as blacks struggled to acquire equal rights under the Constitution. Notably, the Civil War had ended slavery, but not racial discrimination in the country. Before the emergence of the Civil Rights Movement, blacks went through the devastating effects of racism, particularly in the South. Indeed, by the 1950s, black Americans had faced considerable violence and prejudice, provoking the actions that constituted the Civil Rights Movement. The blacks collaborated with several whites to mobilize an unprecedented struggle for equality; the battle went on for at least two decades.

Amid heightened segregation, the situation worsened because of power and violence perpetrated by state governments. Initially, the Blacks had increased their struggle against discrimination using such avenues as the courtrooms, organizations, and ballot boxes. The passing of the Civil Rights Act in 1883 provoked the Blacks to hold several meetings. For instance, a series of speeches were provided by Frederick Douglas who influenced such groups as the Brotherhood of Liberty to engage in political and legal action to fight discrimination in the country (Nunnally, 2018).

The year 1905 saw W. E. Dubois lead several Black activists in a meeting in Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada with the objective of developing plans to fight racial equality. Four years later, the Black activists formed the group Niagara Movement, and an eventual formation of the NAACP. Notably, the National Association of the Advancement of Colored People initiated its mission by challenging racial discrimination in court. Before the WWII, the movement had recorded significant victories, with such examples as Guinn v. the United States (1915 and Gaines v. Canada (1937). In the course of the WWII, more challenges against segregation became successful. Ideally, the Civil Rights Movement could greatly be attributed to cultural changes related to the war, the changing nature of politics by the Blacks, and the Great Migration.

The politics of the African Americans also played a big role in the fight against segregation in the United States. Notably, until the 1920’s, the Blacks had been voting for the Republicans loyally, winning small patronage amounts of the Republican presidents. At the same time, a number of Republicans exhibited loyalty for the civil rights of African Americans. On the other hand, the Democratic Party exhibited dominance in the Southern, segregationist wing; indeed, upon his election as the President, Woodrow Wilson issued an order calling for the segregation of all federal facilities in Washington D.C.

However, on the other hand, President Franklin Roosevelt indicated much opposition for segregation as he appointed several African Americans to high offices. Also, the appointment of the first black federal judge was made by William Hastie, as Eleanor Roosevelt gave a tea invitation to the National Council of Negro Women. Ideally, the most notable action of Eleanor Roosevelt against segregations was her resignation from the Daughters of America Revolution after they turned down a request by singer Marian Anderson to perform on the grounds that she was black. However, a turn in the positions of the Republicans and Democrats was witnessed in the 1930’s as the Northern blacks abandoned the Republican Party for the Democratic Party (Hamilton & Ture, 2011).

Eventually, segregation was on the verge of collapsing in the course of the WWII. Ideally, several Americans were led by the Holocaust to the realization that racism was capable of denting Democracy in the country. Consequently, segregation was banned in all military camps by the authority of President Roosevelt. Ideally, the government was aware of that racial divisions in the military would have had severe negative impacts on America’s mission in the World War II. For the first time, blacks living in America developed a sense of inclusion in the affairs of running the country. Basically, it was dawn that marked the end of more than a century of racial discrimination, in which blacks hardly enjoyed their constitutional benefits as citizens of America.

Conclusion 

The issue of segregation dominated the history of the United States especially for the better part of the 20 th century. The African Americans were actively involved in opposing wrangles and, ideally, segregation in the country ended at the close of the 20 th century. The 13 th , 14 th , and 15 th Amendments played a significant role in ending racial discrimination in the country, which also witnessed the formation of various movements to combat the trend. Notably, the three Amendments were passed after the abolishment of slave trade and had the objective of providing the freed blacks with legal status of citizenship. However, the rights of the Blacks were significantly suppressed, especially in the south which was then dominated by the Democrats. The fight against segregation employed several tactics ranging from law-suits to the formation of anti-discrimination movements. The Civil Rights Movement was a landmark in the struggle for social equality in the mid 20 th century. The movement included both blacks and whites with a common goal of ensuring that Black Americans enjoyed all their constitutional rights. Eventually, success was realized at the close of the 20 th century as segregation became outlawed in all American States.

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