[Company name]
HSY2601
Assignment 4
Semester 2 2024 -
DUE 30 September
2024
QUESTIONS WITH DETAILED ANSWERS
,HSY2601 Assignment 4 Semester 2 2024 - DUE 30 September 2024
Discuss the reasons for the unequal relations between black and white people in the
19th-century US context after the abolition of slavery and beyond.
Recommended Readings:
• The birth of the modern world, : global connections and comparisons / C.A. Bayly.
• Study Guide: HSY2601 HSY2601: THEMES IN 19TH CENTURY HISTORY: POWER
AND THE WESTERN WORLD. 4 OR
The unequal relations between black and white people in the 19th-century U.S. context,
particularly after the abolition of slavery, were shaped by several interconnected social,
economic, political, and cultural factors. These factors perpetuated a system of white
supremacy even after legal emancipation in 1865, when the 13th Amendment formally
abolished slavery. To fully understand these dynamics, it is essential to explore how
these forces interacted to maintain racial hierarchies.
1. The Legacy of Slavery
Slavery had been the economic and social foundation of the Southern U.S. for
centuries. The deeply entrenched ideology of white supremacy was a primary factor in
creating unequal relations. Even after emancipation, the racialized view of African
Americans as inferior persisted. Former slave owners and much of white society still
believed that black people were not fit for full citizenship or equality.
Although slavery was abolished, this legacy shaped the post-Civil War era, reinforcing
the idea that black people should remain in a subordinate position. White Southerners,
, in particular, sought to maintain economic and social control through various means,
despite the formal end of slavery.
2. Economic Dependency and Sharecropping
After emancipation, the Southern economy was devastated. The plantation economy,
which had relied on slave labor, was in ruins, and many former slaves found themselves
economically dependent on their former masters or other white landowners.
Sharecropping became a common practice in which freedmen worked a portion of a
white landowner’s farm in exchange for a share of the crop.
However, the sharecropping system was exploitative and ensured that black families
remained in a cycle of poverty and debt. Landowners typically charged high interest
rates for supplies and tools, and many black sharecroppers were trapped in a system
that offered little economic mobility. This economic arrangement reinforced a social
hierarchy where white landowners held the power, perpetuating the subordinate status
of African Americans.
3. Reconstruction and the Rise of Jim Crow Laws
During Reconstruction (1865–1877), the federal government implemented policies
aimed at rebuilding the South and integrating African Americans into society as free
citizens. The 14th and 15th Amendments granted African Americans citizenship and
voting rights, respectively. For a brief period, African Americans participated in political
life, with some even holding public office.
However, the backlash against Reconstruction was swift and severe. White supremacist
groups, such as the Ku Klux Klan, used violence and intimidation to prevent black
people from exercising their new rights. The Compromise of 1877, which ended
Reconstruction, marked the beginning of the systematic rollback of African American
HSY2601
Assignment 4
Semester 2 2024 -
DUE 30 September
2024
QUESTIONS WITH DETAILED ANSWERS
,HSY2601 Assignment 4 Semester 2 2024 - DUE 30 September 2024
Discuss the reasons for the unequal relations between black and white people in the
19th-century US context after the abolition of slavery and beyond.
Recommended Readings:
• The birth of the modern world, : global connections and comparisons / C.A. Bayly.
• Study Guide: HSY2601 HSY2601: THEMES IN 19TH CENTURY HISTORY: POWER
AND THE WESTERN WORLD. 4 OR
The unequal relations between black and white people in the 19th-century U.S. context,
particularly after the abolition of slavery, were shaped by several interconnected social,
economic, political, and cultural factors. These factors perpetuated a system of white
supremacy even after legal emancipation in 1865, when the 13th Amendment formally
abolished slavery. To fully understand these dynamics, it is essential to explore how
these forces interacted to maintain racial hierarchies.
1. The Legacy of Slavery
Slavery had been the economic and social foundation of the Southern U.S. for
centuries. The deeply entrenched ideology of white supremacy was a primary factor in
creating unequal relations. Even after emancipation, the racialized view of African
Americans as inferior persisted. Former slave owners and much of white society still
believed that black people were not fit for full citizenship or equality.
Although slavery was abolished, this legacy shaped the post-Civil War era, reinforcing
the idea that black people should remain in a subordinate position. White Southerners,
, in particular, sought to maintain economic and social control through various means,
despite the formal end of slavery.
2. Economic Dependency and Sharecropping
After emancipation, the Southern economy was devastated. The plantation economy,
which had relied on slave labor, was in ruins, and many former slaves found themselves
economically dependent on their former masters or other white landowners.
Sharecropping became a common practice in which freedmen worked a portion of a
white landowner’s farm in exchange for a share of the crop.
However, the sharecropping system was exploitative and ensured that black families
remained in a cycle of poverty and debt. Landowners typically charged high interest
rates for supplies and tools, and many black sharecroppers were trapped in a system
that offered little economic mobility. This economic arrangement reinforced a social
hierarchy where white landowners held the power, perpetuating the subordinate status
of African Americans.
3. Reconstruction and the Rise of Jim Crow Laws
During Reconstruction (1865–1877), the federal government implemented policies
aimed at rebuilding the South and integrating African Americans into society as free
citizens. The 14th and 15th Amendments granted African Americans citizenship and
voting rights, respectively. For a brief period, African Americans participated in political
life, with some even holding public office.
However, the backlash against Reconstruction was swift and severe. White supremacist
groups, such as the Ku Klux Klan, used violence and intimidation to prevent black
people from exercising their new rights. The Compromise of 1877, which ended
Reconstruction, marked the beginning of the systematic rollback of African American
