Black Codes
Slavery had been abolished by the Reconstruction Era; however some Southerners coordinated ways to obstruct political and civil rights from African Americans. One of the ways that African Americans were stripped from their civil rights was by Texas’s Black Codes. The Texas’s Black codes: gave freedom to African Americans, it included the right to make contracts and wills, to sue and be sued, and to lease, own, and dispose of real and personal property ("Texas Black Codes"). However, these laws also held a lot of restrictions for African Americans. It included both political and civil rights. Under the Texas’s Black Codes they were not allowed to vote, hold office, or participate in juries. They could not marry whites and segregation played a huge role. Railroads were required to have separate cars just for blacks. But it did not go as far as that; the state prohibited providing public land for blacks and prohibited supporting schools for blacks. These black codes didn’t protect blacks in the labor force as well. If they were suspected of theft, disobedience, absence, or destruction of property, the employers were given the right to deduct their wages. ("Texas Black Codes"). Not only did they pass laws that restricted African Americans from their rights, but some Southerners in Texas participated in violent acts. They intimidated former slaves by burning crops, stealing horses, assaulting and some even murdered blacks. Also, whites still managed to have complete control over political parties as the offices remained mostly all in white’s hands. (Foner 601,604-605,617,) Since it had been widely known about blacks being assaulted and murdered, secret societies began to spring up. The most notaries one was the Ku Klux Klan, this group consisted of planters, merchants, Democratic politicians and men who liked to see themselves as “respectable citizens”. They committed some of the brutal crimes to individuals and, in a lot of cases, mass terrorism. (Foner 601,604-605,617,). These brutal acts consisted of 379 blacks murdered by whites between 1865 to 1868. These vigilante groups not only terrorized African Americans but terrorized white Republicans because of the support they had on African American rights. Blacks also had very little role in the political party ("Reconstruction in Texas"). Only 9 out of the 90 delegates in the constitutional convention were black. (“Reconstruction in Texas”). This was to make sure that blacks did not receive a lot of control and freedom in political parties. Even with all the amendments, this still limited their political freedom. The Black Codes created an uproar in the North because to them it was still a form of slavery. The Black Codes angered the Northerners so much that they began to undermine support for President Johnson’s policies. This caused a major shift from the Reconstruction to the radical wing. Eventually these actions lead to the Congressional Republicans seizing control of the Reconstruction from President Andrew Johnson, which later lead to his impeachment. (“Overview of Reconstruction).
Sources:
"Texas Black Codes." Digital History using new technologies to enhance teaching and research. N.p.. Web. 24 Sep 2013.
Foner, Eric. Give Me Liberty. 3rd ed. 2. New York: W.W.Norton & Company, 2011. 601,604-605,617,. Print.
“Reconstruction in Texas”. Digital History using new technologies to enhance teaching and research. N.p.. Web. 24 Sep 2013.
“Overview of Reconstruction”. Digital History using new technologies to enhance teaching and research. N.p.. Web. 24 Sep 2013.
Photo:
Dielman, F. Celebration of the Abolition of Slavery in the District of Columbia By the Colored People in Washington, April 19, 1866. 1866. Engraving. Library of CongressWeb. 3 Oct 2013.
Slavery had been abolished by the Reconstruction Era; however some Southerners coordinated ways to obstruct political and civil rights from African Americans. One of the ways that African Americans were stripped from their civil rights was by Texas’s Black Codes. The Texas’s Black codes: gave freedom to African Americans, it included the right to make contracts and wills, to sue and be sued, and to lease, own, and dispose of real and personal property ("Texas Black Codes"). However, these laws also held a lot of restrictions for African Americans. It included both political and civil rights. Under the Texas’s Black Codes they were not allowed to vote, hold office, or participate in juries. They could not marry whites and segregation played a huge role. Railroads were required to have separate cars just for blacks. But it did not go as far as that; the state prohibited providing public land for blacks and prohibited supporting schools for blacks. These black codes didn’t protect blacks in the labor force as well. If they were suspected of theft, disobedience, absence, or destruction of property, the employers were given the right to deduct their wages. ("Texas Black Codes"). Not only did they pass laws that restricted African Americans from their rights, but some Southerners in Texas participated in violent acts. They intimidated former slaves by burning crops, stealing horses, assaulting and some even murdered blacks. Also, whites still managed to have complete control over political parties as the offices remained mostly all in white’s hands. (Foner 601,604-605,617,) Since it had been widely known about blacks being assaulted and murdered, secret societies began to spring up. The most notaries one was the Ku Klux Klan, this group consisted of planters, merchants, Democratic politicians and men who liked to see themselves as “respectable citizens”. They committed some of the brutal crimes to individuals and, in a lot of cases, mass terrorism. (Foner 601,604-605,617,). These brutal acts consisted of 379 blacks murdered by whites between 1865 to 1868. These vigilante groups not only terrorized African Americans but terrorized white Republicans because of the support they had on African American rights. Blacks also had very little role in the political party ("Reconstruction in Texas"). Only 9 out of the 90 delegates in the constitutional convention were black. (“Reconstruction in Texas”). This was to make sure that blacks did not receive a lot of control and freedom in political parties. Even with all the amendments, this still limited their political freedom. The Black Codes created an uproar in the North because to them it was still a form of slavery. The Black Codes angered the Northerners so much that they began to undermine support for President Johnson’s policies. This caused a major shift from the Reconstruction to the radical wing. Eventually these actions lead to the Congressional Republicans seizing control of the Reconstruction from President Andrew Johnson, which later lead to his impeachment. (“Overview of Reconstruction).
Sources:
"Texas Black Codes." Digital History using new technologies to enhance teaching and research. N.p.. Web. 24 Sep 2013.
Foner, Eric. Give Me Liberty. 3rd ed. 2. New York: W.W.Norton & Company, 2011. 601,604-605,617,. Print.
“Reconstruction in Texas”. Digital History using new technologies to enhance teaching and research. N.p.. Web. 24 Sep 2013.
“Overview of Reconstruction”. Digital History using new technologies to enhance teaching and research. N.p.. Web. 24 Sep 2013.
Photo:
Dielman, F. Celebration of the Abolition of Slavery in the District of Columbia By the Colored People in Washington, April 19, 1866. 1866. Engraving. Library of CongressWeb. 3 Oct 2013.
Ku Klux Klan
During the Reconstruction Era, African-Americans were oppressed in their advancement to reach social equality, mainly from Southerners’ who still believed “The South will rise again”. Towards the end of the Civil War, President Lincoln (Republican) signed the Emancipation Proclamation which freed the slaves. The Ku Klux Klan (KKK) was formed in Puskali, Tenessee, in 1866 in order to “… weaken the political power of Southern black and Republicans” (“Rise of the Ku Klux Klan” 1). The Klan focused on weakening the rights that were given to the African Americans after the war had ended. Due to their persistent terror acts in the South, blacks were not able to get their social advancements as fast as they hoped. One of the main terror weapons that the Ku Klux Klan used was lynching. The process of lynching consisted of a brutal beating at first, then the victim would have a noose tied around their neck and then proceeded to be hung from a tree limb. In some cases the victim would be either beaten while hung or even set on fire, and burned/chocked to death. Eric Foner gives a shocking statistic of how many lives were lost to lynch mobs, “In every year between 1883 and 1905, more than fifty persons, the vast majority of them black men, were lynched in the South…” (647-648). Southerners said that the lynchings were all legal and they acted that way because the blacks were giving them no choice but to take action. The Klan and other white southern males used the court system to their advantage. They knew they could get away with killing a black man and say that it was self defense, or that they saw the black commit a crime towards a white person. An example of this comes from the murder of Sam Hose, “… a plantation laborer who killed his employer in self-defense… A crowd including young children watched as his executioners cut off Hose’s ears, fingers, and genitals, burned him alive…” (Foner 648). Even though Hose acted in self-defense, no one believed him. Despite their actions against Hose, Southerners accused of a raping a white woman (Foner 648). After a while though the Klan’s brutality and tunnel vision mind-set that the black must be beaten and killed actually helped many social rights for the blacks to be brought up and helped moved along bringing equality a little faster. Of course the Southern officials didn’t care about what was going on, but the push came from up North, (… Klan’s violent actions proved too many Northerners that the South had not learned its lesson in the recent war… People realized the harsher laws would have to be passed in order to stop the violence and protect Southern blacks…” (“Rise of the Ku Klux Klan” 1).
Sources:
Foner, Eric. Give Me Liberty. 3rd ed. 2. New York: W.W.Norton & Company, 2011. 647, 648. Print.
“Rise of the Ku Klux Klan.” American Experience PBS. Web. 19 May 2009.
Photo:
Ku Klux Klan Rally in Webster County. n.p.: 1880.
Main Photo:
Nast, Thomas, and . Andrew Johnson's Reconstruction And How It Works. 1866. Political Cartoon. Library of CongressPrint.
During the Reconstruction Era, African-Americans were oppressed in their advancement to reach social equality, mainly from Southerners’ who still believed “The South will rise again”. Towards the end of the Civil War, President Lincoln (Republican) signed the Emancipation Proclamation which freed the slaves. The Ku Klux Klan (KKK) was formed in Puskali, Tenessee, in 1866 in order to “… weaken the political power of Southern black and Republicans” (“Rise of the Ku Klux Klan” 1). The Klan focused on weakening the rights that were given to the African Americans after the war had ended. Due to their persistent terror acts in the South, blacks were not able to get their social advancements as fast as they hoped. One of the main terror weapons that the Ku Klux Klan used was lynching. The process of lynching consisted of a brutal beating at first, then the victim would have a noose tied around their neck and then proceeded to be hung from a tree limb. In some cases the victim would be either beaten while hung or even set on fire, and burned/chocked to death. Eric Foner gives a shocking statistic of how many lives were lost to lynch mobs, “In every year between 1883 and 1905, more than fifty persons, the vast majority of them black men, were lynched in the South…” (647-648). Southerners said that the lynchings were all legal and they acted that way because the blacks were giving them no choice but to take action. The Klan and other white southern males used the court system to their advantage. They knew they could get away with killing a black man and say that it was self defense, or that they saw the black commit a crime towards a white person. An example of this comes from the murder of Sam Hose, “… a plantation laborer who killed his employer in self-defense… A crowd including young children watched as his executioners cut off Hose’s ears, fingers, and genitals, burned him alive…” (Foner 648). Even though Hose acted in self-defense, no one believed him. Despite their actions against Hose, Southerners accused of a raping a white woman (Foner 648). After a while though the Klan’s brutality and tunnel vision mind-set that the black must be beaten and killed actually helped many social rights for the blacks to be brought up and helped moved along bringing equality a little faster. Of course the Southern officials didn’t care about what was going on, but the push came from up North, (… Klan’s violent actions proved too many Northerners that the South had not learned its lesson in the recent war… People realized the harsher laws would have to be passed in order to stop the violence and protect Southern blacks…” (“Rise of the Ku Klux Klan” 1).
Sources:
Foner, Eric. Give Me Liberty. 3rd ed. 2. New York: W.W.Norton & Company, 2011. 647, 648. Print.
“Rise of the Ku Klux Klan.” American Experience PBS. Web. 19 May 2009.
Photo:
Ku Klux Klan Rally in Webster County. n.p.: 1880.
Main Photo:
Nast, Thomas, and . Andrew Johnson's Reconstruction And How It Works. 1866. Political Cartoon. Library of CongressPrint.