American Race Culture in Historical Aspects Essay

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Updated: Apr 9th, 2024

Introduction

The problem of race and ethnicity has been prevalent in American society for many years, and, even though to a lesser extent, still exists now. Prejudices and beliefs regarding people of different skin color have been set deeply into the minds of people. Despite supposedly living in a post-racial world, where there is no slavery and one of the most powerful countries in the world is led by an African-American, cases of racial discrimination happen on a consistent basis not only in the US but other countries as well. This leads to the important question whether we truly in a “post-racial” world, with its supposed racial equality and mutual respect, or it is simply an illusion that was created to cover the truth – that the set ideas about race and ethnicity will never go away.

Slavery period

America has come a long way to achieve the establishment of racial equality for black people: from the beginning of slavery in the 17th century, Civil War and Jim Crow era, to the Civil Rights movement and the rise of Black Power. These historical periods are extremely important for understanding the problems of race in the US and the evolution of people’s mindsets regarding the issue throughout years. Slavery in America began in 1619 when a Dutch ship brought slaves from Africa to the North American Colony of Jamestown in Virginia (“Slavery in America” par.1). The reason for bringing Africans to the continent was that they were a significantly cheaper source of labor compared to European workers. Slavery was present in all 13 colonies in America, and it was not until 1775 that people finally started to question its existence.

The claim of human equality by the Declaration of Independence was seemingly contradicting the reality, and, thus, the North of America was willing to get rid of slavery. Africans played a large role in the American Revolution, as many of them served as soldiers on both sides of the War of Independence. Many of them gained freedom, others simply escaped. It should be noted, however, that although Northern states abolished slavery, the attitude of white people towards Africans did not really change, as they still saw black people as their inferiors. Southern white men argued that black people were incapable of caring for themselves; therefore, it was needed to have this “peculiar institution.”

The impact of Civil War

The events of Civil War would drastically change the situation around slavery. Although the abolishment of slavery was not the original intention of Civil War, many people felt that the war would solve this issue as well, and it did, on 22 September 1862, when Abraham Lincoln, a true believer in the white supremacy, presented the Preliminary Emancipation Proclamation (“The Emancipation Proclamation”, par.1). This document declared the freedom of slaves within the rebellious states. Although it was limited to states that seceded from the Union and did not free America of slavery entirely, the Emancipation Proclamation instilled hope in hearts of millions of African slaves. As the freedom was dependent on the victory of the Union, thousands of black men enlisted into the Union’s Army and Navy. When the Emancipation Proclamation took effect in 1863, it freed 3.1 of 4 million slaves in the US. However, slavery still existed in the Confederate states. Only in 1865, when the Thirteenth Amendment was ratified, the slavery was completely abolished in America.

Reconstruction era

The emancipation of American slaves was an important step in the establishment of black people’s rights. However, nor African-Americans, nor the white people society were prepared to handle the new reality. As written by Houston Hartsfield Holloway, “For we colored people did not know how to be free, and the white people did not know how to have a free colored person about them.” (“Reconstruction and Its Aftermath” par.1). After the Civil War, Lincoln wanted to reshape southern states in a new image without any slavery and offered his reconstruction plan in 1863. Obviously, the plan was met with opposition from Southerners as they were trying to restore slavery on their territory. They did not succeed, though, as the Congress won and required every state to accept the Thirteenth and Fourteenth Amendments to the Constitution. As a result, black people received freedom and the right to vote. Unfortunately, they were still economically dependent on white people.

The improvements to black people’s state in the society implemented during the Reconstruction era were still rather considerable. For instance, many African-Americans held public office after the Civil War. Various civil rights legislation were introduced as a result of cooperation between blacks, Northerners, and Southerners who allied with them. Their opponents did not welcome such coalition and resorted to acts of terrorism through various organizations, notably, the Ku Klux Klan. People who were trying to vote or get an education, regardless of their skin color, were killed by the Ku Klux Klan members. The Reconstruction era ended in 1877 with the Democratic Party regaining total control of the Southern states. Northern states were exhausted from continuous opposition from Southerners and lost interest in support of black people rights. Subsequently, black people would not receive any support from the federal government until the Civil Rights movement a century later.

Jim Crow laws

The end of the Reconstruction era was followed by another important set of events connected with the newly introduced laws regarding racial segregation in the Southern states called “Jim Crow laws.” These laws literally enforced segregation of white people from colored people in schools or public transportation. Further segregation has also covered restaurants, cemeteries, cafes, cinemas, etc. Naturally, one could only imagine the amount of prejudices and beliefs about African-Americans that derived from these laws. Things have gone as far as introducing theological teachings about black people being the forever servants of the chosen ones – white people (“What Was Jim Crow” par.1). Numerous researchers have officially stated that blacks were inherently inferior to whites in intellectual and cultural departments. Not to mention the introduction of terms like coons, darkies, niggas, and so on. Essentially, Jim Crow law was the embodiment of open anti-black racism.

Foundation of NAACP

The disregard of civil rights and violence towards black people led to the creation of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People in 1909. As a response to the previous race riot in Springfield that caused deaths of eight black people and tremendous damage to property, a small organization of 60 people was created in order to confront the widespread discrimination of African-Americans. At present, it is considered as the largest and the most influential civil rights organization in the US (“NAACP: 100 Years of History” par.1). NAACP was formed to fight the racial discrimination and the injustices brought by the Jim Crow laws. The organization has been continuously opposing the segregation introduced by the federal government and has also protested the use of lynching. Also, one of the most important achievements of NAACP was the winning of the Brown vs Board Education case, which finally brought an end to the racial segregation of children in schools.

The Great Migration and the Harlem Renaissance

The struggle of African-Americans in Southern states forced many of them to move to the North of the country. This movement would be later known as the Great Migration, with more than six million African-Americans leaving South in search for a better life in the industrialized cities of North (“Great Migration: The African-American Exodus North” par.1). After World War I, there was a lack of industrial workers on factories, so many recruiters in the North encouraged the Great Migration movement. Unfortunately for black people, the reality did not match their expectations of a better life: the conditions were poor, and along with the competition between each other for the living space, they still had to deal with racial prejudices and racism. However, African-Americans still continued to fight for their rights, confront all the challenges, and even create their own cities in big cities, setting the foundations for the new urban African-American culture.

Many of the urban areas in cities started to become more and more influenced by the black culture, especially Harlem, New York, where a cultural and artistic movement called Harlem Renaissance would be created. It started somewhere in 1918, and at that time it was known as the New Negro Movement, which encompassed the rebirth of African-American culture by attracting many black writers, artists, and musicians to the Harlem district of New York City. The movement was set to disperse popular beliefs and prejudices surrounding African-Americans and their heritage. It also allowed for the advancement of African-American music, such as blues and jazz, which would conquer the hearts of many people and would be treated as a form of high art. Association of blues and jazz with a common life of African-Americans would also be internationally acknowledged and recognized. Harlem Renaissance did not only reshape the African-American American culture but also influenced the American culture as a whole. Unfortunately, the progress of the movement was halted in the 1930s due to the Great Depression.

Effects of the Great Depression

Although the Great Depression has affected every American in a worst possible way, African-Americans have suffered even more. The massive unemployment rate led to more than half of black people’s population having no job. African-Americans were massively fired, and the racial violence again became dominant, especially in Southern states. For instance, some white workers have resorted to killing a bunch of black firemen in order to take their jobs. Slogans brought up by white workers like “No jobs for niggers until every white man has a job” particularly explain the reasons for such cruelty (“African Americans, Impact of the Great Depression on” par.2). The New Deal created by Roosevelt did not ease the existing situation for black people. Furthermore, black people were massively discriminated in the military.

Only after the threat of A. Philip Randolph to make a march on Washington, Roosevelt signed the Executive Order 8802 that abolished all restrictions, including race, for joining the US army in order to defend the country in the World War II. However, even in the army African-Americans were met with offensive behavior and discriminations. For example, black soldiers did not get nearly as much ammunition, equipment, and supplies as white men, not to mention that they were barely even used in active combat. The impressing showings of African-American soldiers during the World War II helped to defy these biases. For his bravery shown at the field of battle by dragging his commander to safety and taking down several Japanese planes, Dori Miller was awarded the Navy Cross and became one of the first recognized heroes of World War II (“Race and the Army During World War” par.4). Also, the tremendous success of Tuskegee Airmen, the first black aviators in the US, led to the eventual integration of the US Army.

The Civil Rights movement and the rise of Black Power

Cases of racial discrimination and violence towards African-Americans did not end even after the World War II. The racial desegregation in schools was progressing at a very slow pace due to the confrontation from Southern states. Massive protests and boycotts regarding the civil rights issue were carried out in numerous states. Martin Luther King Jr. himself was participating in a boycott to end the bus segregation in Montgomery, Alabama. Although John F. Kennedy received support from the majority of African-Americans in 1960, he was reluctant to further promotion of the civil rights legislation. This reluctance did not last long, though, as the following events involving the Freedom Rides, demonstrations in Birmingham, the integration of Ole Miss and the University of Alabama forced him to take action. After the famous March on Washington in August 1963, the Civil Rights Act was endorsed by Senate Republican leaders.

It was passed much later, though, after the assassination of Kennedy, and supposedly managed to achieve the main goal of the Civil Rights movement – full legal equality for black people (“Civil Rights Movement” par.4). In reality, the equality issue was yet to be solved, as there was still racial discrimination towards African-Americans, as well as their wages still being lower than that of white people. There was a need in establishing the racial pride of black people; thus, the Black Power movement was born. The movement helped African-Americans to acknowledge their culture and heritage, as well as instill self-esteem in themselves. It had its flaws, though, as it was never a formally organized movement, and some of its suggestions, like allowing blacks to carry guns with themselves, were rather questionable. In the end, the Black Power movement did not fulfill the original purpose of its creation – separation from the white society (“Black Power Movement” par.12). However, it did provide for African-Americans a better understanding of each other.

Conclusion

Going through the timeline of the establishment of Civil Rights for African-Americans, we can notice their tremendous struggle and fight for equality. The continuous rise-and-fall cycle that black people have gone through during the researched time periods indicates the fluctuating nature of the civil rights issue. Additionally, one can witness the bipolarity of the white people’s mindset regarding their attitude towards blacks. Despite the fact that many political leaders considered slavery, segregation, and discrimination as a violation of human rights, they did not consider African-Americans as equals and were vivid adherents of the idea of white supremacy. Judging by the very nature of humans, I think that the race issue will forever exist in our society. Even if a day comes when there will be no prejudice and discrimination towards a certain race, it would take decades of efforts to achieve the mutual acceptance.