Race in the 20th century- Jim Crow Laws

In this post, i will discuss racism in the 20th century. This article discusses Jim Crow laws- which were created by white southerners during the 1870's-1960's to enforce racial segregation. These terribly racist and cruel laws were made in the Plessy v. Ferguson decision. These laws enforced a "separate but equal" standpoint for racial segregation. Under the Jim Crow laws, "whites only" and "colored only" signs were proliferated across the south in almost every public area, including swimming pools, buses, movie theaters, etc. If an African American challenged these laws, they would have violent punishments or would be arrested.

Jim Crow laws were deemed unconstitutional following World War two. The Plessy v. Ferguson decision was overturned in the Brown v. Board of education case. These laws came to an end in the 1960's following the civil rights movement.

Race

    This post is about racial segregation in America from the 1890's to the 1990's. This article describes the various segregation laws during this time period, and how these laws affected the african american community. Segregation is, as the article states, a separation of people based on their religion, race, class, or age. Racial segregation was extremely apparent during this time period. Almost everywhere, there would be signs indicating "whites" or "colored" people only. All bathrooms, restaurants, hotels, and other public spaces were segregated under the Plessy vs. Ferguson act which called for a "separate but equal" mindset. Segregation ended after the 13th, 14th, and 15th amendments by the end of the century. After holding many speeches, rallies, and protests, the black community was granted total equality with the help of many influential leaders such as WEB Dubois and Martin Luther King Jr.

Race During Reconstruction

In this post, i will discuss race during reconstruction from this article. The article talks about how slavery was changed during the reconstruction era, and how this era remains relevant today. The article states that during this time period, "congress enacted laws and constutional amendments that empowered the federal gov. to enforce the principle of equal rights." This is important because without these laws and amendments, african americans wouldn't have the same rights as they do today (for example the right to vote). The article states that this was a time for progress for former slaves and for the south as a whole. I agree because without the passing of laws that protect the rights of African Americans, we would be a more racially segregated country. These laws opened a new era for equality and freedom.

Slavery and Race During the Revolution

In this post, i will discuss an article titled: Slavery and the Making of America. This article depicts what it was like for African Americans during the Revolutionary War. The article says, "For generations of blacks, the American Revolution was an opportunity to fight for their own independence."As the war continued, more and more anti slavery groups developed, and advocated for the natural rights of slaves. This led to Northern States to abolish slavery by freeing African Americans. Although they were given their freedom, African Americans were still discriminated against. They lived in fear, as the article explains, that many were kidnapped and taken into a slavery state where they were sold as slaves. In 1868-1870, the 14th and 15th amendments were made declaring african americans to be citizens and granting african american males the right to vote. Although this was a major gain in the rights of African Americans, the amendments weren't fully enforced as, unfortunately, many african americans were still discriminated against until the end of the civil war. I believe this is important to learn because it shows us how our country, one in which we take pride in our freedom and rights, has a rich history in which we have discriminated against many ethnicities. It is important to stay informed of the mistakes we have endured, in order to prevent racism and inequality from happening again.

The Colonial Period

In this post, i will show how racism was a relevant theme in the colonial time period. This article identifies the growth of slavery within the colonies in the New World. It talks about how Virginia was the first British colony to establish slavery legally. The first African Americans brought over to the New World weren't slaves- but indentured servants. The article talks about how slavery quickly replaced indentured servitude, and slavery boomed within the colonies. Most colonies had slaves, and these slaves were, as you may know, given very little to no rights. The number of slaves by the turn of the eighteenth century numbered in the tens of thousands within the colonies. Slavery, luckily, is not a problem we face in modern America.  In the colonies, slaves were treated extremely poorly and they were given no rights because of their skin color. Since then, racism has become less of a problem. I, however, believe that stereotyping and racial profiling are both still relevant problems in modern day society.

Race: An Ongoing Issue in the Modern U.S.

In my history class, we were asked to evaluate and analyze an article that describes a theme in American history. I have chosen to write about racism- more specifically, about the top (fairly recent) news events that has brought up the idea of racism in America. I chose this article because racism is an ongoing issue that our country has been faced with for many years. I think it is a relevant theme when talking about modern issues and american history.

This article explains how the use of social media apps, like Twitter, have been a useful tool when calculating racism in America. The article shows a diagram that explains statistics about which racist events have been tweeted about the most. This article then goes into racist events that has occurred in America within the last few years. Some of these events include, the Charleston church shooting and the deaths of Freddie Gray and Sandra Bland. The author doesn't express much of an opinion; however, his writing shows that he is against the racist outbursts that he explains. I agree with him. He depicts the events that have occurred in a way that shows that he is astonished and disappointed. He emphasizes that race is an ongoing issue and he infers that this problem needs to be addressed.

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/16/us/pew-study-race-twitter-news-events.html?_r=0