Compare The Societal Attitudes Of African Americans

Words: 393
Pages: 2

Many years ago African Americans came to our country as servants. Since they have been here, the societal attitudes towards them have been mixed. Some people treated them as equals, but others did not. This conflict dates back to almost 400 years ago. African Americans have worked and fought for the rights they have today, but they are still fighting some battles. This essay will provide a timeline of how African Americans have been treated over the years up until now. It all started around 1619 when slavery came to North America. African Americans originally came to America as seven-year servants, but their jobs morphed into slavery. During the 18th century over 6 million slaves were imported into America and slavery quickly spread throughout the country. People who were African Americans were treated as if they were nothing and were told that people of the white race were superior to them. African Americans were treated unfairly as slaves because many white people believed that they would never amount to anything. In 1783, after the American Revolution many people from the north, such as George Washington and Thomas Jefferson began taking steps to limit slavery, but the same could not be said for the south. This was when the evolution of societal attitudes took a turn for the better. Southern states were facing an economic crisis …show more content…
African Americans finally received their right to vote in 1965 and also had some people representing them in Congress. The very first African American president, Barack Obama took office in 2009, but there were many white people who were unhappy about this. The Civil War ended in 1865, but many African Americans are still battling against racism. The evolution of societal attitudes has changed a lot since different races came to America. Many white people today are accepting of people of other races and cultures, but there are still many who are