preview

Abolishment Of Slavery Dbq

Decent Essays

On January 1, 1863, President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation in an effort to the end Civil War by taking away the workforce of the South and preventing the intervention of foreign powers. Although the Emancipation Proclamation did not free all slaves in the South, it was a major step in the direction of the abolishment of slavery. Abolitionists in Congress began to push for a more permanent law that abolished slavery everywhere in the United States. On December 6,1865, the 13th Amendment was ratified. It illegalized the institution of slavery in the United States. Thousands of slaves were freed from their masters and allowed to live the lives they wanted for the first time since the were captured. The newly freed slaves …show more content…

Washington believed the only way African-Americans would be able to attain equal rights was through patience and submission to whites. He believed they needed to gradually work their way to the top and slowly build the trust of whites. In his Atlanta Compromise speech in 1895, he advised blacks to “cast down their buckets where they were” and to use the skills they had to their advantage (Washington 219). He believed that building the trust of the whites was the only way blacks were going to get the equality and respect they deserved. He knew they had a sort of “give a nigger an inch,he will take an ell” mentality and were terrified of an uprising (Washington 144). He wanted blacks to prove them wrong by earning their trust. His strategy of patience and submission can be related to his early life as a slave. He was born as a slave and lived in bondage until he was nine years old. He was used to being submissive and obedient to white people. Although he was free, he knew that white people still had power over his life. He knew that they could easily take everything away from him if wanted to. He knew very well the consequences of challenging white people and did not want to see his fellow African-Americans go through that type of frustration and suffering. To him, it was perfectly normal to take what you were given, be grateful and not ask for more. He understood very well the importance of not biting the hand that fed him …show more content…

He was prepared to win Civil Rights for African-Americans through whatever means he saw fit. He believed violence and retaliation was the only way to get whites to pay attention to the demands African-Americans and change the unjust, segregated society. He advocated for African-Americans to “cast off the shackles of racism by any means necessary including violence” (Times Herald). He advocated for African-Americans to put aside their religious beliefs and differences so they could be fully united as one. He believed African-Americans needed to stand up to white oppression instead accepting it and keeping their grievances to themselves. In his “Ballot or Bullet” speech, he advised African-Americans to become politically intelligent so as to make good choices as to whom they choose to govern them. He also advised them to stick together and help each other. He did not want the black community to be separated because he believed it would lead to their downfall. He strategy instilled fear among whites because they thought there was going to be a violent and bloody uprising, He advocated for a violent revolution to establish an independent black nation if the whites refused to grant civil rights to African-Americans. He later advocated for a bloodless revolution after he witnessed several

Get Access