Slavery In America
- African slaves were brought to the United States starting in the year 1619.
- The first 19 or so Africans arrived ashore near Jamestown, Virginia, in 1619, brought by Dutch traders who had seized them from a captured Spanish slave ship.
- A total of 600,000 slaves were brought to the 13 colonies from Africa.
- Many more were brought to the sugar Colonies in the Caribbean and Brazil.
- The slave population grew to approximately 4 million by 1860.
- The treatment of slaves was generally brutal. Slaves were punished by whipping, shackling, hanging, beating, burning, mutilation, branding, and imprisonment.
- Slaves were often times prevented from learning how to read or write (in order to reduce the risk of rebellion).
- Mothers and their children were often separated when one or the other was sold to another planation.
- Treatment was usually harsher on large plantations, which were often managed by overseers and owned by absentee slaveholders.
- Slavery was outlawed by the 13th Amendment to the Constitution in the year 1860)
- The end of slavery was only the beginning of the African American struggle.
Jim Crow Laws
- After slavery, state laws were created between 1877-1963, which created segregation in all public facilities in the Souther States as well as some Northern and Midwestern states.
- It was mainly based on the idea of separate but equal. This meant that blacks and whites could be kept separate so long as they were provided with equal facilities.
- For example, black and white students could not study in the same school. Another law required that black passengers only sit towards the back of the bus while whites could sit in the front.
- In addition, the separate facilities provided for black Americans tended to be of a lesser quality than what was provided for whites.
Jim Crow Map
Example of Jim Crow Laws
- There must be separate ticket windows and seating on buses. (Alabama)
- There must be different toilet and drinking facilities for blacks and whites. (Alabama)
- Black and white marriages will not be recognized as legal marriages (Arizona)
- A black man and white woman who live together will be punished by up to 12 months of imprisonment. (Florida)
- An apartment that houses in whole or part white people, cannot be rented to a black person. (Louisiana)
- Books cannot be switched between the races. The textbook must continue to be used by the race who first used them. (North Carolina)
- Black hair barbers may not serve white women or girls. (Georgia)
- A black person cannot be buried in the same cemetery, which is used for the burial of white people. (Georgia)
Rise of the Ku Klux Klan
- The 1st KKK was founded in 1866 and had spread to all southern states by 1870. Kuklos means “circle” in Greek.
- Members adopted white robes, masks and pointed hat (to hide their identity).
- The KKK claimed that newly freed black men were terrorizing white women and children. This was just an excuse and has never been proven as true. It was a way to get non-violent members of the community to go along with the movement.
- The 2nd KKK was readopted around 1915 in Atlanta, Georgia and grew to about 4-5 million members. It became more popular as the fight to end Jim Crow Laws began.
- Activities of the Klan included burning crosses , public beatings , public lynching, murder and bombings.
- Klan activity was primarily aimed towards African Americans & Jews.
But it wasn't just the KKK...
- The men in the picture to the right were accused of a crime in Marion, Indiana.
- Before trial the local KKK incited the towns people to break into the local jail and "handle the situation" themselves.
- It was later determined that the two young men were not guilty of the crime they were accused of.
The Ku Klux Klan Today
- The Ku Klux Klan is estimated to have around 5,000 members in the southern states and lower midwest.
- The KKK has been defended by the ACLU (American Civil Liberties Union) in defence of the 1st Amendment.
- Members are associated with Neo-Nazi groups (many taking on the white skinheads look).