Forum 5 Essay

Submitted By joleksa
Words: 552
Pages: 3

The post-Civil War agenda for blacks and whites in Florida ended up being polar opposites. Through the accounts given by Paul Ortiz in Emancipation Betrayed, African Americans tackled a combination of obstacles established by whites when assimilating into society. However, as noted in his Prologue, those once enslaved did not wait for Abraham Lincoln’s emancipation in order to fight for better lives. The smaller steps taken by blacks when being held captive led to more determination and sincerity to achieve freedom in the Reconstruction Era Society. From voting rights to equality in schools, African Americans were compelled to take matters into their own hands in order to achieve freedom; or in essence, move a step closer in its direction.
African Americans in Florida assumed the great responsibility of taking control of their lives and their posterity during the Reconstruction Era. They believed that access to inexpensive farm land, the right to bargain with their employers, access to an equal public education, and participation in the political process were the ingredients to true emancipation. 1 However, for every attempt to equality there would be some obstacle preventing blacks from assimilating equally. Perhaps the biggest struggle was of that in politics, as it acts as the primary barrier to success in other life components.
The right to vote was a key component in order to allow African American voices to be heard and ultimately obtain freedom. However, poll taxes, land requirements, and the threat of physical violence would be a barrier in this ultimate achievement. In addition, Ortiz provided evidence that showed Democrats and Republicans crossing political lines in order to “dilute the effectiveness of the ballot in Florida”.2 While efforts were made to push through these challenges to vote regardless of what stood in their way, voter fraud then became a common occurrence. Often those who would testify against this would lose their own lives.3 However, this did not stop African Americans from pushing for more.
In an attempt to gain more control in the political arena, blacks and whites mixed together in