History
Americans, starting in elementary school, are taught about the history of African-Americans and slavery in the United States. We are taught about how European traders traded black Africans as commodities, and about the slave trade routes. We are taught that slaves lived on plantations, were forced into hard labor, that many had the grueling job of picking cotton. We learn that slaves were beaten, whipped, mutilated, branded, tortured, raped and even murdered just because of the color of their skin. We’re taught that the Civil War was fought over the right to establish states’ rights that, in large part, revolved around the issue of slavery. We know that in 1865, the 13th amendment abolished slavery. We are then given the CliffsNotes version of life in the Jim Crow South, and the Civil Rights movement. Some would say we are taught quite a bit about the history of African-Americans in the United States, but we are not taught enough. We are not taught nearly enough about the dehumanizing beliefs and stereotypes regarding black people nor about how those beliefs and stereotypes have been perpetuated throughout history. We are also not taught about how those ideas contributed to the establishment of institutional racism in the 20th century or about how they continue to reinforce bias, discrimination, and oppression of African-Americans in the 21st century.
Americans, starting in elementary school, are taught about the history of African-Americans and slavery in the United States. We are taught about how European traders traded black Africans as commodities, and about the slave trade routes. We are taught that slaves lived on plantations, were forced into hard labor, that many had the grueling job of picking cotton. We learn that slaves were beaten, whipped, mutilated, branded, tortured, raped and even murdered just because of the color of their skin. We’re taught that the Civil War was fought over the right to establish states’ rights that, in large part, revolved around the issue of slavery. We know that in 1865, the 13th amendment abolished slavery. We are then given the CliffsNotes version of life in the Jim Crow South, and the Civil Rights movement. Some would say we are taught quite a bit about the history of African-Americans in the United States, but we are not taught enough. We are not taught nearly enough about the dehumanizing beliefs and stereotypes regarding black people nor about how those beliefs and stereotypes have been perpetuated throughout history. We are also not taught about how those ideas contributed to the establishment of institutional racism in the 20th century or about how they continue to reinforce bias, discrimination, and oppression of African-Americans in the 21st century.
The First African Slaves
“In 1619, the Dutch introduced the first captured Africans to America, planting the seeds of a slavery system that evolved into a nightmare of abuse and cruelty that would ultimately divide the nation” (History, 2009). The Africans were traded for goods and services and were expected to work as indentured servants for seven years. They were not given citizenship, had no rights and by the 1641 slavery had become legal, making it possible for slaves to be owned for life. In 1660, the Royal African Company was established in England and for the next 147 years Africans were transported from Africa to the Americas to be sold into slavery. In 1807, England outlawed the slave trade and from that point forward, the slave trade remained internal within the United States with an estimated four million slaves being transported throughout the colonies by 1860. Traders viewed slaves as being a self-reproducing labor force, and they used derogatory terms to define their slaves. The terms “bucks” and “breeding wenches” were used to describe men and women of reproductive age. “Prime hands” was the term used to describe those who were considered to be useful for work in the fields. Light-skinned women were known as “fancy girls” and were sold to be used as prostitutes and/or mistresses for their owners (History, 2009).
“In 1619, the Dutch introduced the first captured Africans to America, planting the seeds of a slavery system that evolved into a nightmare of abuse and cruelty that would ultimately divide the nation” (History, 2009). The Africans were traded for goods and services and were expected to work as indentured servants for seven years. They were not given citizenship, had no rights and by the 1641 slavery had become legal, making it possible for slaves to be owned for life. In 1660, the Royal African Company was established in England and for the next 147 years Africans were transported from Africa to the Americas to be sold into slavery. In 1807, England outlawed the slave trade and from that point forward, the slave trade remained internal within the United States with an estimated four million slaves being transported throughout the colonies by 1860. Traders viewed slaves as being a self-reproducing labor force, and they used derogatory terms to define their slaves. The terms “bucks” and “breeding wenches” were used to describe men and women of reproductive age. “Prime hands” was the term used to describe those who were considered to be useful for work in the fields. Light-skinned women were known as “fancy girls” and were sold to be used as prostitutes and/or mistresses for their owners (History, 2009).
Abolishment of Slavery
The movement to put an end to slavery in America, also known as abolitionism, began in the late 18th century. “The Maryland Society for Promoting the Abolition of Slavery and the Relief of Free Negroes and Others Unlawfully Held in Bondage” was founded in 1789 (World History, n.d.). It would take nearly 100 more years for slavery to be abolished. Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863, which was intended to bring an end to slavery; it did not. Slavery was not abolished until the 13th Amendment to the Constitution of the United States of America was ratified in December 1865. The amendment declared that, “Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction. Congress shall have the power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.” (U.S. Const. amend. XIII). Finally! All black men and women can now rest assured that “they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness,” right (U.S. Declaration of Independence, 1776).
Get Over It!
It’s true that the 13th Amendment abolished slavery in 1865, but that doesn’t mean life was any easier for former slaves. Unfortunately, for the newly freed slaves, “In 1865–1866, southern states and localities enacted Black Codes to regulate the status and conduct of the newly freed slaves. The codes deprived blacks of many basic rights accorded to whites, including full rights to own property, to testify in court in cases in which whites were parties, to make contracts, to travel, to preach, to assemble, to speak, and to bear arms” (Politisite, 2010). Yes, slavery was abolished in 1865, but to claim that slaves were “free” would not be accurate. One-hundred-fifty years later, we are still dealing with issues stemming from racism and inequality with regards to African-Americans, but why?
There are many reasons, but much of the credit is owed to the stereotypes and beliefs that were formed about blacks starting 325 years ago when the first Africans were traded for goods and services. The second section of the 13th amendment deserves a little credit, too. It states that Congress has the power to enforce the amendment, but ability, in this case, does not equate action. What is lacking in the teaching of African-American history is an emphasis on the fact that The Constitution made slavery illegal, but it was up to the individual states to make sure the Constitution was being upheld, which they were not. When a person’s constitutional rights are not being violated, they have the right to file a civil suit. How is that possible if, as a black person, you cannot testify in court cases against whites, and if you cannot speak or assemble? For those who dared to try, there were severe, even grave, consequences.
Slavery was the catalyst for modern-day racism. All slave-owning individuals have long since passed, but the beliefs and stereotypes that they held and created live on. They’ve been passed from generation to generation. They spurned the development of the Black Codes, Jim Crow Laws, segregation, the establishment of such groups as the KKK and the Westboro Baptist Church. The beliefs and stereotypes of our ancestors are what eventually lead to the push for equality and the Civil Rights Movement. They have affected lawmaking and policymaking, and they are the reason why institutional racism exists today.
“Black people need to get over it. Slavery ended in 1865.” How many times has that phrase been uttered? How about “Reparations? Why should I have to pay for something my ancestors did 150 years ago? I’m not a racist.” When an individual fails to acknowledge that racism and inequality still exist in the 21st century because that problem was abolished in 1865, it is likely because they have failed to understand the power of racist beliefs and stereotypes. What were those beliefs and stereotypes? Click here to find out.
References
History.com Staff. (2009). Slavery in America. Retrieved from
http://www.history.com/topics/black-history/slavery
Politisite. (2010, August 6). 14th Amendment enacted to Grant Slaves Citizenship – PolitiSite
Poll Report. Retrieved from http://www.politisite.com/2010/08/06/14th-amendment-enacted-to
grant-slaves-citizenship-who-were-forced-here-againt-their-will/
World History Group. (n.d.). Abolitionist movement. Retrieved December 8, 2015, from
http://www.historynet.com/abolitionist-movement
U.S. Const. amend. XIII
U.S. Declaration of Independence, Paragraph 2 (1776).
It’s true that the 13th Amendment abolished slavery in 1865, but that doesn’t mean life was any easier for former slaves. Unfortunately, for the newly freed slaves, “In 1865–1866, southern states and localities enacted Black Codes to regulate the status and conduct of the newly freed slaves. The codes deprived blacks of many basic rights accorded to whites, including full rights to own property, to testify in court in cases in which whites were parties, to make contracts, to travel, to preach, to assemble, to speak, and to bear arms” (Politisite, 2010). Yes, slavery was abolished in 1865, but to claim that slaves were “free” would not be accurate. One-hundred-fifty years later, we are still dealing with issues stemming from racism and inequality with regards to African-Americans, but why?
There are many reasons, but much of the credit is owed to the stereotypes and beliefs that were formed about blacks starting 325 years ago when the first Africans were traded for goods and services. The second section of the 13th amendment deserves a little credit, too. It states that Congress has the power to enforce the amendment, but ability, in this case, does not equate action. What is lacking in the teaching of African-American history is an emphasis on the fact that The Constitution made slavery illegal, but it was up to the individual states to make sure the Constitution was being upheld, which they were not. When a person’s constitutional rights are not being violated, they have the right to file a civil suit. How is that possible if, as a black person, you cannot testify in court cases against whites, and if you cannot speak or assemble? For those who dared to try, there were severe, even grave, consequences.
Slavery was the catalyst for modern-day racism. All slave-owning individuals have long since passed, but the beliefs and stereotypes that they held and created live on. They’ve been passed from generation to generation. They spurned the development of the Black Codes, Jim Crow Laws, segregation, the establishment of such groups as the KKK and the Westboro Baptist Church. The beliefs and stereotypes of our ancestors are what eventually lead to the push for equality and the Civil Rights Movement. They have affected lawmaking and policymaking, and they are the reason why institutional racism exists today.
“Black people need to get over it. Slavery ended in 1865.” How many times has that phrase been uttered? How about “Reparations? Why should I have to pay for something my ancestors did 150 years ago? I’m not a racist.” When an individual fails to acknowledge that racism and inequality still exist in the 21st century because that problem was abolished in 1865, it is likely because they have failed to understand the power of racist beliefs and stereotypes. What were those beliefs and stereotypes? Click here to find out.
References
History.com Staff. (2009). Slavery in America. Retrieved from
http://www.history.com/topics/black-history/slavery
Politisite. (2010, August 6). 14th Amendment enacted to Grant Slaves Citizenship – PolitiSite
Poll Report. Retrieved from http://www.politisite.com/2010/08/06/14th-amendment-enacted-to
grant-slaves-citizenship-who-were-forced-here-againt-their-will/
World History Group. (n.d.). Abolitionist movement. Retrieved December 8, 2015, from
http://www.historynet.com/abolitionist-movement
U.S. Const. amend. XIII
U.S. Declaration of Independence, Paragraph 2 (1776).