African American Civil Rights
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- Category: History: American
- Date Submitted: 11/23/2014 08:23 AM
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Civil rights for African Americans changed greatly in the period 1965-1977. How far do you agree?
Civil rights are the rights to all citizens to political and social freedom and equality. During the years between 1865 and 1877, these rights for African American’s in the USA changed in many ways, but also in some ways stayed the same.
The situation for African American’s in the USA pre 1865 was that most of the African American’s in the USA at this time lived in the south being 20% of the total population in these 13 states due to the slave trade across the Atlantic ocean. Although there were fewer African American’s living in the North, the majority of them appeared to live freely here.
Civil rights for African American’s saw a change with the beginning of reconstruction to rebuild the south and reform society. The 13th Amendment was passed by the senate and sent to the states to ratify in January 1865. This was followed by the Civil rights act of 1866 which is often argued as a landmark in the history of civil rights as the first attempt to define national citizenship in law. It made all those born in the USA, even African American’s official citizens guaranteeing equal rights which saw changes socially and legally, however, politically there was not much change as the right to vote was omitted. 1866 also saw social change for African Americans with the Homestead Act where federal land was given to settlers regardless of ‘race or colour’. However, it still appeared that blacks were getting less with only 1.3% getting land in Georgia so discrimination seemed to persist.
The reconstruction act of 1967 helped civil rights for blacks as federal government increased control on southern states giving troops power to enforce regulations passed by Washington. This helped them get their civil rights such as voting without southern states discriminating and not allowing them, benefitting freedmen. In 1868 the 14th Amendment gave all freed former slaves US citizenship...
Civil rights are the rights to all citizens to political and social freedom and equality. During the years between 1865 and 1877, these rights for African American’s in the USA changed in many ways, but also in some ways stayed the same.
The situation for African American’s in the USA pre 1865 was that most of the African American’s in the USA at this time lived in the south being 20% of the total population in these 13 states due to the slave trade across the Atlantic ocean. Although there were fewer African American’s living in the North, the majority of them appeared to live freely here.
Civil rights for African American’s saw a change with the beginning of reconstruction to rebuild the south and reform society. The 13th Amendment was passed by the senate and sent to the states to ratify in January 1865. This was followed by the Civil rights act of 1866 which is often argued as a landmark in the history of civil rights as the first attempt to define national citizenship in law. It made all those born in the USA, even African American’s official citizens guaranteeing equal rights which saw changes socially and legally, however, politically there was not much change as the right to vote was omitted. 1866 also saw social change for African Americans with the Homestead Act where federal land was given to settlers regardless of ‘race or colour’. However, it still appeared that blacks were getting less with only 1.3% getting land in Georgia so discrimination seemed to persist.
The reconstruction act of 1967 helped civil rights for blacks as federal government increased control on southern states giving troops power to enforce regulations passed by Washington. This helped them get their civil rights such as voting without southern states discriminating and not allowing them, benefitting freedmen. In 1868 the 14th Amendment gave all freed former slaves US citizenship...