There's no secret that slavery existed here in America. Stories and photos of Africans turned African-Americans fill historic records and texts with tales of sorrow and heart-br
eak. Families were ripped apart through slave trading and bloodlines tainted due to slaves being raped. After President Lincoln emancipated the slaves, there was still a level of animosity towards African-Americans generally and politically. Politically there were the Jim Crow laws. These laws prevented blacks from living equally among whites. Anti-African-American racism was pretty much legal, and even if gruesome acts were brought to trial, often times than not, whites you were put on trial were acquitted. It wasn't until the civil rights movement of the 1960's that the issue was adequately addressed. This means from the 1880s to the 1960s (roughly 80 to 90 years) blacks were freed without being free. They were still targets for hate crimes, still not recognized as members of t
he general population, and still weren't seen as human beings in many cases. States all across the nation created separate entrances and refused service to African-Americans, and many other minorities during this era.
The struggle of racial equality is still a relevant issue today. Though things have looked up for minorities there are still hurtles left to climb by themselves and those hell
bent on bigotry and racial segregation.
Examples of Jim Crow laws: http://academic.udayton.edu/race/02rights/jcrow02.htm
When I look at the issue of slavery I agree with what the leaders of the time did, but I also feel we as a people could have created our own society instead of trying to fit in and being beat up by another society (white society) that didn't want blacks apart. At this time there were plenty of teachers in the black community that could have taught the black students because we already knew the white teachers didn't want to be bothered. Not saying we shouldn't have fought and shouldn't still fight for equal rights, but we can still have our own society where we know we all will be accepted.
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