Expansion of Equality in America Ever since America was born, the white male has always prominently been the primary holder of power. Just one hundred years ago, America was in an extreme state of inequality. Women had no legal right to vote until the 19th amendment was passed in 1920, and Native Americans weren’t even considered citizens until 1924. African Americans were given the right to vote in 1870 when the 15th amendment was passed, granting citizens the right to vote regardless of race, yet laws were still placed to prevent African Americans from voting using literacy tests and voting taxes. In present day 2016, we all look back at those years in America in disbelief, wondering why we were such a divided country. Since the Civil
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Let’s go all the way back to America in the year 1865, right after the conclusion of the American Civil War. America was a divided country, with people only associating themselves with people who are like them. The Civil War was the first big step of many to start the revolution of equality in America. The Civil War changed many factors that played a big part in America’s government, but one of the biggest changes were the annexation of the 13th, 14th, and 15th amendment. The 13th amendment banned slavery in America, the 14th granted citizenship for all who were born in America, and the 15th, which prevented citizens from ineligibility to vote due to race. These amendments were set in place to ensure freedom and equality for all liberated slaves. However, state laws could still enforce racial inequality with Jim Crow laws. The Jim Crow laws enforced the idea of “separate but equal”. At first glance, separate but equal does not sound all that bad, but blacks were still not treated the same as a white male. It …show more content…
The racist government officials who still had state power over the southern states after the Civil War, did not want to allow blacks to live normal lives as whites did, and did so by enforcing these laws. The Northern states, however, went as far as to ban Jim Crow laws in states such as Indiana, Illinois, Ohio, and Pennsylvania. Blacks were freed from slavery, given citizenship, and the right to vote. Something was missing, however. They were given these legal rights that allowed them to be free, yet the whites always seemed to have the better privileges. Even small things, better bathrooms, water fountains, waiting rooms, even theaters. Sure blacks were free, but how were they supposed to live normal lives under these conditions? These laws made it extremely difficult, almost impossible, for a black man to achieve government power. Jim Crow laws were in place all the way up until the 1950’s, when the civil rights movement took place in America, which brought a new wave of racial equality. The civil rights movement was lead by some of the most famous people in American history such as Malcolm X, Martin Luther King Jr., and Rosa Parks. The civil rights movement started in 1954 and lasted
Let’s go all the way back to America in the year 1865, right after the conclusion of the American Civil War. America was a divided country, with people only associating themselves with people who are like them. The Civil War was the first big step of many to start the revolution of equality in America. The Civil War changed many factors that played a big part in America’s government, but one of the biggest changes were the annexation of the 13th, 14th, and 15th amendment. The 13th amendment banned slavery in America, the 14th granted citizenship for all who were born in America, and the 15th, which prevented citizens from ineligibility to vote due to race. These amendments were set in place to ensure freedom and equality for all liberated slaves. However, state laws could still enforce racial inequality with Jim Crow laws. The Jim Crow laws enforced the idea of “separate but equal”. At first glance, separate but equal does not sound all that bad, but blacks were still not treated the same as a white male. It …show more content…
The racist government officials who still had state power over the southern states after the Civil War, did not want to allow blacks to live normal lives as whites did, and did so by enforcing these laws. The Northern states, however, went as far as to ban Jim Crow laws in states such as Indiana, Illinois, Ohio, and Pennsylvania. Blacks were freed from slavery, given citizenship, and the right to vote. Something was missing, however. They were given these legal rights that allowed them to be free, yet the whites always seemed to have the better privileges. Even small things, better bathrooms, water fountains, waiting rooms, even theaters. Sure blacks were free, but how were they supposed to live normal lives under these conditions? These laws made it extremely difficult, almost impossible, for a black man to achieve government power. Jim Crow laws were in place all the way up until the 1950’s, when the civil rights movement took place in America, which brought a new wave of racial equality. The civil rights movement was lead by some of the most famous people in American history such as Malcolm X, Martin Luther King Jr., and Rosa Parks. The civil rights movement started in 1954 and lasted