The Free, Un-freed W.E.B Du Bois analyzes the social constructed, racial structure built against Blacks in the nineteenth century. Du Bois, depicts the struggles and disenfranchisement that the Black community continued to face after Emancipation. Du Bois mentions that “the freedman has not yet found in freedom his promised land” (7.) The economic system barred Blacks from completely inheriting the rights and protections that were promised after Emancipation. This paper will argue, the lack of prosperity in the labor system, which contributed to the notion of “unfreed, freed blacks”. Emancipation of slavery created an automatic disadvantage for Blacks. The new world Blacks were entering was one that was built on racial divisions and furthered
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The system functioned directly to restrict landownership by Blacks. With the lack of labor opportunities and indebtedness, Blacks were unable to simply afford the means to obtain land. Land distribution, after the Emancipation varied and not strongly enforced. It was identified through Du Bois, for example that “In 1870 the tax-books of Dougherty report no Negroes as landholders” (130.) Although Du Bois, argued that many factors contributed to low amounts of Black landholders up through the 1900, he depicted that Blacks were at such a disadvantage after emancipation that it was not possible for the ninety-six percent to remove themselves from the cycle of indebtedness. Of the remaining, six percent that could “succeed in emerging into peasant proprietorship” was such a small amount compared to the remaining amount (132.) Factors in the economy such as the struggle of social recognition had a great part in the economic system created against the Black communities’ …show more content…
The class division between the blacks was especially dramatic. Low percentage amounts made it out of the systematic oppression and out of fifteen hundred Blacks, only one family lived in a house consisting of seven rooms (114.) The rest lived in cramped small poor homes. The standard of living was low as the labor could not provide better alternatives for these families. Ownership was challenged across the board for Blacks. For example, furniture was scarce in homes because although it was banned to be seized, it was continuously removed from homes (110.) This depicts not only the lack of enforcement in the law but also diminished the motive for Blacks to own something of their own when it was constantly taken away. Du Bois mentions that the freedom that came after Emancipation was not all it was set out to be. Although the freed slaves were fighting the constant social barriers which were reflected in the economic system. The Freedman’s Bureau played a crucial role in helping the black community after the Emancipation. The motivated and willing freedman, relied on the Bureau which sometimes did not fulfill expectations because of political, legal and social
The system functioned directly to restrict landownership by Blacks. With the lack of labor opportunities and indebtedness, Blacks were unable to simply afford the means to obtain land. Land distribution, after the Emancipation varied and not strongly enforced. It was identified through Du Bois, for example that “In 1870 the tax-books of Dougherty report no Negroes as landholders” (130.) Although Du Bois, argued that many factors contributed to low amounts of Black landholders up through the 1900, he depicted that Blacks were at such a disadvantage after emancipation that it was not possible for the ninety-six percent to remove themselves from the cycle of indebtedness. Of the remaining, six percent that could “succeed in emerging into peasant proprietorship” was such a small amount compared to the remaining amount (132.) Factors in the economy such as the struggle of social recognition had a great part in the economic system created against the Black communities’ …show more content…
The class division between the blacks was especially dramatic. Low percentage amounts made it out of the systematic oppression and out of fifteen hundred Blacks, only one family lived in a house consisting of seven rooms (114.) The rest lived in cramped small poor homes. The standard of living was low as the labor could not provide better alternatives for these families. Ownership was challenged across the board for Blacks. For example, furniture was scarce in homes because although it was banned to be seized, it was continuously removed from homes (110.) This depicts not only the lack of enforcement in the law but also diminished the motive for Blacks to own something of their own when it was constantly taken away. Du Bois mentions that the freedom that came after Emancipation was not all it was set out to be. Although the freed slaves were fighting the constant social barriers which were reflected in the economic system. The Freedman’s Bureau played a crucial role in helping the black community after the Emancipation. The motivated and willing freedman, relied on the Bureau which sometimes did not fulfill expectations because of political, legal and social