Counting Crows

The color line remains real. During the most horrific time in American history, slavery, a holocaust far worse than any other, happened here on American soil, and the remnants lay buried in each of us. Time may have blurred and smudged the line a bit, and we may feel that we have progressed very far as a country, but the color line still exists. While some conservatives blame African Americans for their slow progress in assimilation, African American authors portray a different story.…

The passage of the 15th Amendment attempted to exerted democracy to African Americans, yet Jim Crow laws and voter intimidation would effectively deny African Americans votes. The Civil Rights movements of the 1960s would further increase the ability of African American to vote, but the War on Drugs and our criminal justice system is finding unique…

of years. Before looking at the 20th century it would be helpful to take a further look back to our early colonial days when slavery began. Author and civil rights lawyer Michelle Alexander touches upon how slavery started in her book, “The New Jim Crow.” She explains that due to an increase in plantation farming and owners unwilling to work themselves, they searched for free labor (Alexander, 23). What better idea then to enslave a bunch of people who were completely isolated from the European…

Throughout history, African Americans have been the victims of countless hate crimes; starting from when they were captured from Africa and sold into slavery, to the twenty-first century. After they were emancipated from slavery, African Americans faced racial discrimination that led to many brutal deaths. In the image above, an African American man named Frank McManus is being lynched in front of a mob. McManus was accused of raping a four-year-old girl and was arrested and placed in holding.…

The Southerners created these codes or also called laws during 1865-1966. These codes could also be called the Jim Crow Laws. The first law that was composed was taken into action on November 22,1865. This law was to have civil officers hire orphaned African Americans and not let them leave. Next, the Mississippi legislature passed a vagrancy law which defined them…

The best part of living in the United States of America is the many different ethnic groups that call it home. It gives this country a unique blend of people whose ancestors originated from all over the world and of people that have recently migrated to it shores an opportunity to add a little of their culture to the mix. Of the different ethnic groups that are present in the U.S., I choose to focus on two groups that I feel have made significant contributions, along with so many others, to the…

The civil right movement got rid of the Jim Crow laws that forced colored people into drinking from separate fountains, separate seats in theaters, and separate public toilets. For instance, in the article “Freedom Bound” the author, Rougeau, Vincent D, talks about how after the civil rights movement…

The word “freedom” has been a word that has always defined the United States. The United States was founded on the principal of freedom and is known as the land of free, however not everyone has been able to enjoy the same freedoms as others throughout the years. Minorities and women have had a constant struggle of gaining the same freedoms as white males have had. It is very interesting to see how has the meaning of freedom changed for minorities and women from the reconstruction period to the…

Poverty comes with many characteristics, misconceptions, and struggles. People of poverty lack many resources, and the environments of poverty are normally poor for child development. Children are influenced by their environments, social interactions, and individual characteristics. Schools could improve child development, but even the schools are impacted by poverty. The neighborhood environments often require children to mature too quickly, and home environments are closed off. Mothers try to…

The Horrors of the Ku Klux Klan during the Reconstruction Era During the Reconstruction era, politics was a catalyst for widespread racism and hatred that former slaves experienced throughout the South. The Ku Klux Klan (KKK), founded by a Confederate general in 1866, became known as the “invisible empire of the South” in which members represented the ghosts of the Confederate dead returning to terrorize, suppress, and victimize African Americans and Radical Republicans (white reformers) (Gale…