How successful was America in continuing the status of recent slaves to that of equal American citizens? (1865-1939)
Intro….
The Black Codes were a series of Southern legislatures passed in 1866 that were intended to replace the slave codes. These were designed to keep the freed black person in a subordinate position, stating that they could not own or carry guns, testify against white people in court and were forbidden to marry white people. These Codes had in fact implemented a new form of slavery. This suggests that the status of recent slaves, in theory, had improved because they were no longer stigmatized but the idea of them being lower class citizens was still very prevalent.
During the Reconstruction Era many laws were passed…show more content… In saying this, the Black Codes contradicted this newly formed right as it is clear that they were unable to carry guns, which in fact put them in a weakened position. Highlighted by the Memphis Riots of 1866 where there were a total of 46 black people who were killed, and over 5 women raped3. This clearly demonstrates that the legislature written by congress would not suffice enough the safety of African…show more content… Benjamin ‘pap’ singleton was born a slave in Davidson Country Tennessee, but escaped to Canada until the emancipation proclamation came into effect in January 1863. Singleton formed the Tennessee real estate and homestead association that was designed to assist blacks in acquiring land to settle in the south and improve their living standards, which previously were very poor. This deemed unsuccessful and he urged blacks to form their own independent communities in north-western Kansas. By 1875 Singleton had managed to organise the Edgefield Real Estate Association that encouraged rallies and raised funds for the improvement of black people in America. The promotion of black migration had encouraged 20,000 blacks to immigrate to Kansas by 187911, continuing until 1880 when a further 60,000 exoduses’ who gathered in Nashville. However, this mass black exodus was criticised by the Tennessee press as a ‘foolish project’ and one account remarks that it was “twelve months of hand-to-mouth hardship and embarrassment”12 for black people, thus entailing that even with these associations set up by previous slave Singleton, the mistreatment of blacks was still very much