Treatment of African Americans: 1865-1895

During the span of thirty years from 1865 to 1895 blacks that lived within this time frame went through arguably the most profound series of events to occur in African American history. Southern blacks were faced with prejudice, bondage, slavery, and ultimately survival. Shortly after the thirteenth amendment was ratified, stating that: “Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction.”

The southern governments enacted a series of Black Codes that were purposefully meant to keep blacks “as near to a state of bondage as possible.” Blacks could not bear arms, be employed in occupations other than farming and domestic service, or leave their jobs without forfeiting back pay. The Mississippi code required them to sign labor contracts for the year in January and, in addition, drunkards, vagrants, beggars, “common nightwalkers,” and even “mischief makers” and persons who “misspend what they earn” and who could not pay the stiff fines assessed for such misbehavior were to be “hired out…at public outcry” to the white persons who would take them for the shortest period in return for paying the fines. Such laws, apparently designed to get around the Thirteenth Amendment, outraged Northerners.”

Politically and socially blacks were outcasts in the southern states and the southern government officials tried every loophole they could possibly find to oppress them. The Thirteenth Amendment was simply a thorn in the side of southerners until

“Congress sought to add to its authority in order to protect the black population…Congress then passed a Civil Rights Act that, besides declaring specifically that blacks were citizens of the United States, denied the states the power to restrict their rights to testify in court, to make contracts for their labor, and to hold property. In other words, it put teeth in the Thirteenth Amendment.”

By Congress passing the Civil Rights Act by a two-thirds majority over President Johnson’s veto, it was the first time in American history that legislation became law over the president. This was a victory politically and socially for the blacks in America. Even though whites in the north were sympathetic towards abolishing slavery, they still did not want blacks to take part in the northern schools or neighborhoods. Also the idea of blacks being able to vote was still far and few between. During the next year in June 1866 Congress submitted yet another amendment to the constitution.

The Fourteenth Amendment granted citizenship to “All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside.” This solidified the black’s right to citizenship on a political scale, yet they still did not have the right to vote. The Amendment did not reduce segregation or stop most southern states from continuing to persecute the black population but it did give passageway for the Reconstruction Acts to take place. These acts forced the southern states to be split into military districts until they complied with Congress.

African Americans that were living during this time were in the middle an immense struggle of power between the north and the south. The south wouldn’t budge while the north had visions for an entirely new and radical America. The only thing standing in the way of Congress was President Johnson. After a failure to impeach Johnson, Grant and Seymour ran for president while “Grant’s margin in the popular vote was supplied by southern blacks enfranchised under the Reconstruction acts, about 450,000 of whom supported him. On the other hand, Grand had carried Indiana by fewer than 10,000 votes and lost New York by a similar number. If blacks in these and other closely divided states had voted, Republican strength would have been greatly enhanced.”

The power of the black vote was fully recognized and Congress decided to utilize this vote. On February 1869 the Fifteenth Amendment was sent to the states for ratification. “It forbade all the states to deny the vote to anyone “on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude.” This was the final blow to the southern states, which quickly ratified the amendment. By March 1870 the Fifteenth Amendment became apart of the Constitution. Now taking into consideration the hell that southern blacks were enduring, this short period of time consisted of three Amendments being passed that shed a light on the black population that most blacks at the time had given up on. Congress gave the opportunity for blacks to step out of slavery, accept citizenship, and take the power to vote and change