Who Protects the Unalienable 1866 Rights of Whom? Equal rights for all was limited to very few at the time of our founding fathers. Women, slaves, Indians and poor men need not apply. Radicals of the early 1830's associated with abolition wanted much more than freeing slaves. Everyone deserved civil rights. The Civil War had freed the slaves but what would be their status. Would freedman have civil, social, political and economic rights or would they have a serf-like status. Many citizens at that time did not have these rights. Also, what would happen to the southern states and their leaders. In the beginning of reconstruction southern President Johnson wanted the states back in the U.S. quickly so he let them back in 1865 when Congress was not in session. He also wanted no civil rights for freedman. Radical Republicans were not happy with what they observed after the war. Why? The leaders of the South had quickly regained political power, much violence was perpetrated against former slaves and Black Codes laws limiting rights were passed. Congress returned and passed the Civil Rights Act of 1866. It was the first

Anti-black activities by organizations like the Ku Klux Klan soon began in southern states. New president Grant enforced the new amendment. By 1871 the federal government had subdued much of the violence. Blacks participated in and to some degree were integrated into society. Click on picture of Freedmen voting in 1867 New Orleans. But a counter revolution had started. Redeemer governments took over the South and went on a publicity campaign to convince northerners that blacks were being treated fairly. Eventually federal enforcement waned and after 1873 few people were involved in enforcing civil rights. Then the Supreme Court started taking a very narrow interpretation of the Constitution in relation to civil rights. The court negated that equal rights applied to race. Then they determined it did not apply to interstate commerce segregation, private organizations like hotels, clubs, rail road cars ... and that separate but equal was legal. In 1886 the rights of citizens were applied to corporations. They were collection of people and while this interpretation simplified the legal system; it also made it impossible to regulate corporation. Thus the 14th Amendment  was an asset to big business but not to minorities. R= segregation required, Y no law, B optional/limited and G illegal,

The 1870's Takes Away Unalienable Rights Northern political support for freedman began to wane in the early 1870's because scandals hit the Grant administration and the financial Panic of 1773 gave politicians other concerns. Also some northern Republicans though enough had been done and it was time for southern self-government plus a successful southern publicity campaign convinced many northerners that the south was living under a reign of black terror. Freeman they argued were not capable of intelligent leadership. Slowly over time southern resistance to northern efforts began to rise and eventually the south would go its own way. It began with a disputed Louisiana governor's election went to an election board which split so both Republican and Democrat acted as winners. A judge ruled a Republican winner and Republican President Grant sent troops to enforce his party's victory. Then  the Democratic set up their own New Orleans government. They also  set up  a paramilitary organization called the White League to do their bidding. They had frequent clashes with the state militia. Click on this interesting interpretation of events. See Carpetbagger Then a disputed election for sheriff and judge again went to Republicans so the Democrats took control of the Colfax Courthouse.

1930's Safety Net Deficits, Like War Deficits, Prove Attractive From 1929 to 1933 GDP dropped from $104 billion to $56 billion and unemployment increased from 3.2% to 24.9% topping 40% in Detroit. Spending on food dropped from the $20 billion to $ 12 billions because 43% of the bank had closed taking their deposits down with them. Hoovervilles  developed as places where the homeless lived. Farmers burned food as that was cheaper than sending food to market. Were Capitalism and Democracy dead? FDR immediately called Congress back and also ordered an immediate four day bank holiday which worked so well  that when banks reopened deposits went up!  We borrow for war and few complain, what about people? Click to enlarge.

1973 Finally Begins Faster Track Civil Rights
African Americans improvements after the Civil War didn't last long and by the 1870's Jim Crow laws meant segregation in education, housing, and every-day life remained unchanged. It was a difficult time when eighty-six percent of Mississippi African Americans lived in poverty. Other areas in the south and most cities were similar. Then in 1954 a  9-0 Supreme Court ruling overturned " separate but equal" with Brown vs. Board of Education. Then forty-three-year-old seamstress Rosa Parks would not sit at the back of the bus. This resulted in a 1956 Supreme Court order ending Montgomery, Alabama bus segregation. Then 1957 Arkansas need Federal Troops for President Eisenhower to enforce school integration for the Little Rock Nine.  For more see the Race Relations section of Don't Know Much About History.