HISTORY

How have African-Americans worked to end segregation, discrimination, and isolation to attain equality and civil rights?

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How have African-Americans worked to end segregation, discrimination, and isolation to attain equality and civil rights?

Situation of African-Americans Pre-Civil War Times

The African American population in the north of America during 1860's was 1 percent post American Revolution. Since the start they faced discrimination on the basis of their skin color. They were thought of as being inferior in comparison to the whites. Due to discrimination, they were not given the right to vote. The unfair premise that was given upon questioning the state was that it is forbidden by the laws of the area. Back in 1821, a law was passed by the New York Convention stating that the African Americans will only have the right to vote if they owned a property. However, in those days African Americans were struggling to get jobs and were financially unstable. The jobs they use to get were menial in nature. Jobs that demanded little or no skill and they were low income oriented. The jobs, which had an, appropriate pay and essential skills were not given to African Americans. If they tried applying, they were rejected instantly. Upon questioning the authority, the applicant used to be beaten up brutally.

Nearly 95 percent of the African Americans during 1800's were hired for menial jobs. The jobs that they desired were not given to them, and the jobs that African Americans did were not desired by the whites. Another reason besides African Americans being inferior was that the whites thought of them as being unintelligent and highly incapable. Hence they were given such jobs.

The discrimination did not end on jobs. Discrimination and stereotyping went beyond the threshold. The legislators tried every possible way to separate the African Americans from the whites by creating laws. Laws were created to ensure that there is a constant division between the two races. The laws led to higher racial differences. The discrimination did not leave the innocent children, and they were dragged into the vicious circle of racial discrimination. Laws were passed to segregate the schools of African Americans from the whites. A long term approach was behind it. The premise behind it was that if both the caste's mingle in schools then there is a high probability of inter marriages. The thought of such instance was unbearable to them (Collier, 2004).

The segregation extended to public transport, as well. The trains were segregated to the extent that the African Americans were seated at one side of the train while the whites were on the other. There were restrictions relating to African Americans not being allowed to cities where the whites socialized or resided. They were not allowed to own or rent a property as it would depreciate the value of the property. It was a worrisome situation and a derogatory perception where the presence of African American could lead to unfortunate luck.

African Americans residing in the south could not escape ...