Were Black Americans Made Free and Equal by the Abolition...

While the formal abolition of slavery, on the 6th of December 1865 freed black Americans from their slave labour, they were still unequal to and discriminated by white Americans for the next century. This ‘freedom’, meant that black Americans ‘felt like a bird out of a cage’ , but this freedom from slavery did not equate to their complete liberty, rather they were kept in destitute through their economic, social, and political state. After the black Americans were freed from their slave masters they did not have ‘a cent in their pockets’ and ‘without a hut to shelter them’ . This obvious lack a home, and the monetary funds needed to support them [the freed slaves] and their families, together with the lack of widespread Government†¦show more content†¦While this economic destitute directly affected most ex-slaves directly in a physical manner, its indirect effects of encouraging prejudice had a far deeper impact on society. The negative attitudes towards black Americans, influenced by racism, wealth (the lack thereof), violence, and white supremacy, ensured that black inequality would remain. While there was ‘no racial prejudice in the American dollar , the obvious lack of economic support for most black Americans, meant that there already low acceptance among the primarily white American population, shrunk further due to enhanced prejudice because of their [the ex-slaves] economic destitute. The social hierarchy created during the time of slavery in America meant that equality for black, newly freed slaves was very hard to achieve, because (almost) century old traditions needed to be changed. The belief in white supremacy was encouraged by philosophies, like Social Darwinism pioneered by Herbert Spencer, which meant that ‘attitudes towards black people were reinforced’ . The prejudice against black Americans meant that they would become the subject to violence from racist white group s, like the Ku Klux Klan. This ‘made the creation of equal citizens, regardless of their colour, more difficultShow MoreRelatedWacquant - From Slavery to Mass Incarceration - Critique and Reflection1394 Words   |  6 PagesFrom Slavery to Mass Incarceration: Necessary Extremes Of the supplementary readings provided, I found â€Å"From Slavery to Mass Incarceration† by Loà ¯c Wacquant the most intriguing. This particular article is based on â€Å"rethinking the ‘race question’ in the US† and the disproportionate institutions set apart for African Americans in the United States. 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