Civil War Essay Research Paper The Blacks

Civil War Essay, Research Paper

The Blacks Struggle following the Civil War

After the Civil War and the Emancipation Proclamation by Lincoln, the slaves of America were free. This was a huge step in making our country truly free to all people. The construction of the South did not however work out smoothly for the freed slaves. There were many roadblocks along the way such as the Black Codes, the Plessy vs. Ferguson case, and the terror of the Ku Klux Klan. In this essay, we will look at the struggles that faced the blacks following the Civil War.

After President Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863, former slaves took on a new role in American society. This role was one of more significance and self worth than in slavery, but this class of freedmen was anything but appreciated. Without the manpower of the slaves, the south’s agricultural society would fail, and without the agriculture there would be little money or food in the south. The passing of the Louisiana Black Code in 1865, confirmed that whites felt as if blacks could not handle the responsibility or the rights of true citizens. Whites thought they did not deserve these rights because they were inferior to themselves and simply less than human. It was almost as if slavery had never ended. The blacks were free, however many of the Negroes everyday rights were abolished. Section 3, of the Louisiana Black Code states No Negro shall be permitted to rent or keep a house within said parish. Section 9 declares, No Negro shall sell, barter, or exchange any articles of merchandise or traffic within said parish. And one of the worst of these codes is in Section 4 of the Louisiana Black Code. Every Negro is required to be in the regular service of some white person, or former owner, who shall be held responsible for the conductor of said Negro. (Weinstein 167)

Many blacks remained on farms and plantations because they did not know what else they could do after emancipation. However, many were being forced into staying because few knew anything other than farming. Some slaves however would do anything just to leave the farm. Even kind masters lost many slaves due to the want and need of freedom. A former slave once stated, Freedom meant us could leave where us d been born and bred, but it meant, too, dat us had to scratch for our own selves.

Outsiders made independence nearly impossible though. The sharecropping system, in which most had worked before, was still the only employment available and certainly the only work blacks knew as familiar. Rural merchants tried to give blacks a chance for employment, but often forced them into a position where they would sharecrop.