Jim Crow Law Abolishing Slavery

After a long time coming, African American slavery in the United States was officially abolished in 1865; the Blacks no longer had to live their lives trapped behind the Whites and their harsh laws. However, as one problem was solved, a new one arose. Even though the law abolishing slavery was successfully passed, the fundamentals of the Whites failed to change. Fundamental change is known as the change of peoples ideas, attitudes, and behaviors; it takes an extensive amount of time for it to occur. A majority of the Whites, for a long time, had the idea in their minds that the Blacks were people they were to look down upon, and that they were not considered equal to them, hence it was difficult to alter their minds. As a result, racism occurred …show more content…
For example, Jim Crow laws, which were state and local laws enforcing racial segregation in the Southern United States, were established between 1874 and 1975. "To try and maintain the status quo, the majority of states and local communities passed “Jim Crow” laws that mandated “separate but equal” status for African Americans." (Hansan). These laws made it seem as if whites and blacks were equal, but they were actually still separated; separate cannot mean equal in any way. They even authorized legal punishments for consorting with the opposite race. In theory, it was to create “separate but equal” treatment, but in reality, Jim Crow Laws condemned black citizens to inferior treatment and facilities. Education and public facilities were segregated under these laws; close relations of blacks and whites were prohibited. This affected peoples fundamentals by always considering the blacks to be at the bottom. They knew that the blacks had been living in worse conditions than they were, but they always knew that the blacks were below them, so not many questioned it. Another example of a law that was passed with loopholes was the 15th Amendment, which gave everyone the right to vote no matter what race or color they were. Even though the amendment was passed, many southern states found ways to rebel against it. They …show more content…
Organizations such as the KKK, and laws such as Jim Crow Laws and the 15th Amendment are just some out of many ways the change of fundamentals was shown throughout this era. In addition, the Civil Rights Movement was a moment in history that followed the end of slavery that triggered more fundamental change in America. Famous activists such as Martin Luther King, Jr. and Rosa Parks gave African Americans hope to gain their equality. In the end, the period of time following the end of slavery was a significant moment in U.S. History as it stimulated a significant change throughout American