African Americans in America Essay - 2157 Words

African Americans in America: The Fight Name HIS204: American History Since 1865 Dr. Kirk Strawbridge 30 Sep 13 African Americans have struggled with freedom before America was even a country. Freedom is something that Americans today take for granted. We look at third world countries that continue to exercise discrimination and segregation and America looks down on them. American’s fight wars to protect those discriminated against in other countries. We are almost numb to the fact that we, as Americans, were one of these countries. Some may even feel that these ignorant ideologies still exist today. No one wants to look o the past when this country was not acting like the America we try to project†¦show more content†¦The Thirteenth Amendment constitutionally ended slavery in 1865. It was the follow-through of the Emancipation Proclamation. The Thirteenth Amendment stated â€Å" Neither slave nor involuntary servitude, except as punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States† (1865). The Fourteenth Amendment b ecame the first civil rights legislation by granting citizenship rights. The Fourteenth Amendment also defined what a citizen was in order to make it clear that African American, whether ex-slaves or not, were indeed citizens (Bowles, 2011). At the time, The Fifteenth Amendment was the most controversial and occurred during General Ulysses S. Grant’s term. The Fifteenth Amendment stated the â€Å"The tight of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account for race, color, or previous condition of servitude† Bowles, 2011). The Civil War seemed to end slavery, although the beginning of the reconstruction seemed promising, it would be a struggle for African Americans. The Reconstruction Era started with the end of the Civil War. The Civil War Amendments seemed to lay the law and clearly state that African Americans were free. The country was still divided and this was clear in the Southern states. The Black Codes fueled the racial hatred and violence in the Southern states by creating legislation that restrictedShow MoreRelatedAfrican American Culture in the Americas741 Words   |  3 Pages African Americans brought over a distinctive culture into America from Africa. The Africans can create many different sounds that we never knew about. They revived the way we held church and worship, and brought joy to many citizens. African Americans enslaved by the South created a truly magnificent culture in slavery using new music, oral traditions, and religious ideas. Many African countries are known for their spectacular music, and during the time of slavery many African American slavesRead MoreThe Challenges African Americans Faced in America963 Words   |  4 PagesThe Challenges African Americans Faced In America Raymon Rice ETH125 March 11, 2012 The Challenges African Americans Faced In America African Americans had a turbulent history in the United States ever since they were brought to the country as slaves. â€Å"Slavery in America began when the first African slaves were brought to the North American colony of Jamestown, Virginia, in 1619, to aid in the production of such lucrative crops as tobacco. (Slavery in America, 2012) During the 17th andRead MoreEssay on African Americans in Antebellum America1165 Words   |  5 PagesAfricans first arrived in the area that later became the United States of America in around 1619 in the Chesapeake area. The large amount of fertile land in the area gave the settlers their biggest cash crop, which was tobacco. As time went by, more and more tobacco was being exported to England. Because of this, more labor was needed. This need for more labor was not only in the north, but in the south as well due to their mass production of cotton. This movement started the institution ofRead MoreEssay on African American History in Am erica1064 Words   |  5 Pageshistory of African Diaspora in the Americas† (para. 1). African American history plays an important role in American history not only because the Civil Rights Movement, but because of the strength and courage of Afro-Americans struggling to live a good life in America. Afro-Americans have been present in this country since the early 1600’s, and have been making history since. We as Americans have studied American history all throughout school, and took one Month out of the year to studied African AmericanRead MoreAfrican American Juvenile Delinquency : America Essay2365 Words   |  10 PagesAfrican American Juvenile Delinquency in America Several studies have provided data that often indicate crime rates are higher for certain ethnic groups of people in the United States. Much of this research on delinquent behavior tends to show that African Americans account for a greater proportion of the juvenile delinquents in America. With African American juveniles accounting for more than 57% of arrests for manslaughter and more than 67% of arrests for robbery, this growing national problemRead MoreAmerica s Unequal Treatment Of African Americans1995 Words   |  8 PagesAfter the election of Barack Obama to the office of the President of the United States, there seemed to be a general belief that all the issues of unequal treatment of African-Americans in the United States had come to an end, that the injustices of the past had suddenly ceased to exist, or, at the very least, that they did not matter anymore going forward. However, the recent shooting incident in Ferguson, Missouri and its subsequent fallout (Sherwell, 2015 ) presents a very different picture, showingRead More Social and Economic Equality of African Americans in America1715 Words   |  7 PagesSocial and Economic Equality of African Americans in America The struggle for social and economic equality of Black people in America has been long and slow. It is sometimes amazing that any progress has been made in the racial equality arena at all; every tentative step forward seems to be diluted by losses elsewhere. For every Stacey Koons that is convicted, there seems to be a Texaco executive waiting to send Blacks back to the past. Throughout the struggle for equal rights, there have beenRead More America Should Pay Reparations to African Americans Essay1167 Words   |  5 PagesAmerica Should Pay Reparations to African Americans The United States government should pay reparations to African Americans as a means of admitting their wrong-doing and making amends. The damages African Americans have sustained from White America’s policy of slavery have been agonizing and inhumane. Therefore, I am in favor of reparations for African Americans. The effect of slavery has been an enduring issue within the African American community. Many of us are cognizant of the harm racismRead MoreRace Riots Advancement for African Americans in America Essay1464 Words   |  6 PagesRace riots in America is a story told so little, but a story that is key to the hard work and road laid for African Americans. In the 20th century in times where we knew African Americans fought persistently for Civil Rights, seldom is their the story about the early 20th century. In the beginnings of the 20th century Riots broke out across all of the United States, over eight issues which included the following: Prejudice, Economic Competitio n, Political Corruption and Exploitation of Negro VotersRead MoreAfrican Americans Of The Modern World And The Discovery Of North America Essay2069 Words   |  9 PagesThroughout the creation of mankind and the discovery of North America, society constructed a term that classified human beings into categories. This term is used to identify people based on their physical characteristics, ancestry, or historical background. The term is race. Often, it is used in a negative connotation because of the belief that there is a superior race. However, settlers like John Smith who sought to prosper decided since they had the most power and were the â€Å"chosen ones†, they should