African Americans In The 1800s

Immutable America
The pre-Civil War era was a time where the access to slaves served a large part in the success of many businesses, especially that of plantation owners. Although companies thrived through the use of slavery, racist white southerners used this slavery as a way to reaffirm their superiority. The brutal beatings and extreme conditions that African Americans received was a common occurrence during the early to mid 1800’s. It was clear that slavery was considered normal by many people. After the Civil War, it became extremely difficult for slave owners to adjust to the new laws.
It is completely gut wrenching to hear and read about the horrible abuse of African Americans. However, during these times many racist southerners were raised only knowing that way of life. To change their everyday lives so quickly and assume that they would just accustom to it so easily was a foolish mistake. In the five major cotton states in the south, nearly half of all investments were in slaves. Slaves were essentially machines in the eyes of slave holders. The elite slave holders took a huge hit economically when the
I despised how unfair it was for southerners to make slaves out of African Americans through peonage. It is so depressing how long it took after the Civil War for slaves to actually receive the treatment they rightfully deserved. The ways that southerners made sure there was a way to make slaves out of African Americans was completely horrifying. African Americans should have been treated as citizens just like everyone else, but instead were punished for their race. Many African Americans lost their lives due to such harsh conditions from abusive slave owners. I feel that during the mid to late 1800’s the government was a lot less strict when it came to enforcing the new amendments. In my opinion many racist southerners got away with much more than they should