What did Southerner states attempt to achieve through enacting and enforcing Black Codes (such as in Mississippi)? What rights were recognized? What rights, in your view, are denied?
What does Frederick Douglas mean when he uses the term “composite nation”? How does Douglas relate the issue of Chinese immigration and naturalization to American society’s treatment of Native Americans and Black Americans?
How does Elliot defend the constitutionality of the Civil Rights Bill? From Elliot’s perspective, would the Black Codes be considered legal under the U.S. Constitution?
The discussion should be about 1-2 paragraphs in length. The discussion should answer the question in language that takes a strong position and makes your answer to the question abundantly clear. Avoid writing a response that offers only a general discussion of the topic. Rather, write in such a way that makes clear you are trying to prove a point—to convince somebody of your perspective.
–Students will also respond to at least two classmates’ posts. Your response to a classmate’s post should be about a paragraph long and of substance. Be cordial in your response to a classmate’s post.
–Because this discussion is less formal than the essays and allows students to express their “opinions” without the accompanying “academic research,” students do not need to reference sources. Still, the discussion should be informed by the readings associated with Module 1 on the Reconstruction, the Gilded Age, and the American West.
Textbook Chapter 15-16
https://www.americanyawp.com/
please reply following peers
1.
Some things that Southern States attempted to achieve through enacting and enforcing Black Codes was to keep African Americans from having the same rights as white citizens. They aimed to maintain the white supremacy that has been practiced for decades prior. Even though black citizens were gaining more rights during this era, these black codes restricted those rights so that it is almost as if the rights were never even granted to them. The black codes even controlled black citizens as if they were back into slavery. They achieved this by applying strict labor contracts and giving them almost no way to attain their own property; they were not allowed to serve on a jury or testify against white citizens. All these codes combined gave African Americans very little room for improvement and they struggled greatly to move forward.
Some rights that at the very least were recognized for African Americans is their right to legally marry and own property. Although they can do these things by law, there were many odds against them so very few could even practice these rights. They were discriminated against in every way possible including economically. In my view, I would say that the rights blacks were denied goes far beyond what we know from the laws in place. They lacked basic human rights and although slavery was abolished, almost nothing had been changed. There was so much progress to be made and such limited opportunities to move forward.
2.
Black Codes as illustrated in Chapter 15 – Reconstruction of ‘American Yawp’, were enacted in the Southern states such as Mississippi, to control African American actions and to constrict their new post emancipation freedoms such as their social and economic wellbeing, even when slavery had been abolished. The Black Codes gave African Americans some flexibility as seen with the rights to marry, create contracts and own property, all rights that were denied during slavery. In addition to these, the Black Codes also gave African Americans the right to be employed (as servants) under exploited settings which underscored the state of welfare for African Americans and their promised freedoms. I believe that the Black Codes were an attempt of the Southerner States to prevent further progress in emancipation and to guarantee labor that was needed for the economic comfort of landowners and white democrats. In comparison Black Codes restricted and denied many common rights for African Americans. One main example was the “Vagrancy Law”, which required all freedmen to have employment papers with them at all times, if these individuals could not demonstrate employment when questioned they would consequently be arrested and fined. This ‘Vagrant’ law went on to the extremes as well, being that if the freedman was not able to pay their fine they would be forced into unpaid labor to a employer willing to pay the tax. Another instance in which the Southern states took the rights of African Americans to restore their antebellum state is the right to serve on juries which excluded African Americans from being able to partake in congress and legal systems, overall denying the right of full citizenship, another fundamental right.
In summary, the Black Codes were known to halt the process of the emancipation proclamation created by Lincoln, so that the Democratic antebellum state could be restored once again and to reinforce the racial and economic structure. With these actions, African Americas’ civil liberties and opportunities for freedom and equality were stopped. Even though the Black Codes acklowdged some basic rights such as marriage and property, it denied the fundamental rights of citizens of the United Stated of America.
