African American Freedom Analysis

African American “Freedom”
" I think it is better to see integration as the inclusion of all citizens into the same sphere of rights, the same range of opportunities and possibilities that our Founding Fathers themselves enjoyed. Integration is not social engineering or group entitlements: it is a fundamental absence of arbitrary barriers to freedom” (Cozic 206-207). Cozic states this in his book, Civil Liberties: Opposing Viewpoints, this quote means that rights should be given to anyone because just like our Founding Fathers had their rights and no opposition was created within their lives, we should have those same rights. No matter what a person’s race is, there should be equality within the rights of gaining freedom, citizenship, and
voting. The XIII, XIV and XV Amendments may have freed the slaves, gave them citizenship, and the right to vote by law, however, in reality, African Americans were not fully guaranteed these rights.
There was many oppositions within the thought of the cause of the Civil War. "Although the destruction of the oppressors God may not effect by the oppressed, yet the Lord our God will surely bring other destructions upon them- for not infrequently will he cause them to rise up against one another, to be split and divided, and to oppress each other, and sometimes to open hostilities with a sword in hand" (Harding 219). The Civil War could be considered as God’s punishment by some people (Harding 221), the Civil War was a war never to be forgotten mainly because of it was an American v. American war. The southern states had the mindset that slavery was a necessity, however, the northern states had the opposite mindset of slavery. The southern states were considered slaves states, confederates who broke away from the union. Northern states were known as the free states, there was still slaves however in the northern part of the United States. During the Civil War, Abraham Lincoln was president and he wanted to totally wipe out the word and actions of slavery. To do this though he had to wait for the correct timing, so that the people would stay united and not create a huge uproar ("10 Facts about the Emancipation Proclamation."). Abraham Lincoln had many doubts with passing the XIII amendment. Lincoln was still convinced the blacks and whites could not live peaceably as equal citizens of the United States (Harding 223). The Battle of Antietam was the turning point for the Civil War and the Confederates knew that the Union would win the Civil War, Lincoln used this victory to spread the news about the Emancipation Proclamation. This was an executive order that freed the slaves in the southern states in rebellion, this was the first step in making the XIII Amendment official. Finally in 1865 the XIII Amendment was passed by Congress, stating that all slaves were free in America. Then came along the XIV Amendment that was passed in 1868. This amendment granted African Americans citizenship within America. After the XIV amendment was passed, the XV amendment was sure to be passed and so it was in 1870. Harding stated in his book, There is a river, " For this war can only end in the subjugation of the North or the South Anglo-Africans. Circumstances have been so arranged by the decrees of Providence, that in struggling for their own nationality they are to defend our rights.” This quote is explaining that the Civil War was only going to end when the Providence declares it to be done, Many thought that there would not be an end to the War however there was and by Lincoln’s plan the XIII, XIV, and XV Amendment are existing today. Furthermore there is not an end to the fight for African Americans’ rights even though in our constitution there is a printed document saying that African Americans have the rights just like native-born Americans do.

The reality of the passing of the XIII, XIV, and XV Amendments in a political sense meant that there was still hardships for them to be accepted and taken seriously.
African Americans now that they have gained citizenship in the United States, count as one whole person in the House of Representatives (History.com Staff). They use to be only counted at three fifths of a person, which still gave the southern states an advantage but now because of them becoming a full person there is now a greater advantage to the south in the House of Representatives, even though they would end up voting for whatever party Lincoln was in because Lincoln set them free, so they will vote for that elective for that party. The southerners had a greater impact in the House of Representatives but, the Southerners had a huge issue with African Americans receiving this right to participate in American politics. Once African Americans were free they migrated north because they felt more secure ("Freedom & Emancipation"). The northern radical whig republican party was formed and increasing in numbers because of the restrictions the southerns were putting on the African Americans(History.com Staff). The southerners thought they were being smart by creating restrictions on African Americans by making voting almost nearly impossible for them. The literacy tests were created and intended to destroy the XV amendment. These tests were administered to African Americans and poor whites, if the scores were not
high enough then they were not able to vote ("Literacy Clause"). This put a huge restriction on people whole could not pass because most poor whites and African Americans could not afford schooling, so they could not read or write. However, if the poor whites or African Americans could pass the test the they could vote. There was a different route that people could take if they knew they wouldn’t pass the test or even for people who took the test and failed, the grandfather clause. This was a restriction that stated if your ancestors could vote then you can vote also. African Americans were thought of gaining their freedom however, there is a hard reality that says otherwise. Politically there is a difference in what the amendments say in comparison to how the African Americans were actually experiencing in politics.
African Americans were not accepted by many whites and this gave many African Americans more of a social barrier between the two races.
Technology that the whites had, African Americans also tried to use. Many whites culture and way of life was tried to be done in African Americans so they could conform to be the “normal” American that the whites were (Harding,219). Many laws were created to have that barrier and make sure the whites’ especially those in the southern part of America would and stay. One of these laws is the Apprenticeship Law, which stated that whites could take African American children into labor for them ("Freedom & Emancipation." ). This meant that the African Americans would still be in some form of slavery. Organizations of people would also get together and do acts of destruction to the African Americans in more than one way. The Ku Klux Klan, or other wise known as The KKK, was an organization that was created in 1866 with one purpose, to remind everyone who is the superiority, whites. The KKK hurt many people not just African Americans but also whites, even though they were trying to show people that the whites were and they wanted to forever be above everyone else ("Ku Klux Klan."). Most of the KKK and other organizations, plans and disturbances were done in the south, because the northerns were accepting of the new amendments that were passed. Attacks were done in the minority of African Americans and there was similar organizations that did the
same as the KKK ("Ku Klux Klan."). There were African American legislators that soon became victims of segregation and were endangered because of their job and their race was black ("Ku Klux Klan."). African Americans were killed, tormented, and lived with fear right along the side of them. The African Americans did nothing wrong to deserve this punishment. The XII, XIV, and XV Amendments were passed to better the United States, or Congress would not have past the amendments. President Johnson who became president after Lincoln, could have attempted to reform the XII, XIV, and XV amendments but they didn't and those amendments stand till this day.
The XII, XIV, and XV amendments influence a change in the economy of the United States. African Americans were known as slaves before the passing of these three amendments, XII, XIV, and XV. Slaves were sold to wealthy, southern whites that needed extra labor help. Some slaves were treated with cruelty and others have it nice, it just depended on their master. Many slaves were split apart from loved ones and had to work for someone they didn't even know, with no pay. Southerners relied extremely on their slaves, there was laws to make sure runaway slaves were brought back to their master. Laws that restrained them from freedom. Many were captured behind their backs and not willing to be sold as a piece of property to strangers. When the XII, XIV, and XV Amendments were passed this put a real damper on the the economy for the south. They were so dependent on the slaves that when they became free, the had nothing to fall back on. The thought of the slaves having freedom, bother the south by a lot so, they decided to make laws up to reduce the slaves freedom by finding as many peak holes within the Amendments. One of these loop-holes was, Black Codes, restrictive laws put up against the African Americans, each southern state had their own versions of these codes (History.com Staff). The Black Codes gave them the rights to marry, buy an own property, participate in court (had to be African American v. African American) (History.com Staff). However within the Black Codes, sharecropping was one of the ways Southern Whites restricted labor an activity within African Americans (History.com Staff).