HSY2601 Assignment 4
Semester 2 2024 - DUE 30
September 2024
QUESTIONS WITH COMPLETE 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
US context, especially after the abolition of slavery, were shaped by a
complex interplay of historical, social, political, and economic factors. The
abolition of slavery in 1865, marked by the Thirteenth Amendment, did not
instantly dismantle the deep-rooted racial hierarchy that had defined
American society. Rather, the legacy of slavery and the societal structures
it created continued to enforce inequality in various ways. To understand
the persistence of these unequal relations, several key factors must be
considered:
1. The Legacy of Slavery
Slavery, which had been a foundational institution in the southern US for
centuries, shaped social and racial relations. White supremacy was deeply
entrenched in American society, and after emancipation, many white
Americans—particularly in the South—sought to maintain social, political,
, and economic control over African Americans. Slavery had dehumanized
Black people, treating them as property and enforcing a racial hierarchy
that would outlast the formal institution of slavery itself. Even with slavery’s
abolition, many white people continued to view Black people as inferior,
leading to the development of new mechanisms of control.
2. Reconstruction and Its Failures
During Reconstruction (1865–1877), the US government made some
efforts to promote equality for newly freed Black Americans, including the
passage of the Fourteenth Amendment (granting citizenship) and the
Fifteenth Amendment (granting voting rights to Black men). However,
Reconstruction faced fierce resistance from southern whites, who formed
violent groups such as the Ku Klux Klan to intimidate and oppress Black
people. While there was a brief period of political empowerment for African
Americans during Reconstruction, with some holding public office and
participating in governance, this progress was short-lived.
The end of Reconstruction in 1877, marked by the withdrawal of federal
troops from the South, allowed southern states to implement discriminatory
laws and practices. White supremacists regained control, and African
Americans were systematically disenfranchised through mechanisms like
literacy tests, poll taxes, and grandfather clauses, which were designed to
prevent Black people from voting.
3. Jim Crow Laws and Segregation
In the late 19th century, southern states began enacting Jim Crow laws,
which institutionalized racial segregation. These laws enforced the
separation of Black and white people in public spaces, schools,
Semester 2 2024 - DUE 30
September 2024
QUESTIONS WITH COMPLETE 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
US context, especially after the abolition of slavery, were shaped by a
complex interplay of historical, social, political, and economic factors. The
abolition of slavery in 1865, marked by the Thirteenth Amendment, did not
instantly dismantle the deep-rooted racial hierarchy that had defined
American society. Rather, the legacy of slavery and the societal structures
it created continued to enforce inequality in various ways. To understand
the persistence of these unequal relations, several key factors must be
considered:
1. The Legacy of Slavery
Slavery, which had been a foundational institution in the southern US for
centuries, shaped social and racial relations. White supremacy was deeply
entrenched in American society, and after emancipation, many white
Americans—particularly in the South—sought to maintain social, political,
, and economic control over African Americans. Slavery had dehumanized
Black people, treating them as property and enforcing a racial hierarchy
that would outlast the formal institution of slavery itself. Even with slavery’s
abolition, many white people continued to view Black people as inferior,
leading to the development of new mechanisms of control.
2. Reconstruction and Its Failures
During Reconstruction (1865–1877), the US government made some
efforts to promote equality for newly freed Black Americans, including the
passage of the Fourteenth Amendment (granting citizenship) and the
Fifteenth Amendment (granting voting rights to Black men). However,
Reconstruction faced fierce resistance from southern whites, who formed
violent groups such as the Ku Klux Klan to intimidate and oppress Black
people. While there was a brief period of political empowerment for African
Americans during Reconstruction, with some holding public office and
participating in governance, this progress was short-lived.
The end of Reconstruction in 1877, marked by the withdrawal of federal
troops from the South, allowed southern states to implement discriminatory
laws and practices. White supremacists regained control, and African
Americans were systematically disenfranchised through mechanisms like
literacy tests, poll taxes, and grandfather clauses, which were designed to
prevent Black people from voting.
3. Jim Crow Laws and Segregation
In the late 19th century, southern states began enacting Jim Crow laws,
which institutionalized racial segregation. These laws enforced the
separation of Black and white people in public spaces, schools,
