African-American History

African-American History

Introduction

The paper aims to explain the efforts of African-Americans to stop segregation, discrimination as well as isolation in order to attain equality and civil rights. This paper explains the history of United States regarding discrimination against blacks. African-Americans did not only fight to obtain democracy for the world but also for them. The black population of the United States had to endure for century's oppression and discrimination. First, blacks were held as slaves, and then separated by racist laws of the whites (Finkelman, 2009). It took until the mid-20th Century, to discharge their pent-up frustration could. African-Americans fought for their rights in the 50s for the time being still before the courts. Inspired by Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King, Jr., the struggle for equality in the 60s was continued on the streets. This led to the biggest and most successful, but mainly peaceful civil rights movement in U.S. history. Forty years after the end of this movement is an African-American president of the United States (Klarman, 2004).

The outcomes of the struggle for equal rights for blacks do not only depend on the legislation. According to the tradition, as well as under the U.S. Constitution, each state has broad sovereign rights, which the Federal Government must be considered. The law, of course, is an essential factor in the struggle for civil rights. But even more important are demonstrations, public speaking and the efforts of individuals, which are observed every day, wherever there is discrimination (Brauer, 1977). When we saw the pictures in the newspapers the Birmingham demonstration, in which police dogs set upon, our outrage was not the end. But this is only one of many thousands of cases, faced with white and black fighters for desegregation, relentlessly going to their goals.

The newly emancipated slaves were not needed to explain the meaning of freedom, including citizenship, education, voting rights, freedom of movement, legal recognition of their families and land redistribution. Congress sent Union troops south to secure the vote and to protect the lives of African Americans and their white allies freed. Voters chose Southern blacks to Senate and House of Representatives, state legislatures and other local charges (Mershon & Steven, 1998).

Thesis Statement

The efforts and work of African-Americans to end segregation, discrimination and isolation in order to attain equality and civil rights.

Background

Blacks reacted about the increasing discrimination in a number of different ways. The population of African-Americans in the North America was about 1% during the period of 1860's. The reconstruction challenged the traditional belief that freedom required a limited federal government, as its role as guarantor of freedom and civil rights protection had increased. Although significant progress was made, Reconstruction ended too early to complete the transformation of the South. Racism, a severe economic depression, exhaustion with the problems of northern and southern campaign of organized violence against African Americans and their white allies derailed Reconstruction (Osur, 1976). The Compromise of 1877 withdrew the last federal troops from southern states and formally ended ...