CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT IN THE USA – PT1
Origins: The Unites Staes of America was formed in 1776 after the War of Independence
and The Declaration of Independence. The Declaration of Independence declared all
men equal: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that
they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are
Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness” [Declaration of Independence: A
Transcription | National Archives].
Within the USA’s agricultural sector, mainly based in the South, the owning of slaves
was very common as slaves were needed for labour. This had been common since the
beginning of the British and French colonialism in the region. It was the transatlantic
slave trade that transported millions of enslaved Africans to the Americas.
Slavery was vital to the economy in the USA, mainly the South, where cotton and
tobacco contributed to the economy. This form of slavery has called “chattel slavery”.
Conditions of enslaved Black Americans were horrible as they were dehumanized and
treated as animals. Freedom was only an option for very few people.
This desire for freedom later made room for a woman, who would become vital in
history, who escaped slavery and started an operation of freeing enslaved people
along the Underground Railroad before the Civil War. This woman was called Harriet
Tubman.
Read more here: Harriet Tubman | Biography, Facts, & Underground Railroad |
Britannica
Worldwide movements for freedom increased in the late 1700s and the early 1800s,
which eventually aided in the banning of importing captive/enslaved people from Africa
to the United States, which ended the transatlantic slave trade. However, this did not
stop slavery as slaves could still be bought, traded and sold within the USA until the end
of the USA Civil War.
Due to the USA Civil War, the North desired for slavery to be abolished whereas the
South did not. Many Southern states thus seceded from the Union and a war happened
to re-incorporate them. The North (Union) reined victorious over the South
(Confererates) and as a peace settlement, three amendments were made. [List of the
27 Amendments]
- The 13th amendment: abolishment of slavery; citizenship granted to previous
enslaved people.
- The 14th amendment: granted citizenship and equal protection under the law to
all people
Origins: The Unites Staes of America was formed in 1776 after the War of Independence
and The Declaration of Independence. The Declaration of Independence declared all
men equal: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that
they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are
Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness” [Declaration of Independence: A
Transcription | National Archives].
Within the USA’s agricultural sector, mainly based in the South, the owning of slaves
was very common as slaves were needed for labour. This had been common since the
beginning of the British and French colonialism in the region. It was the transatlantic
slave trade that transported millions of enslaved Africans to the Americas.
Slavery was vital to the economy in the USA, mainly the South, where cotton and
tobacco contributed to the economy. This form of slavery has called “chattel slavery”.
Conditions of enslaved Black Americans were horrible as they were dehumanized and
treated as animals. Freedom was only an option for very few people.
This desire for freedom later made room for a woman, who would become vital in
history, who escaped slavery and started an operation of freeing enslaved people
along the Underground Railroad before the Civil War. This woman was called Harriet
Tubman.
Read more here: Harriet Tubman | Biography, Facts, & Underground Railroad |
Britannica
Worldwide movements for freedom increased in the late 1700s and the early 1800s,
which eventually aided in the banning of importing captive/enslaved people from Africa
to the United States, which ended the transatlantic slave trade. However, this did not
stop slavery as slaves could still be bought, traded and sold within the USA until the end
of the USA Civil War.
Due to the USA Civil War, the North desired for slavery to be abolished whereas the
South did not. Many Southern states thus seceded from the Union and a war happened
to re-incorporate them. The North (Union) reined victorious over the South
(Confererates) and as a peace settlement, three amendments were made. [List of the
27 Amendments]
- The 13th amendment: abolishment of slavery; citizenship granted to previous
enslaved people.
- The 14th amendment: granted citizenship and equal protection under the law to
all people
