Introduction
In the United States, the struggle for equal rights for people of different races has continued for centuries. The road to equality was long and arduous, and the struggle was accompanied by riots, mass arrests, and even murder (Belgrave and Kevin 10). In this way, it is essential to examine the African American experience during the colonial period, the Revolutionary Era, the New Nation of Sectionalism, the Civil War, and Reconstruction.
The African American Experience in Different Periods
It is significant to note that during the colonial period, Africans began to be transported to the United States. From 1525 to 1866, according to researchers from Emory University, 12.5 million people were brought to America from Africa (Belgrave and Kevin 16). Allison. Not all of them endured the hardships of the long journey in terrible conditions, about 10.7 million men, women and children reached the American shores alive. A total of about 400,000 enslaved people were brought into the United States (Belgrave and Kevin 16). The Africans at first had no clear legal status in the North American colonies; they were formally neither indentured servants nor slaves.
Throughout American history, Africans have played a crucial role in the country’s struggle for independence since the colonial period. Although the exact number is unclear, many African Americans were involved on both sides of the War of Independence. By late 1775 Washington decided to allow the recruitment of free men of color, although Washington was adamant about preventing enslaved people from joining the army (Belgrave and Kevin 16). Meanwhile, the Navy Service did not hesitate to permit African Americans to join the military. Black soldiers performed in both the Navy and the newly created Marines.
During the period of the new nation, the federal government conducted the nation’s first census. The census takers found that one-fifth of Americans were African Americans held in slavery. That is about 800,000 enslaved people who worked for whites and lived below the poverty line (Feagin 50). During the period of sectionalism, the problem between the South and the North of the United States worsened. The South lagged in development and did not profit even with the use of enslaved people, who were primarily African American (Feagin 52). In the North, though, there was an active spread of sentiment that promoted excellent slavery. This way, African Americans could labor on their own farms and gain their freedom.
The Civil War was the first time whites recognized the right of blacks to fight for their freedom and become citizens of the United States. Despite blacks’ willingness to shed blood, the Civil War was only the first step toward independence for people of color in America. Black soldiers, who sacrificed their lives as much as whites, were treated differently by commanders. By June 1864, instead of the standard salary of $15 a month, black soldiers received $7 (Feagin 74). They were assigned more often to hard labor and occasionally allowed to serve as officers. After the North’s victory, blacks received only a fraction of the freedoms to which U.S. citizens were entitled. During Reconstruction, African Americans who gained their freedom faced problems (Feagin 81). They wanted to build their households and receive the same rights as whites. African Americans had limited rights they could not protect and were harassed by whites.
Conclusion
Hence, Africans were transported to the United States and sold into slavery, where they were subjected to oppression and poor living conditions. Later African Americans began to fight for their independence and the right to participate in the war, which enabled them to develop other rights. At the time of the New Nation, African Americans in the North already had certain privileges, while there was still slavery in the South. During the Civil War, African Americans were officially granted freedom from slavery. Although during Reconstruction, there were problems with the protection of legal rights.
Works Cited
Belgrave, Faye, and Kevin Allison. African American Psychology: From Africa to America. Sage Publications, 2018.
Feagin, Joe. The White Racial Frame: Centuries of Racial Framing and Counter-Framing. Routledge, 2020.