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germangirl's avatar

Why were there such strict rules for African American?

Asked by germangirl (26 points ) 3 months ago

Why were there such strict rules/laws for African American? (In the 19 century)

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15 Answers

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syz's avatar

1) You need to be more specific
2) We don’t do homework

Adirondackwannabe's avatar

@germangirl Are you familar with the US’s slavery era?

Espiritus_Corvus's avatar

They were slaves, basically farm animals with the ability to think, talk, and breed on a level with their masters. They were smart, valuable property who could escape at any time. They could be charming and seductive—but since they were considered sub-human, personal association, personal interaction, and sexual intercourse with whites was considered bestiality, the same as having connubial relations with a cow or a sheep It was illegal and the punishments were severe for the white, if female, and fatal for the black. In many cases, for a black man to merely look at a white woman could get him punished or even lynched. Movement was restricted and required a written pass to leave the plantation or home which described specific trip destinations and purpose. If a slave was caught without a pass, he could be either returned to the master for severe punishment, or sold by the finder for profit. Most illegal traveling was simply to visit a lover or a family member and not to escape, but the punishment wasn’t any less severe.

The white masters often feared their slaves and laws were made to cover every contingency.

ibstubro's avatar

Because most natives were brought here to be slaves, meaning they were wholly owned possessions of their owners, body and soul. Often there were given little more consideration than machines are today…fuel, rest and maintenance to continue to be productive.

Slaves were widely believed to be no more than an advanced animal and were afforded about the same consideration. They would be beaten, raped, worked, sold and rewarded as their white owners saw fit.

Even after the Civil War and Emancipation, it took a century for blacks and whites to be considered equal in the US. From the Civil War to Civil Rights there were strict rules to allow blacks rights while denying them the ‘right’ of mixing with whites.

JLeslie's avatar

19th century? Your other question you asked about King and put 19th and then wrote 1900’s. The 19th century is the 1800’s.

African Americans were primarily brought to America as slaves. Once they were all freed many white people did not want the former slaves mixing in with the whites so white people made laws to continue to try to control the black population.

Adirondackwannabe's avatar

You could also look up Jim Crowe for some more references.

Espiritus_Corvus's avatar

If this is a school assignment, you should learn early that common people are poor resources, unless you are after an American viewpoint. Otherwise, I suggest consulting the online German Language Wikipedia and search the following subjects in German:

Slavery in the United States
U.S. post-civil war Reconstruction Era
Jim Crow Laws
U.S. Civil Rights Movement

And in light of your other question here concerning Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., click this:

You will find that he most ardently wanted American blacks to vote.

Good luck, @germangirl, and welcome to Fluther.

diavolobella's avatar

It is spelled Jim Crow (no e), so you’ll need to look it up that way, otherwise you won’t find the information @Adirondackwannabe is directing you toward.

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Dr_Lawrence's avatar

You may want to compare and contrast the treatment of Negros imported to America as slaves to the treatment of Jews in European countries under the control of the Third Reich in the 1930’s and early 1940’s. As a student of history, you need to know your own history so you can perhaps understand racial and ethnic intolerance in other places and at different times.

Espiritus_Corvus's avatar

Dies kann Ihnen helfen:

Die Schwarzen waren zwar formell 1865 von der Sklaverei befreit worden, doch schon im Laufe des Wiederaufbaus (Reconstruction) des im Krieg zerstörten Südens hatten die Südstaaten Gesetze erlassen, die ihre Bürgerrechte wieder einschränkten (Jim-Crow-Gesetze). Sie betonten zwar die gleichen Rechte, sahen jedoch zugleich die Rassentrennung vor. Erst die Bürgerrechtsbewegung (Civil Rights Movement) konnte die letzten formalen Ungleichbehandlungen beseitigen. Ein sehr wesentlicher Schritt war die Aufhebung der Rassentrennung in öffentlichen Einrichtungen durch den Obersten Gerichtshof im Jahr 1954.

mattbrowne's avatar

Seid Ihr sicher, dass Germangirl ein Germangirl ist? Ich habe da Zweifel.

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