Discrimination towards African-Americans
continued after the Civil War. Most of white built paradigm that African-Americans
were proud to be the second-class citizens due to their unintelligence and weak
power compared to white. During decades, they worked as a labor in white homes
in order to fulfill their needs. It might be true that Civil War Amendment struggled
for blacks by enabling Congress and States in creating equality. However, blacks
still need greater effort to be accepted as citizens with the same exact civil rights
implementation as whites.
By the end of nineteenth century,
disenfranchisement and segregation towards Civil War Amendment happened because
of Jim Crow Laws. This law legalized segregation between white and blacks in
using public facilities as well as accommodations (Saylor, 159). Basically,
there were three main ideas regarding to blacks’ limitation, especially in the voting
process. They were poll tax which asked voters to pay, literacy test as a way
to ensure voters ability in reading, and white-only primaries which prevented
blacks and whites in influencing Democrats candidate in the election. At first,
these seem fair for both whites and blacks. However, the practice was
different. One of the examples lies in the literacy test where blacks got
difficult type of questions while white easier. This rule even supported by
grandfather clause which enabled whites to vote even if they failed as long as
their grandfathers were registered as a voter before the Civil War.
Due to the unjustness of Jim Crow Laws, Supreme
Court emphasized that federal government did not even have a right to ruin
individual’s right. Therefore, the Court supported Plessy v. Ferguson case in
establishing “Separate but Equal” notion to underline that race did not
determine the unequal protection towards people (Saylor, 160). It can be said
that both whites and blacks receive the same treatment although they were
separated. Not only that, they were also some mobility against segregation; National
Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) in 1909 served as a
interest group who likes sue people under the case of equality, World War I
(WWI) caused blacks got more freedom since white immigrate to Europe in order
to find job, and World War II (WWII) enforced black men learn on how to fight to
defend their families.
Ironically, in the 1940s, the practice
of the notion “Separate but Equal” has to be ended. It happened due to the
existence of Brown v. Broad of Education which was finally supported by the
Supreme Court to end segregation. This case emphasized that separation will
never create equality. Because of this, blacks began doing a mass movement in
their colleges and churches (Saylor, 162). One of the most famous movement done
by Rosa Parks who rejected a rule to give a sit for whites. It caused she was
being arrested. However, this significantly brought impact in declaring
equality by boycotting Montgomery bus led by Martin Luther King Jr. although in
the end, the Court rejected this action (Saylor, 163). Furthermore, another
movement also happened by 1960s. It was Greensboro four who bravely had a lunch
in white’s restaurant. The same as Rosa Parks, they were jailed but also successfully
influence the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) to do more confrontational
actions (Saylor, 164).
These actions show how blacks want to be
not only officially recognized as US citizens, but also gain the same rights implementation
as whites. Luckily, their effort heard by Congress which then pass the 1964
Civil Rights Act to protect them towards discrimination against “race, color,
religion, or national origin” (Saylor, 166). It also applied the Equal
Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) as well as asked primary and secondary
school to teach students both their native language and English as a Second
Language (ESL). In addition, a year after passing Civil Rights Act, Congress also
approved the Voting Rights Act of 1965 to help the use of each individual
political right. This act regulated the voting document to be written in the
voter’s original language, too out the literacy test, and ensured the federal
government monitored the voting process.
The above two acts, unfortunately, trigger
the benefits for other minorities, women, lesbians, gay men, and disabled. The
examples can be seen from the idea of ESL which benefited Latinos to learn
English, the recognition of Asian Americans as US citizen in 1988 where 62% of
them being arrested during WWII, and the protection of Native Americans by the Indian
Civil Rights Act (ICRA) of 1968 (Saylor, 174). Furthermore, the 19th Amendment has
also served as the first women’s right to vote. It enabled women to get protection
against sexual harassment. These benefits were accumulated in the affirmative
action which increased the greater involvement of minorities and women in the
workplace as well as attend higher education (Saylor, 168). Not only that,
lesbians and gay men were finally able to vote and supported by EEOC to get the
same opportunity in the workplace and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)
were also enable people with disabilities to get access towards public
facilities (Saylor, 183).
Diversity might become the most crucial
and sensitive problem in the past with some cases keep happening today. However,
with a good understanding towards diversity and awareness to be global citizen,
people starts to realize that diversity is a gift.
Bibliography:
The
Saylor Foundation. (n.d.). American government and politics in the information
age. Retrieved from http://www.saylor.org/books
Sokol, J. (2008). White southerners’ reactions
to the civil rights movement. Retrieved from http://iipdigital.usembassy.gov/st/english/publication/2009/01/20090106143801jmnamdeirf0.9369623.html
