Slavery and Racism in America

American Slavery Black people were originally brought from Africa to America during the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries. They were forcibly transported across the Atlantic in slave ships (in which many died) and sold as slaves to work on sugar and cotton plantations in the Caribbean and the southern states of north America. They had no rights and were seen by their white owners as little more than animals or machines. Even after the abolition of slavery in 1865, the blacks were still almost powerless. The whites had too much to lose to allow blacks any rights. Nothing was equal: blacks had the worst of everything while whites had the best. Such was the hatred of blacks by the whites - especially during the Great Depression of the 1930s, when money was tight for everyone - that it was common for blacks to be lynched or hanged by a mob well into the 20th century - so there was good reason for Atticus to sit outside the jail to protect Tom Robinson before his trial.

Segregation and injustice In the 1930s, although 50% of the population of Southern towns were black, they had no vote and could not marry whites. The policy of segregation meant that blacks had to have their own schools, their own churches, their own football teams, even their own cemeteries. In the novel, Scout and Jem get into trouble with Aunt Alexandra for attending the blacks' church. The blacks file into the courthouse after the whites and have to sit up in the balcony, away from the whites. Some whites formed vigilante groups to intimidate and even murder blacks; and right up until the 1950s it was common for black men to be accused of assaulting white women on the basis of little or no evidence. In 1931 when Harper Lee was 5, nine young black men were accused of raping two white women on a train. After a series of bitter trials, four of the men were sentenced to long prison sentences - even though prominent lawyers argued that the accusations were false. It was later discovered that the women were lying.

Although migration to the North and the West began soon after the Civil War ended, the great majority of black Americans still lived in the Southern states where white superiority was enforced and where the slavery culture was still warmly remembered and embraced. In many of these states discrimination was not just commonplace - it was legal. States such as Alabama introduced a series of laws to keep the races separated and the black population under control. These measures were nicknamed the 'Jim Crow' laws, after a fictional character in the popular minstrel shows that made fun of black people. These laws enforced the strict segregation of the races and rigidly maintained the inferior status of black citizens. Typical laws included: Public transport waiting rooms were strictly segregated.

Places open to the public such as shops, hotels, cinemas, theatres and libraries had to provide separate rooms and facilities for the different races. Education. Legally, black children could be educated in separate schools, so long as the schooling was of an equal educational standard. In reality, schools for black Americans were far from equal, and the quality of education provided was inferior. In 1896, the Supreme Court upheld that this policy was legal and fair. In most of the Southern states, inter-marriage between blacks and whites was illegal. In employment, blacks received lower pay than whites and they were restricted to work of lower status, such as janitors, cleaners, and porters. Southern towns were strictly segregated into black and white residential areas

Race relations between the wars The status of black Americans After the end of the American Civil War in 1865, legislation was passed to end slavery. For the first time since their transportation to the nation, black Americans were legally free. Further legislation followed soon after to make it illegal for people to be denied the vote or discriminated against because of the colour of their skin. Despite these good intentions, black Americans still faced hostility, bigotry and persecution. Most whites believed that blacks were inferior in every way. Politically, socially, and economically, black Americans were second- class citizens. They had to be kept in their place. For most white Americans, the question of equal rights for black Americans simply did not arise.