What Is The Importance Of African American Education

How much of American history do you know? Black history is a part of America’s history, but why is it not deeply taught in schools? In schools we often talk about white American leaders or wars America has won, but not much history of other cultures in America. We may hear a little information about certain minority leaders who fought for a change, but not much facts. If today’s youth aren’t being taught about the thing’s their ancestors have gone through and all the things that has happened and why, many will grow up ignorant. Dr. Martin Luther King, Rosa Parks, Jackie Robinson, these are only a few people mentioned in class, but what about Claudette Colvin who nine months before Rosa Parks, decided not to get off the bus and was taken to jail, or Emmett Till who was 14 and brutally beaten and killed for whistling at a white woman. These are only a few who are not mentioned in our history books or classrooms.

Life for African Americans some what changed for the better, temporarily. Slavery was Abolished in the south, but that didn 't really mean that the blacks were equal or really free. Constitutional additions specifically the 13th amendment which stated, “Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction” the 14th amendment which stated, “All persons born or naturalized in the United States and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside”, and the 15th amendment which stated, “The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude” (United States Constitution). But blacks encountered crippling complications. During the reconstruction Blacks encountered severe white incrimination and several instances of out right violence “a Freedman living on the plantation of James W. Wade in Fort Bend Co. was arrested, chained and whipped by the wades and others” (Records of the Assistant Commissioner for the State of Texas).

Being enslaved was not an easy job for African Americans. African Americans survived slavery through their connection with their culture. They then went on to contribute to the economic and social development of the South and America. African Americans survived the institution of slavery and Africanized the American South. They helped free themselves by sticking together as a family, resisting, as well as wanting slavery to change. They freed themselves by 1865. They founded institutions, for example, black colleges, churches, banks, insurance companies, fraternities and sororities to uplift their race.

The African Americans had a big impact on the Civil War. They had to have all of these laws and papers wrote because of the slavery deal. They had the role of the debate for slavery. They were the slaves and they wanted to have their freedom. The Declaration of Independence said that, “All men are created equal”, but the slaves were not free. They shaped the Civil War by having the Emancipation Proclamation, the fourteenth amendment, and the fifteenth amendment. The consequences would be that at first the newly freed slaves wouldn’t have a place to go, because they never had no money and they didn’t have all their rights yet.

In the 1930s, many white farm owners would pull black students out of school to work for them even if they did not need them. They did this because they did not think they deserved an education. Many students had to drop out of school to work for their family, because the family was not making enough money to live off of. Many of the African Americans that attended school never got past the fourth grade.

They had many more rights than they had before however they still experienced a large amount of hate. African Americans migrated during the Great Migration due to poor living conditions and treatment in the Southeast of the United States (Phillips 33) . “For many blacks, their departure from the South was a response to, and a defiance of, the coercions used to keep them bound to segregation” (Phillips 39). In the 1920’s, treatment of African Americans was different, blacks were able to do more such as getting a job however, some felt as though the hate they would get for it wasn 't worth it. Although, there would always be challenges that African Americans would have to face such as landowners supporting the passing of laws meant to control the mobility of blacks, limit their wages, and minimize their chance to purchase and own land (Phillips 33).

Long ago, African American people were sold to be slaves. They struggle for freedom and have to listen to the owner, or the white people and listen to their commands. The owner or the white people doesn't care much about them and making them work hard non stop. But, people began to stand up and fought for the African American people. A civil war even happened to decide whether to keep slaves or not.

Post Civil War, African Americans started to gain rights to gain rights, and soon gain rights equal to whites. While there were some people/things standing in their way (KKK, Black Codes), in the end they got what they needed; Equality. Many acts and laws were passed to aid the new rights now held by African Americans, as well as the numerous people willing to help. New Amendments were added to give African Americans rights after the war, all giving them some equal rights to whites. The first of the three added was the Thirteenth Amendment, it gave African Americans freedom from slave owners, and stated that no one could be kept as a slave in the U.S..

Although slavery was declared over after the passing of the thirteenth amendment, African Americans were not being treated with the respect or equality they deserved. Socially, politically and economically, African American people were not being given equal opportunities as white people. They had certain laws directed at them, which held them back from being equal to their white peers. They also had certain requirements, making it difficult for many African Americans to participate in the opportunity to vote for government leaders. Although they were freed from slavery, there was still a long way to go for equality through America’s reconstruction plan.

African-American in the late 1800s and early in the 1900s were socially, politically and economically restricted from participating in the Southern state. Although, slaves were abolished in the 1865, even though they were free and escape the brutality in the South, their rights of human being were still taking away from them. They were given little right such as owning property in specific area. African-American could sue, be sued and testify in court only involving other African-Americans. They were given the right to get marry, however, they could not interact or have an relationship outside of race.

After a troublesome and torrid time, the black people or what so called slaves, were entering the 20th century with hope of not being discriminated after the slavery had been abolished in the late 19th century. The beginning of 20th century had overseen the stampede of worldwide immigrants to America as they seek for a better life. As for African-Americans, they were entering the phase where they found themselves almost identical with the past century despite the slavery being abolished. Though the abolishment of slavery was written in the 13th Amendment, some of the states still legalized it. They were still in the same position as they were before in some of the states in America.

For hundreds of years historians have debated about the most significant factor for the advancement of civil rights for African-Americans from 1880-1980. Prior to this, African-Americans were largely only slaves, particularly in the South as nearly 4 million black slaves were forced to do extensive labour there allowing them to have no freedom whatsoever. However, during the Civil War, President Lincoln stated all slaves “shall be then, thenceforward, and forever free” as he issued the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863. This abolished slave trade in the US and attempted to bring an end to the Civil War.

The blacks had the same rights as whites but they were not treated the same. A lot of time they really had no rights. The blacks basically stayed in their own community so they would not be bothered. Which leads us to the next topic Social Stratification.

Many slaves had to fight in the war to earn their freedom after the war. But many of the slaves were back into slavery. Many of the slaves escaped from slavery while some moved to Canada or New England, and others stayed to live in the South. Throughout the timeline African Americans were able to vote.

Even though the African Americans were no longer slaves, they were basically treated as such and it became a more apparent issue after the flood. As a result, many African Americans moved north and changed their political views, which caused a big change in the