Sophia Scher

Monday, March 8, 2015

8H

Change
Racism has been a problem in the world for a very long time, Challenges created by
rasim consists of being separated from other people and not having the same rights as other
people in society. During Reconstruction the African Americans were put in danger by the Ku
Klux Klan and other groups that didnt like African Americans; that still can happen today even
though African Americans have the same rights as whites. To express my opinion on change,
African Americans have come a long way since Reconstruction in being equal and having the
same rights not having two parts of a public bus where whites sit in the front and African
Americans sit in the back. Racism has caused many social and economic challenges , created
hostile events in our countrys history, and restricted the rights of African Americans.
Back in the late 1800s before and during Reconstruction, African Americans were
separated from whites and did not have many of the same rights. Most of the rights that African
Americans wanted was denied by they had to fight for what they believed in. One challenge for
the African Americans were black codes. According to The American Journey History Book
Volume Two, Black Codes restricted freed African American men and woman and enabled
plantation owners to exploit African American workers. Another challenge for the African
Americans was having the same rights as white people did. President Abe Lincoln wanted the
African Americans to have the same rights as whites, but when he was assassinated Vice
President Johnson didnt want them to have the same rights. A specific right that Lincoln wanted
the African Americans to have was the Fifteenth Amendment. The Fifteenth Amendment gave
the right for any man to vote no matter their race or religion. (page 503 American Journey
History Book).
One way to compare and contrast Africans Americans from the late 1800s to now is the
voting policy. In the late 1800s when African Americans were discriminated against, they also
werent allowed to vote. Now all people are allowed to vote but, you have to be over the age 18
and be a legal citizen of the U.S. The process took at least three Amendments for African
American men to vote; the Thirteenth Amendment, the Fourteenth Amendment and the Fifteenth
Amendment. African Americans are now treated the same as whites and not put in danger as
much as they were, with the different terrorist groups. For example, the Ku KLux Klan, in the
late 1800s, burned African Americans homes, schools, and churches.
In my opinion not everything has to be exactly fair and equal in a society or group. Our
country has changed a lot from the 1800s and 1900s. For the most part, African Americans have
the same opportunities as the rest of the population. I am satisfied with the change in our country
because no one is discriminated for their race, or religion most of the time. For example at my
old school I was discriminated against for being kosher. Certain groups should not be treated
differently due to their race, religion, or appearance should not be treated the way they were in
the late 1800s but in way that is reasonable.
In conclusion, there has been a lot of change since the Civil War and segregation. There
were a lot of challenges for African Americans back then but now they are treated in the right
way. There was a lot of information to compare and contrast from the 1800s to now. Racism was
very common then but it has changed in our society. Our country has matured and is not judging
anyone on their race, religion, or appearance most of the time.