HSY2601 Assignment 4
Semester 2 2024 - DUE 30
September 2024
QUESTIONS WITH ANSWERS
[School]
[Course title]
,HSY2601 Assignment 4 Semester 2 2024 - DUE 30 September 2024
Discuss the reasons for the unequal relations between black and white people in the 19th-century
US context after the abolition of slavery and beyond.
Recommended Readings:
• The birth of the modern world, : global connections and comparisons / C.A. Bayly.
• Study Guide: HSY2601 HSY2601: THEMES IN 19TH CENTURY HISTORY: POWER AND
THE WESTERN WORLD. 4
The unequal relations between black and white people in the 19th-century US, particularly after
the abolition of slavery, can be attributed to a combination of socio-political, economic, and
cultural factors that persisted long after formal emancipation. These inequalities were deeply
rooted in historical legacies of slavery, entrenched racial ideologies, and the structural power
dynamics that emerged during and after the Civil War. Here are some of the key reasons:
1. Legacy of Slavery
Even after the abolition of slavery with the 13th Amendment in 1865, the social and economic
structures of the United States had been shaped by centuries of racial exploitation. Enslaved
Africans and their descendants had been subjected to a dehumanizing system that treated them as
property, and the ideologies that justified slavery did not disappear overnight. This long history
contributed to ongoing racial discrimination and the systemic exclusion of Black people from
social and political rights.
2. Reconstruction and its Failures
, The period following the Civil War (1865–1877), known as Reconstruction, was a critical
moment in US history when attempts were made to address racial inequalities. Policies such as
the Freedmen’s Bureau and the 14th and 15th Amendments aimed to integrate formerly enslaved
Black people into the political and economic fabric of the nation. However, these efforts faced
significant resistance from white Southerners, who implemented policies like Black Codes and
later Jim Crow laws to maintain white supremacy. The federal government's eventual withdrawal
of support for Reconstruction efforts left Black Americans vulnerable to racial violence and
disenfranchisement.
3. Rise of Segregation and Jim Crow Laws
After Reconstruction, Southern states implemented segregationist policies known as Jim Crow
laws, which institutionalized racial inequality. These laws segregated public spaces, denied Black
Americans access to quality education, and restricted their political rights, particularly through
measures like literacy tests, poll taxes, and grandfather clauses that aimed to prevent Black
people from voting. This created a racial caste system that continued to marginalize Black people
well into the 20th century.
4. Economic Disparities
After the Civil War, Black Americans faced enormous economic challenges. Many formerly
enslaved individuals became sharecroppers, working on land owned by white people in a system
that kept them in perpetual debt and poverty. Economic opportunities were severely limited due
to racial discrimination in hiring, limited access to education, and laws that restricted Black
economic mobility. White Americans, particularly in the South, were determined to retain their
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