Discrimination Of The African Americans - Essay Example

Discrimination Of The African Americans Table of Contents Introduction 2 Highs and Lows of African Americans History in the Period of 1877-1928 in the US 3 Conclusion 9 References 10 Introduction The history of the United States of America has various shades and sides. The timeline since 1877 to 1928 has observed several changes in the field of politics and economy. In this regard, it is worth mentioning that the life of the African American has been very challenging in the period of 1877 to 1928 due to the presence of the racial discrimination. Black people have a large population in the US and they are mainly from the African ancestry. The Northern and the Western part of America have been depicting a growing change in the transformational years from 1877 to 1928. However, the development in Southern part of America has been slow due to the presence of the ethnic group of African American. They are the people who faced dominance and low status in the nation due to their skin color. They have been deprived of various rights affecting their social and economic position1. The life of the people in this period has been was different and the amenities received depended a lot on their ethnicity and race. In this essay, the history and life of the African American is depicted who are facing challenges since 1877. In the year 1928, the life of the native people and the African Americans is dissimilar due to the presence of strong governance giving rise to inequality and a lack of self-esteem along with respect. In the current situation i.e. 1928, as an undergraduate student of Howard University, the perceived highs and lows of African Americans are being explored with argument in between the period of 1877 to 1928. Highs and Lows of African Americans History in the Period of 1877-1928 in the US The African Americans live majorly in the south and the prevailing challenging situation in the nation is affecting the life of farmers. The jobs that are provided to the people of higher ranks are in the mines, tobacco and ores. The blacks are deprived of every facility even if they have the potential than the whites. The educated blacks are positioned under the whites in order to suppress them. The position of the blacks although large in number is suppressed by the whites only because of their color. Moreover, the women of the African American origin are forced to work for the whites as slaves. This is one of the low points faced by African Americans since 1877. This implies that according to the whites, the skin color is the only criteria for the people to get a job and status in the society irrespective of the fact the person has enormous potential2. However, the changes have been taking place in a slow and steady pace after the Civil war as African Americans are steadily being given the opportunity for education and could get admission with the whites. This is although a vital point in the lives of the blacks as they are given opportunity to showcase their understanding and logical creativity in front of other people in the society. One of the most important changes that had taken place was in the year 1877, wherein Rutherford B. Hayes became the president of the US who worked hard to bring moderate reforms along with dignity. He as a president had brought in reconstruction to an end and withdrew the troops from the South which left the African Americans with no one to safeguard or fights for the rights of the people. The lowest point in the life of the African Americans was at this time as there were no reformers to fight against the unjust of the government. The “home rule” was reinforced by the president to the states where the habitation of the blacks was the most. This can be termed as one of the lowest phases as home rule implied that the supremacy of the white Americans over the African Americans would retain for a long time. This was the time when the subjugation along segregation of African Americans was the most. As a result, the status of the people instead of improving was degrading not only health wise but also financially due to the isolation they had to face. This was initiated by the government in order to improve the standard of the whites by suppressing the black. The year 1877 was a year of suppression of the African Americans by marking the end of reconstruction. The coming of Rutherford B. Hayes was one of the biggest blows for the people of the African American3. Conversely, an achievement for the African Americans has been when the US constitution granted the voting rights to the men of the black origin. This was a high point in the life of the people as they were now in a position to cast their votes in order to bring the government which would help them to survive in a better way. However, to curb the voting right the poll tax law was introduced which implies that the voters will have to pay tax in order to cast their votes. Paying tax for voting was not possible for the African Americans leading to a low. At the same time, the turning point was when the Supreme Court decided to remove the poll tax in order give fair chance to the black people4. Moreover, the people of the African American origin are treated very badly as they are not been provided with insurance in case they are unable to work for some reasons. They are deprived of various other facilities. The black fought against the unjust by taking actions to stop separation and redemption. However, the actions of the blacks for equality were curbed due to the severe violence in the South. Another low phase had been faced by the African Americans when in the year 1896 the state law reflected that racial segregation is required as the blacks are not entitled for the same benefits and social equality like the whites due to their color and origin. The whites felt that they are the people of God and are therefore eligible for security, status and benefits. The intention behind such action was to increase the migration rate of the African Americans in order to have a monopoly. This also reflected that the government treated the black as servants and not as masters. All the benefits by the government were intended for the benefit of the whites and not others. Ethnicity and racial discrimination lead to inequality in the society5. The people are treated like slaves and were given the blue collar work. On the other hand, the white Americans were provided with the white collar jobs. This was the low which was faced by the people as they were not being provided with high positioned job even if they were well qualified. Due to the economic condition and increased racial discrimination, in the year 1879, the African Americans had to migrate from the South to Kansas. This was a low as the people were forced to leave their land because of the hazards they were facing. The only reason for their backwardness in the society was due to the color of their skin and their origination. In this context, it is observed that at the end of reconstruction and the beginning of 20th century, the African Americans have had to face several hardships. Slavery did not exist anymore but the African American life was unsafe as they had to fight for their existence and equality with the whites. Nonetheless, the African Americans have seen a steady change in their standard and status after the education is being provided to them. Access to education is helping in bringing changes in the life of the people by improving their economic standard. Providing high education and learning has been a high turning point as this has helped the people to gain the required knowledge in order to compete with the white Americans. The life of the African Americans has been like a slave deprived of every facility. In this regard, it is important to mention the name of one of the famous persons in the history of the blacks’ i.e. Booker T. Washington6. He delivered a motivational speech at the Atlantic Cotton Exposition which was useful for the black as it helped them in adjusting with the changing world. Booker T. Washington deciphered his views regarding the fact that the people must serve the white and earn their liberty. He was the man who established the Tuskegee Institute in Alabama, a high turning point for the black youth and also for the rising black leaders. Proper training has been imparted to the youth so that they can fight for their rights and change their position in the US. Moreover, Washington was a leader who worked to bring unified strength by making the Whites and Blacks together and improve the economic condition of the people. In order to assist the people of African American origin, Washington structured the National Negro Business League in the year 1900 for the benefit of the people. However, due to the inadequate capital and high competition from the white businessmen, the African Americans were unable to take the advantage of the league7. Another biggest breakthrough in the life of the African Americans is with the commencement of the Civil Rights Act. This was a transformation which was occurring at a steady pace. The treatment of the African American was changing and the level of attention and respect provided to them was showing a change. This is due to the fact that the people of the African American origin were now being allowed to visit the railroads and hotels. The Civil Rights Act was a wonderful initiative which was taking place due to the increasing number of violation that was occurring on the black. The Act was a breakthrough in the life of the blacks as they were suppressed by the whites due to the increasing discrimination on the basis of color. The supremacy of the White Americans was again visible with the execution of the racial separation. This is evidential as by the year 1885 wherein the southern states had separated their schools which were due to the passing of the Jim Crow laws. This implies that blacks were not allowed to study with the whites, they were separated from each other on the basis of their ethnicity8. Nevertheless, with the passage of time, the African Americans have been slowly getting jobs in industries with better position. A few of the black people have had their own farms and are becoming economically sound and few are still under the whites and are being treated in a dominating manner. As the development of the American was mostly done in the North and West, the blacks with the hope to get a better stratus and opportunity migrated westward. This reflects the fact the life of the people was altering but the status was still not equal. Another changing point in the life of the African American had been when Booker T. Washington worked for the people of the nation irrespective of the caste, color and ethnicity. He was able to attract and gather the support of the whites and thus was one of the most vibrant and powerful black men. This was a high period but due to the increasing discrimination this could not be turned for the benefit of the black. However, this can again be termed as a low period for the blacks as they were losing their rights to vote, violence was increasing and the segregation was also increasing. The reason for such change was due to the influence of the whites in the politics and business9. With the changing time, the blacks have been given a better position in the society and they are entitled to the middle class than the lower. This is due to the increasing protests and violence by the African American which proved to be quite effective. In the year 1925, the people of the North and Southern part of America shared their concern and agreed to the fact that the blacks can be given second class citizenship. This implies that the African Americans are now given more importance and rights in the society as the whites. This has been a changing era for the blacks as they are gaining rights and popularity in the society irrespective of their color10. The political autonomy has been gained by the African Americans in order to attain and overcome separate doctrine. The reason for such doctrine is to gain social, political and economic rights in the society. This has been a high point as it is helping the African Americans to create their identity and making their presence felt in the nation. The people along with their culture are getting prominence. Due to the increase in the social status, they are now being given the opportunity in the Army which is helping them in getting employment in a ranked position. They are fighting for the democracy, which is assisting them in boosting their moral and individualism. The other turning point has been when President Coolidge reflected the opinion for the black which is again helpful for them to improve their standard in the society. It was claimed that “rights of colored people are sacred.11” In the year 1928, the president of America Harding has demonstrated a new vision for the upliftment of the African Americans as he is supporting the view of diversity along with variety to bring improvement in the society. This will help the black to put forward their views and improve their standard hereof in the society and provide equality and respect12. Conclusion The life of the African Americans in between the years 1877 till 1928 has been extremely challenging as they have had to fight for their rights. They are being suppressed by the whites and not given equal status. There have been many highs and lows faced by the African Americans. The lowest point has been when the reconstruction phase came to an end and the blacks were dominated. On the other hand, the Civil Rights Act was a high for the people to get respect and identity in the society but not as a slave. From the overall discussion, it can be concluded that the agitation and protest have constructively worked for the African Americans in order to gain better status. References Brown University. “African Americans and their Struggles for Equal Rights.” Accessed May 27, 2014. http://www.brown.edu/Departments/Environmental_Studies/QuigleyPowerPoint/AfricanAmer.CivilRightsHistory.pdf. Media Projects Incorporated. Student Almanac of African American History: From Reconstruction to Today, 1877-Present. United States: Greenwood Publishing Group, 2003. Read More