A Different MirrorAfrican Americans and Their Fight for

Equality in the United States

Civil War Era and Beyond

Caitlin ScullyTara MelbyAlison FishburnMelanie SlavinDezaray Carafano

Chapter 5Son of slave father and

free motherWhites were true

barbarians: enslaves blacks, selling & whipping slaves

Signs of savagery not civilization were perceived

Killed or be killed was a common sentiment

Appeal to the Colored Citizens of the World was Walker’s plea to the world

David Walker

Racial Borders in Free States

Very few blacks lived in the North because Northern states had abolished slavery after

American Revolution. They represented one percent of the population

Experienced discrimination and segregationRestricted right to voteAttacked by white mobs

StereotypesBlacks encountered a cluster

of negative racial imagesThese negative images

contributed to racial degradation

Blacks were denounced as immature, indolent and

good for nothingThey were also seen as

criminalsThreats to racial purity were

an issue

Old cartoon stereotype of a black man

Segregated Schools

• Started by fear of interracial unions

• Committee of Education said that blacks were inferior

• Massachusetts prohibited racial discrimination in public schools

Blacks in the SouthUnlike in the North, blacks represented 35 percent of total population

Relegated to plantation work

Managing the enslaved labor force came in three types

: kindness, absolute submission, brainwashing

Identity Crisis – blacks never became men or women; they were stuck in a

childlike state

In 1860 only 5.5 of southern white population were slave owners

“Sambos” – were slaves that seemed to be loyal and content in their

position

Urban Slaves

In 1860, there were 70,000Worked in textile mills, iron furnaces, and tobacco

factoriesWorking as wage-earners because of “hired out” system

Civil War

“If the North whups, you will be free as a man as I is. If the South whups, you will be slaves all your days.” p119

Despite the master-slave conditions, Abram Harris (and other slaves) felt lost and sorrowful when his master died in the war

On the other hand, slave Dora Franks started praying for freedom when her master died

Many slaves started bolting for the Union lines

Martin DelanyHe was a leading black

nationalist of nineteenth century

Bitterness was sharpened when he along with another two blacks were accepted to Harvard Medical School on the condition they studied medicine in Africa after graduation

Had no confidence that blacks would change situation in America

If slavery was abolished, he believed racism would still exist

What did Black citizens want?Would rather live in own separate

communities than to be among

whites, because discrimination

would take years to overcome

Wanted more education and

voting rights

Landownership was a basis in

economic power, and all

realized this

New South

During economic boom, blacks were drawn into the factories and mills and were an important

source of industrial labor

Was raised mostly by his mother, did not experience racism as much as a child until a little girl refused to play with him because he was black.

Du Bois went to college, and then went on to Harvard, and graduated from Harvard in 1890, being the first African American to earn a PhD from there.

He wrote 22 novels, some of his most famous being The Souls of Black Folk, and The Negro.

He was labeled ‘The Father of Pan Africanism’Was one of the founders of the NAACPEncouraged blacks to strive for higher education,

and to challenge white authorityWas investigated by the FBI because of socialist

writings.

W. E. B. Du BoisBorn: February 1868Died: August 1963

Booker T. WashingtonWas born into slavery, and then freed

after the Civil WarHis mother was black, his father was

whiteHe was labeled the Great

Accommodator by Du BoisBelieved education was the path to

acceptanceBecame the first leader of Tuskegee

InstituteHad three wives, the first two died, and

the third outlived himHis autobiography is called Up From

SlaveryFirst African American to be depicted

on a postage stamp

Born: April 1856 Died: November 1915

Frederick Douglass

Is considered an abolitionist, women’s suffragist, author, orator, and statesman

First African American to be nominated to be Vice President

Born into slavery, and raised by his grandmotherSophia Auld began to teach Douglass to read

and write, until her husband forbade her to continue. Douglass continued to learn by observing white children and the writing of other people he knew

He escaped in 1838 by disguising himself, and made it to New York in less than 24 hours

He participated at the Seneca Falls ConventionHe married Anna Murray, and had five children

with herHe was a US MarshalFirst African American to receive a vote for

President

Born: February 1818 Died: February 1895

Chapter 13

The 20th century was a huge turning point for people of color. During this time period, tens of thousands of southern blacks were migrating north for hope of their futures.

“And black men’s feet learned roads. Some said goodbye cheerfully..others fearfully, with terrors of unknown dangers in their mouth…others in their eagerness for

distance said nothing. They daybreak found them gone.” –Sharecropper’s daughter p340

These blacks joined European immigrants in the Midwest and Northeast.

In Georgia, farmers awoke to every male negro over 21 gone.

An old black women explained that although she was content and did not want to leave, she would go crazy if she stayed. Passing by old friends abandoned houses, she states “There aint even enough people here I now know to give me a decent burial.”

After emancipation, blacks were “pushed” to leave. Although they were “free” they were still dependent on whites and enslaved with debts.

“Working hard on southern soil, someone softly spoke; Toil and toil and toil and toil, and yet I’m always broke.” –p341

WW1 virtually cut off the flow European immigrants so the North recruited for labor.

Factories, mills and workshops were being opened to the blacks with much higher wages.

Job Listing: “Men wanted at once. Good steady employment for colored. Thirty and 39 ½ cents per hour. Weekly

payments. Good warm sanitary quarters free…”Blacks were writing home to tell their family and friends how

much better life was here. The pay was way higher and they could even vote!

But deeper than economics was a new life style. A new generation with new ideals and appreciation for their race.With each new generation, the attitude towards slavery

changed. Slave customs were being cut and blacks were starting to stick up for themselves. An example is given of a man describing that slavery is all his father knew but when he was born his father let some of the customs slip. Now

that he is bringing up his own son, he is letting more customs slip and the chain will continue to go as so.

However, with this new attitude the white people were starting to

think of the blacks as “worthless” and they lacked the habits of “diligence, order and

faithfulness”In the north, other problems

started to occur.As blacks were responding to the

labor needs during WW1, housing conflicts came into play.

Although whites wanted their help, they did not want them

taking over their neighborhoods. A black Union was started to help

the blacks but ended up as a failure due to the lack of

knowledge of what it actually meant.

White and black gangs started a lot of trouble with each other.

Bombs, threats and fights added fuel to the racial competition

and hatred

Soon Garvey offered the black nation a different approach on their race. He claimed that the color of their skin was beautiful and that being African was something to be proud of. Africans colors: red, black and green represent the color of their blood, the color of their skin and the greatness for their future.

Garvey also promoted his shipping company, The Black Star Line. Soon 40,000 blacks were buying shares. Soon, however, the leader was arrested for fraud.

Basically, the black man is looked down upon. They are seen as not being as good as whites. Blacks started out as being embarrassed of their race and who they were. But with every generation opinions change and now being black is beautiful and something to be proud of.

The reality after slavery

What a coincidence!

Important Inventions by African Americans

The Blood Bank

The Potato Chip

Peanut Butter Baby Buggy

Air Conditioning Elevator

Cellular Phone

Typewriter

Ironing Board

GuitarDryer

Folding Chair

Street Sweeper

StoplightGas Mask

Refrigerator

Insight into Communication Patterns

African/Caribbean• Style- Expressed with

animation and close personal interaction

• Eye contact- When talking with friends, will use direct eye contact but may avoid when talking to someone of higher socioeconomic status.

• Gestures- Handshakes, pointing at someone with index finger and the peace sign may be insulting

African American• Animated communication,

some speak a variation of standard English.

• Eye contact- Tend to be direct and prolonged when speaking , less so when listening

• Gestures- large gestures are sometimes common and are seen as enhancing communication

Insight into People and Relationships

African/Caribbean• Relationships- Place value

on people, Has concern for social harmony.

• Individualism- Value loyalty to the group.

• Taboo Subjects- Referring to someone as “native”, and reference to one’s mother.

• Conflict- Confrontation is considered rude

African American• Relationships- want to get

to know you before doing business.

• Individualism- More collateral orientation

• Taboo Subjects- Talking “black”

• Conflict- Showing emotions during confrontation may be perceived as rude.

African American Proverbs

You got eyes to see and wisdom not to see.Muddy roads call the milepost a liarEvery bell ain’t a dinner bell.The graveyard is the cheapest boarding house.

Yes, we are going to the north!I don’t care to what state,Just so I cross the Dixon Line,From this southern land of hate,Lynched and burned and shot and hung,And not a word is said.

American Civil Rights Movement

American Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and 1960s

One of the most defining movements of the 20th

century, it was aimed at racial segregation and

discrimination.African Americans in the South were not able to

vote without fear of violence, so suffrage rights

were of upmost importance to Civil Rights

leaders.

…the struggle was about far more than just civil rights under law; it was also about fundamental issues of freedom, respect, dignity, and economic and social equality.

Major Events in the Civil Rights Movement

On May 17th, 1954 the Supreme Court ruled that segregation in

schools was unconstitutional. This court case was Brown v. Board of

Education of Topeka, Kansas. This decision was in direct

opposition to the Supreme Court case Plessy v. Ferguson from 1896. This was the case that coined the

phrase ‘separate but equal’.Brown v. Board of Education made it so that black and white students

could go to the same schools.

Thurgood Marshall, attorney on the case, later was appointed to the Supreme Court.

On December 1st, 1955, Rosa Parks, an African American

woman in Alabama, refused to give up her bus seat to a white

person. This was basically unwritten law in the South. She was arrested, and the

Montgomery black community completely boycotted the bus system. Martin Luther King Jr.

was instrumental in leading the boycott.

Rosa Parks

The Little Rock Nine

These nine black students were blocked from entering the all white Central High School on the orders of Governor Farbaus . President Eisenhower sent the National Guard and troops to help the students.

They were called the ‘Little Rock Nine’.

In February of 1960, in Greensboro, NC, black students staged sit ins at restaurants that refused to serve black customers. This was an example of student non violent protest, and these events were helpful in integrating public places around the South.

In 1961 students took bus rides in the South, to call attention to the fact that even though the law said transportation couldn’t be segregated, it still was.

They were called the “freedom riders” and were attacked by angry mobs frequently.

In 1962 James Meredith became the first black student enrolled at the University of Mississippi.Troops had to be sent AGAIN to deal with violence and riots.

1963 was a tumultuous year. Martin Luther King Jr. was jailed during protests in Birmingham, Alabama. His famous “Letter from Birmingham Jail”.

Bull Connor, the Commissioner of Public Safety used fire hoses and dogs to attack black protestors and non violent demonstrators. These riots were on TV and shocked the nation.

August 28th, 1963.200,000 people attended the March of Washington. Martin Luther King Jr. gave his famous “I have a Dream” speech in Washington after the march.

September 15th, 1963 will always be remembered as a tragic day in the Civil Rights Movement. The Sixteenth Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama was a popular civil rights headquarters. During Sunday School a bomb went off killing four young girls. Denise McNair, Cynthia Wesley, Carole Robertson, and Addie Mae Collins died that day, in one of the saddest moments of the Movement.

January 1964.The 24th Amendment abolished the poll tax, which had previously made it extremely hard for poor blacks to vote.

In July 1964 President Lyndon B Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act of 1964. It prohibits discrimination of all kinds based on race, color, religion, or national

origin. The government can also enforce desegregation after this act.

Malcolm X was a black nationalist, and a leader in the Civil Rights Movement. In Harlem, on Feb 21, 1965, Malcolm X was violently shot to death. Many speculate that members of the Black Muslim faith killed him because he had abandoned them for a more orthodox Islam sect.

Black demonstrators marched from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama . Around 50 protesters were sent to the hospital after acts of police brutality. It was called “Bloody Sunday”.

In 1965, the Voting Rights Act of 1965 was passed, making it exponentially easier for southern blacks to vote. Literacy tests, and other things blocking voting were done away with.

In August of 1965, race riots erupted in Watts, California.

On April 4th, 1968 Martin Luther King Jr. was shot on his balcony of the hotel. James Earl Ray was convicted as the killer. Arguably the worst moment of the Civil Rights movement, it was not the end of the movement; the people carried on his cause.

Though the civil rights movement did not end with the death of MLK Jr, the most important events of the movement happened between 1963 and 1968. Equality of the races is not yet a reality, but our country everyday

makes progress towards the goals of our past.

Colin PowellBorn April 1937Former four-star general in the US ArmyWas 65th Secretary of State under George

W. Bush, being the first African American to hold that position

Before that, he was National Security Advisor, and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff

He is the only African American to ever hold that position

He was born to Jamaican immigrant parents in Harlem, NYCWas succeeded by Condaleeza RiceCriticized the governments response to Hurricane KatrinaIs considered a moderate Republican but is pro choice, and favors reasonable

gun controlHelped implement the Don’t Ask Don’t Tell policyDonated to McCain, but ended up publicly supporting Obama in the 2008

Presidential election

Oprah WinfreyIs famous for her TV talk showShe is considered to be the most

philanthropic African American of all timeShe was the world’s first black billionaireShe was born in rural Mississippi, and raised

in inner city MilwaukeeShe was raped at 9 years old, and sent to

Juvenile Hall at 13When she was 14 she gave birth to a son,

who died in infancyInitiated the National Child Protection Act.

This created a database of child abusersOprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls

is a boarding school in South Africa meant for bright girls from impoverished backgrounds. The school provides them with educational and leadership opportunities

She has put over 250 black men through college

Has given millions to Katrina Relief

Born: January 1954

In 2004, Illinois Senate hopeful Barack Obama gave a moving keynote address at the Democratic National Convention. This sparked interest into the young Senator and in early 2007 Obama announced his intention to run for President in 2008.

Barack ObamaWas born in Hawaii to his mother from

Kansas, and his father from KenyaHis parents divorced when he was 3 years

oldLived in Indonesia from age 6 to 10

Obama’s mother died in 1995Graduated from Columbia, and Harvard

First black student to be editor of the Harvard Law Review

Met his wife while working at a law firm in 1989

In 2008 after a heated election cycle Barack Obama became the first African American ever to be elected President

of the United States

Born: August 1961

Though we have not reached equality in America, every day teachers who impart a multicultural education to their students are paving the way to a

more just and equal American society