In the era of Reconstruction of slavery, there were changes that were made towards Americans in the country. The freedom of slave in 1865 had come about when the thirteenth amendment was born. The Civil War had become a historical era of time and had assisted in the freeing the slaves and allowing them to become normal citizens in America. “The slaves were given property in several southern states that included Florida, South Carolina and Georgia” . The freed black slaves were handed land that they could make a home and a life with their families. The land was a way to get the blacks started becoming citizens who could act as white citizens in the country. The offer gave them a chance to start their lives and gave them a place to call their own. After the President of the United States at that time was killed, the blacks were left to find their own land and survive on their own.
Within the next several decades following the end of slavery came an era where blacks were still not part of society. They were held back because of the Jim Crow laws that were set in place. “Black people were not allowed to vote nor go to the same school as the white people in their communities” . The laws that were made had black people being segregated in their own towns and in society. This caused blacks to still feel like slaves because of discrimination and inequality in the country. African Americans were not given the chances and opportunities that white people had because of their skin color. Even though the slaves were free, they were not actually free from the control of white people. The white society dominated and ruled the country and blacks had to take what they were offered and continue to live without rights.
In the recent years, the government had come up with ways to help with finances among whites in the country. The government passed a bill that would help with the finances of military people and their families. The housing authority was put into motion to help people afford houses and have a chance to own their own homes. “The federal government invented programs to help assist families with job training, education assistance, loans, and homeownership” . The downfall to these federally funded programs was that they were not for black Americans. Many black people were restricted and not equally allowed to make use of these services. Only the white families were able to enjoy the resources that the government had put into motion for them to have better lives.
In the 1950’s and 1960’s, there were significant changes made towards the African American citizens of the United States. “Martin Luther King was popular amongst the black community and he had helped in changing how blacks were treated by the government” . Supreme Court cases had helped shaped these changes towards education, marriage, and equality. The end of segregation and discrimination had begun to take shape and black people began to have rights just like the white people. The changes were still not the same as white people when looking at income, jobs, and other rights. Whites still had a higher level in society than black people. The segregation from reconstruction to the late 1960’s had made an impact for black people in America. Even though the change was going in the right direction it still was not set in stone in this era. Blacks had come a long way in America within the last hundred years.
Work Cited
Valls, Andrew. "Reconstruction." Tracing Center (2007): 1-3. web.
