Civil Rights Relations 1865-2009
Context
White Perceptions of Black Americans (1850):
● Whites viewed Africans as uncivilised and inferior due to different and often
non-Christian cultures
● Europeans viewed themselves as technologically superior to black people
● White people thought that Africans should be treated differently as they looked different
● Black people were essential for cheap and plentiful labour
● 500,000 enslaved out of 2.5 million Americans by 1776
American Constitution and Race Relations:
● Treated slavery as acceptable and appropriate
● Reserved powers to the states, setting up future clashes
● Guaranteed rights to only some citizens
Differing Perceptions of Slavery:
● Whites who demanded freedom from the British often overlooked their treatment of
minority groups
● Thomas Jefferson had an enslaved mistress, who he had children with
● Stated he found it difficult to decide whether or not black people were inferior
● Stated freeing those brought up in slavery would be like abandoning children
● Most white people were decisively pro or anti-slavery
● By the early 19th century slavery has been mostly abolished in the North
● The economy and society in the South meant that most were pro-slavery
● Plantations were a key feature of the economy and required slavery for intense labour
● Some white Southerners thought freed slaves would be competitive for jobs
● Thought freed slaves were hostile
● Enslaved people often outnumbered white people, eg. South Carolina, and whites thought
ending slavery would threaten white supremacy and racial purity
Northern Perceptions of Slavery:
● Abolitionists in the North criticised slavery but free black people lacked political,
economic and social equality.
● In 1860 there were roughly 250,000 free black people in the North but only 7% could
vote
1
, ● Northerners often disliked and discriminated against black people
● Black workers were often the first to lose jobs during recessions
● Black Americans were excluded from white institutions and public facilities
● A minority of Northerners favoured integration
Outbreak of the Civil War:
● When America expanded westwards, many Northerners opposed the extension of slavery
● Continued clashes between the North and the South created resentment
● Republican Party opposed the extension of slavery, so Southerners feared for the future of
slavery when Abraham Lincoln was elected President
● The Southern States formed the Confederacy
● Fighting ended after 4 years with the North winning
Civil War to End Slavery?:
● Lincoln viewed slavery as “the greatest wrong inflicted on any people”
● Was willing to accept its existence in the South
● Told a black audience that “not a single man of your race is made the equal of a single
man of ours”
● Lincoln went to war to preserve the Union, not end slavery
The Emancipation Proclamation:
● In September 1862 Lincoln announced the Emancipation Proclamation to come into force
in January 1863
● Stated enslaved people in Confederate states would be free
● Did allow slavery to continue in Union states
● Did not liberate a single enslaved person but was symbolic
● Radical Republicans believed slavery was immoral and mocked the Declaration of
Independence
● Most Republicans blamed the Civil War on slavery
● Did not want to send back 500,000 enslaved refugees to the South
● Used for military reasons to motivate black soldiers
‘Free at last’; 1865-77
The 13th Amendment (1865):
● Abolitionists pushed the federal government for the end of slavery
● In 1864 Lincoln insisted for a constitutional amendment to end slavery
● The Senate passed the 13th Amendment in April 1864
2
, ● Lincoln had to work hard to get the House of Representatives to approve it, which they
did in January of 1865
● By December 1865, the required number of states had ratified the amendment
● Ending slavery was a moral issue for some Americans
● Some felt too much had happened to go back to life before the Civil War
● Republicans believed slavery would lead to future conflicts
● Lincoln worried about the constitutional status of slavery
● Lincoln stated the 13th Amendment was “a king’s cure for all the evils.”
● Abolition was the first step toward equality for former slaves
● However the struggle to get it passed showed widespread white anxiety
● Frederick Douglass recognised there were many limitations on future black progress
Economic:
● Former slaves acquired freedom of movement but most were illiterate and lacked land or
money
● This meant they had little choice but to remain in poverty in the South
● Black Americans were encouraged to return to the plantations and work as tenant farmer/
sharecroppers
● White landowners provided land, seeds and tools and black sharecroppers provided
labour
● The crop yield was then usually shared equally between them
● To some sharecropping meant freedom from white supervision and an incentive to work
● For others it was no better than slavery
● The Freedmen’s Bureau was established by Congress in March 1865
● It was designed to provide former slaves with food, clothes, fuel and medical care
● It was then re-authorised in 1866
● Some viewed it as a Republican tool that encouraged dependency
● Others believed it did useful work with healthcare, education and employment
Social:
● The majority of white Southerners were unwilling to accept black people as their equals
● Resentful as the Civil War had destroyed the South’s economy and killed many men
● Black demands for equality further increased resentment
● Led to race riots in the South 1865-66 in Memphis, Louisiana and New Orleans
● Black people were killed and raped and their communities destroyed
Political:
● There were many differing views over the role of former slaves in politics
● Radical Republicans were keen to allow former slaves the right to vote
3
, President Andrew Johnson:
● Born and raised in South by a poor family
● Democrat
● When the Civil War started he remained loyal to the Union
● Was Lincoln’s running mate in the 1864 campaign
● Became Vice President
● Became President after Lincoln was assassinated in April 1865
● Knew the Southern states had to be reincorporated into the Union, known as
Reconstruction
● Believed the loyalty of white Southerners needed to be restored
● Believed federal intervention in the political, social and economic systems of states was
against states’ rights
● Believed black Americans were not equal to white Americans and should not be allowed
the vote
● Believed conciliatory policies towards the South were best
Radical Reconstruction 1867-77:
● Radical Reconstruction = Post- Civil War policies imposed by Congress on the South
which decreased the power of former confederates and increased the power of former
slaves
● When Congress met in December 1865, there was great North/South tensions
● Northerners still felt bitterness towards the South and believed that the supremacy of the
white elite had been restored under Presidential Reconstruction
● Northerners feared a violent black backlash due to white violence
● Northern Republicans believed that former slaves should have some rights like the right
to vote
● Republicans were upset after the Democrats remained the dominant party in the South in
the 1865 elections
● The Republican Congress refused to recognise new state governments in the South
● Two bills cause clashes between Republicans and Johnson & the Democrats
● The first bill aimed to extend the life of the Freedmen’s Bureau
● The second aimed to give black people civil rights
● Johnson used his veto on both bills but Congress overrode him and both bills became
Acts in 1866
● The 1866 Civil Rights Act automatically provided citizenship to all born in the US
(except Native Americans) and recognised the federal government’s ability to intervene
in state affairs to protect citizens’ rights
4
Context
White Perceptions of Black Americans (1850):
● Whites viewed Africans as uncivilised and inferior due to different and often
non-Christian cultures
● Europeans viewed themselves as technologically superior to black people
● White people thought that Africans should be treated differently as they looked different
● Black people were essential for cheap and plentiful labour
● 500,000 enslaved out of 2.5 million Americans by 1776
American Constitution and Race Relations:
● Treated slavery as acceptable and appropriate
● Reserved powers to the states, setting up future clashes
● Guaranteed rights to only some citizens
Differing Perceptions of Slavery:
● Whites who demanded freedom from the British often overlooked their treatment of
minority groups
● Thomas Jefferson had an enslaved mistress, who he had children with
● Stated he found it difficult to decide whether or not black people were inferior
● Stated freeing those brought up in slavery would be like abandoning children
● Most white people were decisively pro or anti-slavery
● By the early 19th century slavery has been mostly abolished in the North
● The economy and society in the South meant that most were pro-slavery
● Plantations were a key feature of the economy and required slavery for intense labour
● Some white Southerners thought freed slaves would be competitive for jobs
● Thought freed slaves were hostile
● Enslaved people often outnumbered white people, eg. South Carolina, and whites thought
ending slavery would threaten white supremacy and racial purity
Northern Perceptions of Slavery:
● Abolitionists in the North criticised slavery but free black people lacked political,
economic and social equality.
● In 1860 there were roughly 250,000 free black people in the North but only 7% could
vote
1
, ● Northerners often disliked and discriminated against black people
● Black workers were often the first to lose jobs during recessions
● Black Americans were excluded from white institutions and public facilities
● A minority of Northerners favoured integration
Outbreak of the Civil War:
● When America expanded westwards, many Northerners opposed the extension of slavery
● Continued clashes between the North and the South created resentment
● Republican Party opposed the extension of slavery, so Southerners feared for the future of
slavery when Abraham Lincoln was elected President
● The Southern States formed the Confederacy
● Fighting ended after 4 years with the North winning
Civil War to End Slavery?:
● Lincoln viewed slavery as “the greatest wrong inflicted on any people”
● Was willing to accept its existence in the South
● Told a black audience that “not a single man of your race is made the equal of a single
man of ours”
● Lincoln went to war to preserve the Union, not end slavery
The Emancipation Proclamation:
● In September 1862 Lincoln announced the Emancipation Proclamation to come into force
in January 1863
● Stated enslaved people in Confederate states would be free
● Did allow slavery to continue in Union states
● Did not liberate a single enslaved person but was symbolic
● Radical Republicans believed slavery was immoral and mocked the Declaration of
Independence
● Most Republicans blamed the Civil War on slavery
● Did not want to send back 500,000 enslaved refugees to the South
● Used for military reasons to motivate black soldiers
‘Free at last’; 1865-77
The 13th Amendment (1865):
● Abolitionists pushed the federal government for the end of slavery
● In 1864 Lincoln insisted for a constitutional amendment to end slavery
● The Senate passed the 13th Amendment in April 1864
2
, ● Lincoln had to work hard to get the House of Representatives to approve it, which they
did in January of 1865
● By December 1865, the required number of states had ratified the amendment
● Ending slavery was a moral issue for some Americans
● Some felt too much had happened to go back to life before the Civil War
● Republicans believed slavery would lead to future conflicts
● Lincoln worried about the constitutional status of slavery
● Lincoln stated the 13th Amendment was “a king’s cure for all the evils.”
● Abolition was the first step toward equality for former slaves
● However the struggle to get it passed showed widespread white anxiety
● Frederick Douglass recognised there were many limitations on future black progress
Economic:
● Former slaves acquired freedom of movement but most were illiterate and lacked land or
money
● This meant they had little choice but to remain in poverty in the South
● Black Americans were encouraged to return to the plantations and work as tenant farmer/
sharecroppers
● White landowners provided land, seeds and tools and black sharecroppers provided
labour
● The crop yield was then usually shared equally between them
● To some sharecropping meant freedom from white supervision and an incentive to work
● For others it was no better than slavery
● The Freedmen’s Bureau was established by Congress in March 1865
● It was designed to provide former slaves with food, clothes, fuel and medical care
● It was then re-authorised in 1866
● Some viewed it as a Republican tool that encouraged dependency
● Others believed it did useful work with healthcare, education and employment
Social:
● The majority of white Southerners were unwilling to accept black people as their equals
● Resentful as the Civil War had destroyed the South’s economy and killed many men
● Black demands for equality further increased resentment
● Led to race riots in the South 1865-66 in Memphis, Louisiana and New Orleans
● Black people were killed and raped and their communities destroyed
Political:
● There were many differing views over the role of former slaves in politics
● Radical Republicans were keen to allow former slaves the right to vote
3
, President Andrew Johnson:
● Born and raised in South by a poor family
● Democrat
● When the Civil War started he remained loyal to the Union
● Was Lincoln’s running mate in the 1864 campaign
● Became Vice President
● Became President after Lincoln was assassinated in April 1865
● Knew the Southern states had to be reincorporated into the Union, known as
Reconstruction
● Believed the loyalty of white Southerners needed to be restored
● Believed federal intervention in the political, social and economic systems of states was
against states’ rights
● Believed black Americans were not equal to white Americans and should not be allowed
the vote
● Believed conciliatory policies towards the South were best
Radical Reconstruction 1867-77:
● Radical Reconstruction = Post- Civil War policies imposed by Congress on the South
which decreased the power of former confederates and increased the power of former
slaves
● When Congress met in December 1865, there was great North/South tensions
● Northerners still felt bitterness towards the South and believed that the supremacy of the
white elite had been restored under Presidential Reconstruction
● Northerners feared a violent black backlash due to white violence
● Northern Republicans believed that former slaves should have some rights like the right
to vote
● Republicans were upset after the Democrats remained the dominant party in the South in
the 1865 elections
● The Republican Congress refused to recognise new state governments in the South
● Two bills cause clashes between Republicans and Johnson & the Democrats
● The first bill aimed to extend the life of the Freedmen’s Bureau
● The second aimed to give black people civil rights
● Johnson used his veto on both bills but Congress overrode him and both bills became
Acts in 1866
● The 1866 Civil Rights Act automatically provided citizenship to all born in the US
(except Native Americans) and recognised the federal government’s ability to intervene
in state affairs to protect citizens’ rights
4
