Black freedom

            In the years following the American Civil War, referred to as the "Gilded Age," the people of the black community had been officially liberated by the American government (Doc. A), they now had the right to vote and all the privileges of an American citizen. (Doc. B&C) Although these people had been set free legally, in society they were still considered sub-human beings. Laws, court cases, and acts were made to twist the words of the constitution and socially enslave the black people. Segregation, unchanged thought, and brutal actions by the white people of America lead to an anti-black revolution between 1860 up until the 1954.
             Segregation was legalized in the case of Plessy vs. Ferguson. The court ruled that as long as facilities were equal they could be separated between blacks and whites. This act paved the way for almost one hundred years of black segregation all over the United States. (Doc D) .
             Frederick Douglas stated that in Russia the emancipated slave were at least given some land to live on so they could grow bread, but the blacks in America were given nothing and they were turned loose to "the wrath of our infuriated masters." (Doc. E) The thoughts of Frederick Douglas show that the thoughts of the American people had not changed about the Black society, most people still thought of them as slaves that had to be treated like inferior people. The thoughts of the American people turned to how to limit the Black's, not on how to help them survive as a people.
             "Action s speak louder than words." There never was a statement that was truer and the actions of the American people are yelling at this time in history. They passed the Jims Crow laws, which took away essential black freedoms (Doc F). The constitution of Louisiana held literacy tests and enacted the Grandfather Clause to keep black from out of the voting booth. (Doc G) These acts supported the anti-black revolution on all sides.