What was the position of African Americans in 1865

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  • Created by: Lauren72
  • Created on: 18-03-19 11:28

AFRICAN AMERICANS - 1861- civil war

Background- causes and why did the north win? 

- 1861-1895 - civil war and Lincoln in power

- Between Northern and southern states  

- cause - slavery however people tried to blame agriculture and other factors 

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Why did the North win civil war?

- had more numbers 

- Produced more resources such as textiles, firearms etc (produced 90% of Americans resources) 

  • Better agriculture 
  • South feared Lincoln was about to end slavery 
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Did Lincoln free the slaves?

  •  emancipation proclamation (1863) - said that all slaves should be free in places that he didn’t have the power to…
  • BUT slaves confederate states so out of his power 
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How did the slaves gain freedom??

  • Said that the slaves freed themselves when they ran away to union frontline (in the civil war) as contraband and was used in the war
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How did the slaves gain freedom??

  • Said that the slaves freed themselves when they ran away to union frontline (in the civil war) as contraband and was used in the war
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what did the emancipation of the slaves mean for A

  • There were 4 million African American slaves in the USA at the outbreak of civil war
  • feb 1865- 13th amendment was signed stating that “neither slavery or involuntary servitude… shall exist within the united states” 
  • April 1865 - surrender of the confederate states 
  • All slaves in the south became free.. 

however... 

- New status as freedom did not mean they immediately gain the same right as their former white owners 

- Position of African Americans were left unresolved after the war

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two suggestions to overcome position of AA in 1865

  1. Former slaves leave the USA
  2. Same rights and status as whites 

legally free but not yet seen as free

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What could AA do?

African Americans had no means of making a living… so there was am issue of what they were free to do. The US government was going to give African Americans land but this fell through.. 

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Sharecropping:

Sharecropping is a form of agriculture in which a landowner allows a tenant to use the land in return for a share of the crops produced on their portion of land. Sharecropping has a long history and there are a wide range of different situations and types of agreements that have used a form of the system

African Americans suffered a huge amount of violence in the aftermath of the war for any supposed lack of resect of the whites and any attempts to make use of the rights given to them. Also, the amount o segregation increased.. 

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post-war and sharecropping

  • he us government was uncertain about what to do about the problem of millions of freed slaves and the southern ‘rebels’ whom they had defeated 
  • The white population was uncertain about how far to go with measures for greater equality 
  • African Americans were uncertain about their role and status in post-war America and how far to press for equality 
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Issues with sharecroppers

  • Going back to old ways… 
  • Unfair contracts 
  • Punished for not making quoters 
  • Cotton loses value 
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