Jim Crows Laws Legislation and the Failure of Reconstruction in the US after the Civil War - Essay Example

Racism: The Black s and Jim Crow's Laws legislation being the reason for the failure of Reconstruction in the US after the Civil War Racism and the direction of war to contain slavery in the early American society of 1800s saw two opposing sects of the society dragged into historical civil war. The civil war resulted due to the differences that existed between the Southern States and the Northern States concerning the fate and future of the slaves who comprised of the black Americans. As at the time of this difference, the Northern States underwent rapid periods of industrialization and required labors to work in the industries. The Southern States on the other hand continued to practice plantation farming with the main crop being cotton. The process of working in the cotton farm required intensive labor that provided by the slaves. This explains the difficulty exhibited by the Southerners in releasing the slaves (Winslow 27). The Northerners held firmly and campaigned for the freedom of slaves to ensure their engagement in paying employment. This difference marked the actual start of the civil war with the Southerners seceding and organizing into Confederate Armies whiles the Northerners organizing into Union Armies. It was after the civil war of 1861 to 1865, that the Southern States that faced dire economic hardship combined to seek for reunion and reconstruction with the North. The journey to reconstruction particularly begun in 1865 after the end of the Civil war, and characterized with attempts of the Southerners to reconcile up with the North in order to solve political, economical and social problems faced by the individuals states. Reconstruction saw the previously seceded eleven Southern States applying for readmission into the Union (Franklin 64). Now, the North was under the dominance of the Republican legislators who unanimously supported the abolition process of the slaves. This stand invited proposal of firm and strict measures for the Southern States before regaining the admission in the Union. In so doing, the Northern and dominant legislatures approved the Reconstruction Act of 1867 as a basis of compliance for the Southern States before readmission. According to Franklin, the Reconstruction Act 1867 proposed for the establishment of military camps in the South (62). In the Act, Northerners demanded that Southerners accepts, comply and practice the 14th and 15th constitutional amendments before gaining readmission into the Union. The reconstruction process faced numerous impediments and hurdles mainly from the Black Codes and the Jim Crow’s laws. Franklin unravel that the Black Codes and the Jim Crow laws were all destined to disapprove the black race as well as express their inferiority in the societies (65). Black codes in specific were laws formed in 1865 in the Southern States to define the black race. The black codes mainly targeted at encouraging and promoting the supremacy of the white, while consolidating inferiority of the blacks. The black codes were integral strategies of the Southerners to ensure continued supply of cheap labor to work in the plantation firms. Determination of race based on black codes concerned the amount of Negro blood exhibited by given individuals (Franklin 65). In addition, the black code laws protracted blacks as vagrant individuals when they lacked employment and permanent residence. The black code laws allowed for the arrests, fines and or bound for labor when unable to pay fines. Black coding in the Southern America also limited the volume and amount of wealth held by an individual black citizen. The aspects of black coding as introduced by the Southerners restrained blacks from engaging in businesses and some forms of technical trades. The black coding instituted by the Southerners, restricted the slaves and blacks from bearing any form of arm. The black codes also did not allow slaves to assemble without the inclusion of a white. As observed by Franklin, black coding also assisted the Southerners in extending their dominion on the slaves to an extent of denying the blacks their voting rights (65). The black codes laws ensured that no black bearing slave code occupied any office in the US. Blacks never presided as judge in the Southern courts. In implementing such laws, the Louisiana state directed that every freedman whether man or women would have to obtain properly furnished house or home within twenty days, failure to which the particular would face arrests by the sheriffs (Martinot 14). This kind of declaration typically intended to frustrate the black communities since they most of them were poor and could not afford to meet the directives. Another factor that stifled the efforts towards reconstruction process was the introduction of the Jim Crow’s laws. The legislation came into being in 1865 and destined to encourage and promote segregation. With Jim Crow’s laws in application, the African-American children faced serious experiences of discrimination occasioned by the separation of the white and black schools. Segregation process left black schools appear inferior while exalting the white schools. Jim Crow’s laws further went ahead to prohibit sharing of transport facilities between the antagonist races (Ritterhouse 69). Furthermore, the bitterness that led to the failure of the Southern restoration involved the provisions in Jim Crow’s laws that prohibited sharing of social amenities and recreational facilities. Moreover, Jim Crow’s laws advocated for the separation of entrance and exit points in the public building buildings and institutions to ensure that blacks did use the same access points as the white. Additionally, Jim Crow’s laws prohibited any form of interracial marriages and friendships. Arkansas was among the States in the US to adopt and cherish the segregated form of learning for its children. Arkansas was also in the list of erecting laws that ban and restrict people of the black race from migrating into the state. Texas States adopted laws that required construction of car park for blacks in the rail station (Dailey 8). The law also prohibited amalgamation of the white and black convicts in the same prison building. The provision sin Jim Crow’s laws also From the understanding of black codes and the Jim Crow’s laws formed immediately after the end of the civil war in 1865, it becomes apparent that hurdles and problems faced in the reconstruction attributed to constitutional and legal discrepancies. Instead of abolishing slavery in accordance to the 14th Amendment of the US Constitution, the Southern States formed the black codes that continued to discriminate African-Americans (Dailey 4). The segregation proposed by the Jim Crow also compounded the failure of Southern reconstruction as the Northern sector considered such moves as undemocratic and incompetent. Northern was therefore unprepared and unable to fund projects in the Southern States due to the belief that they lacked democracy and respect for human freedom (Martinot 15). The constitutional provisions of the 13th Amendment was also clear in defaming the Southerners on denying the blacks freedom to exercise their marital and educational rights. California played crucial role in ensuring the triumph of the Unions. During the civil war, California supplied the biggest amount of gold to consolidate funds for the Unions (Winslow 8). In addition, California provided strong military support to the Unions during the fight for the freedom of slavery. However, after the win coupled with introduction of black codes and Jim Crow’s laws, California changed its stand and instead supported Jim Crow’s laws. It is worth noting that California in its setting did not require slaves and even went ahead to block insurrection of foreigners who would cause labor competition in the gold mines. Because of the stakes, State of California supported and adopted the provisions of the Jim Crow’s law. With Jim Crow’s laws, California would restrict the immigration of the slaves and blacks who would eventually cause stiff competition in the labor market in the gold mines. In conclusion, the process of reconstructing the devastated Southern States just after the end of the civil war in 1865 was well intended. The reconstruction process included among others the stabilization of the political, social and economic sanctity in the region. In order to start the reconstruction process, Southerners who had seceded before the war needed the help of the industrialized North. Reconstruction would also see reunion and application for readmission in the Union. However good reconstruction was to the Southerners, the process met legal and procedural demands from the Northern who maintained firm stand on the freedom of the slaves. To the detriment of the Southern States in pursuing the reconstruction process, was the establishment and adoption of the black codes and Jim Crow’s laws. Both the two laws intended to protract blacks as slaves who did deserve to enjoy any freedom in the land of America. The two laws in one way the other intended to encourage discrimination and maltreatment of the African-Americans living in the US. It is due to the great contradiction between the intentions of then powerful north of freeing the slaves and the weaker South who encouraged slavery and discrimination of the blacks in the America that reconstruction process faced difficult moments. Works cited Franklin, John H. Reconstruction after the Civil War. Chicago u.a: Univ. of Chicago Press, 1994. Print. Martinot, Steve. "The Question of Fascism in the United States." Socialism and Democracy 22.2 (2008): 17,44,249. Ritterhouse, Jennifer. Growing Up Jim Crow: How Black and White Southern Children Learned Race. Chapel Hill, NC: Univ. of North Carolina Press, 2006. Print. Thomas, E G. American Civil War. Square One Publishers, 2008. Print. Dailey, Jane. Jumpin' Jim Crow: Southern Politics from Civil War to Civil Rights. Princeton [u.a.: Princeton Univ. Press, 2000. Print. Winslow, Calvin. Labor's Civil War in California: The Nuhw Healthcare Workers' Rebellion. Oakland, CA: PM Press, 2010. Print. Read More