the first weekly article

The early years after the civil war was a period known as the reconstruction period. It was the time to help rebuild the union and the damages caused by the civil war. During the period blacks or any former slave’s where given freedom from the chains of servitude and were given rights by the U.S government including the right to vote. However many of the former confederate states where against this and passed a law known simply as the black codes which limited the rights of blacks in certain states.  Despite this even the north or union and the former confederate states had large areas and locations segregated including schools. Hard to believe the U.S government supported it. At this time the blacks were being disgraced and discouraged by the racism even though the amendments said all men were created equal. They were not treated equal they simply separated the inferior from the superior.  In the end even though, they were free, they still were paid much less than a white worker for the same job. In the south they were restricted from voting for political candidates, even running for small offices was not allowed due to the black codes. The former slaves were also treated unfairly during an agreement called “share cropping” which occurs after the civil war. Which I believe was actually worse than slavery, having a majority of the victims having almost no profit margin, if any at all. The reason was that the white landowners loaned them their equipment and had to give 50% of the crops grown to the land owner. Above all else the white land owners also controlled their life. They told what to do and when to do it. For instance they told them when to eat. Something that I found that was quite offensive was that for a small percentage actually had them pay the land owner for not feeding them selves or their families.

Similar to the 1960’s civil rights movement, the fact that blacks were restricted to black schools and so on except in the military when the barracks became desegregated. The civil movement started when blacks realized their true potential and ability which actually occurred during the Second World War with things such as the Tuskegee airmen with one of the best kill to death ratio of the entire European theatre. When the black population realized they could do things just as well as the white population. Which lead them to demand more freedom and a better life, which was difficult because the universal belief that the blacks were inferior to the white race and the segregation was in effect just like in the post civil war times. The key thing is that in both time periods blacks were treated poorly and unfairly, although the situation was worse during the reconstruction after the civil war because of the widespread poverty and segregation they lived in.  However in the late 1800’s segregation was accepted by the black community because they had not realized their potential or were not educated enough until the 1950’s- 1960’s.    During the time they gained a greater desire to receive an adequate education like the majority of the white population.

While both time periods where similar in many ways for example, the segregation of the people and the treatment of blacks as the inferior race. Even though they had freedoms those freedoms were limited at best and usually like the bus incident in the 1960’s their rights would have to second to what the white population had wanted, like not giving up seat on the bus. While before in the 1800’s it was tolerated by a majority of the community, when the supposedly inferior race would do nothing. Until they evolved to resist and strive for civil freedom.