Was the North really an ally towards black people?
What were you taught regarding this issue? When I was younger, history books were watering down the truth of the North’s involvement in racism. I was taught that the North was against slavery, and that they fought for the rights of black people and I continued to believe that for years. Until I stumbled across a video of a black family being harassed in Queens, NY, in the 1970s (?). This led me to believe that they were spreading lies all for the sake of looking good in history.
In my research I expect to find some websites that tell the truth and other websites that spread misinformation. I believe this to be so, because, although there are websites that expose the hidden truth of American History, I think that there will be sites that will try to hide or deny it. I also think that it will be difficult to find information on the internet regarding my topic because of how contrary it is to “popular” belief.
If I find information that goes against my belief, it will further prove that they are hiding the truth. American history isn’t all squeaky clean as they try to make it appear. I know that there are many faults and disturbing facts concerning American history. If those websites spread misinformation, I will write about it, only to prove my point. I would still continue to research my topic, because I truly believe that even one website will confirm my view.
Northern Racism
“Africans in America/Part 4/Margaret Washington on Northern Racism.” PBS, Public Broadcasting Service, www.pbs.org/wgbh/aia/part4/4i2987.ht
Margaret Washington indicates that the northern part of the United States had slavery and was slow to the liberation of enslaved black people. For example, they passed laws that refrained blacks from leaving, so that they can settle elsewhere. In addition, the laws that existed in the north prohibited African Americans from riding streetcars and steamers. They couldn’t vote even if they owned property. She continues to explain that, no matter how poor a white person was, they still had privilege over a wealthy black person. It also affected immigrants who came to the United States because they would automatically have a higher status than black people who were born in the country. This created problems because those same immigrants took jobs away from African Americans.
One statement that Washington emphasizes is, “The whole idea of Jim Crow and segregation of the races really originates in the North”. This is one piece of information that I never heard taught in schools or online. The Jim Crow law was always associated with the South, never with the North, because it was their way to keep black people oppressed. In all honesty, I question the validity of Washington’s assertion because, this is the first claim I’ve seen someone make regarding segregation in the North. However, I do believe that this is a possibility because, although slavery in the north wasn’t boldly stated in texts, it occurred. This specific detail requires more research, in order for me to make a proper conclusion.
Washington also introduces the idea of the privilege white people have over black people. She asserts, “that no matter how poor you are, no matter what situation you’re in, if you’re white, then you are far better off than the wealthiest person of African descent.” I completely agree with this remark because, the system of America was created for white people and their success. It wasn’t created to uplift black people. America wanted to keep black people subdued. They were afraid of having them revolt or coming to an idea that insinuated their freeness. Black people then and now have to work ten times harder than a white person (rich or not) in a work space to prove why they are qualified. And oftentimes, the white person who has less qualifications are chosen over the black person who went to an ivy league college, or who participated in many programs and internships. Furthermore, if a white person has connections in a certain field, they could easily steal that job opportunity from a black person who needs it.
The North’s Stance On Slavery
Slavery in the North, slavenorth.com/.
In the article “Slavery in the North”, it bluntly explains the truth of racism in the north, beginning with slavery. States such as: Boston, Philadelphia, New York, and much more, participated in the owning of slaves. Even American revolutionists (John Hancock, Benjamin Franklin), bought, sold, and owned black people and other prominent American “heroes” did as well. A historian named Joanne Pope Melish recalls a time in the 1950s where her high school textbook discussed slavery only occurring in the South. However, when she lived in Rhode Island after 1964, she encountered a vague reference to local slavery, and almost every person she asked knew anything about it. But, when asking the members of the historical society, they told her it was “brief and benign, involving only the best families, who behaved with genteel kindness.” Furthermore, although slavery existed in the north, it never reached the numbers of the south. Slavery played a huge role in the economy of northern states, but it failed due to climate and economy. It had little to do with morality.
The author includes an important statement saying, “The North failed to develop large-scale agrarian slavery, such as later arose in the Deep South, but that had little to do with morality and much to do with climate and economy.” Many history books today tell us that the north disliked the idea of owning black people, hence why it wasn’t rampant in the north. They also say that slavery did not exist in the North due to climate, and their way of producing money, which was factories. Yes, they were not able to create a full scale “operation” as the south, but they still participated.
In many current pieces regarding slavery in the north, it was always said that northerners detested the slavery, however, in the article, the author argues that “The elements which characterized Southern slavery in the 19th century, and which New England abolitionists claimed to view with abhorrence, all were present from an early date in the North. Practices such as the breeding of slaves like animals for market, or the crime of slave mothers killing their infants, testify that slavery’s brutalizing force was at work in New England.” This proves that some historians have turned the truth into something that they deemed appropriate in order to paint America as the “land of the free”. They admit to slavery, but they water it down by saying, the north abhorred how the south treated black people. They didn’t agree to their brutal style at all, but we see here that this was falsified to make it seem like slavery wasn’t as bad as what it actually was.
Note: can you tell us a bit more about your feelings on this? What a site!!
“The Beacon of Hope”
Sokol, Jason. “The North Isn’t Better than the South: The Real History of Modern Racism and Segregation above the Mason-Dixon Line.” Salon, Salon.com, 13 Dec. 2014, www.salon.com/2014/12/14/the_north_isnt_better_than_the_south_the_real_history_of_modern_racism_and_segregation_above_the_mason_dixon_line/.
American History creates an image of the north as the land for liberty. The actual land of opportunity. If you were to ask anyone their thoughts on northern history, they might tell you that they were an ally to black people. White abolitionists fought for the freedom of black people. The union fought solely for the purpose of the betterment of black people. The North was an amazing place for black people to live in. They were able to live as their own freely; no discrimination, so segregation. But the reality of it all is proven otherwise. The North has a sinister side to it, a side that the history taught in schools doesn’t expand on. Slavery had roots in New England and New York City and the history of the twentieth-century shows the horrifying record of racial violence and the segregated communities of white and black neighborhoods.
This article brings up an interesting fact, that I wasn’t sure was true. Sokol states, “…the centrality of African slavery in many northern cities, episodes of brutal racial violence like the New York City Draft Riots, or the fact that Jim Crow laws had their origins in Massachusetts.” In the PBS written article on Northern History, Margaret Johnson included a similar statement as well. I was a bit skeptical since it was a claim that I never heard of and because she did not include the specific state. However, Sokol mentions that segregation in fact originated in the North, specifically in Massachusetts. The south has a clear part in the racism in America, however, the pride and glory of America (the North) is just as guilty for the oppression of black people.
So, What Is the Truth?
How has history falsified the hideous truth of the north? White people who lived in those times attempted to write the events that occured and twisted the reality of the north so that people would believe that, even though the United States participated in discriminatory acts, white people who lived in the north didn’t justify those action. These pieces of information were passed down, changed, and in turn, included in history books that are taught in schools today. What is the truth? America as whole treated black people terribly. No amount of lies will erase the fact that the North participated in slavery; they dehumanized black people just as the south did. And what’s even more shocking is segregation originating in the north. History has made it seem as if the South were responsible for all acts of racism, which is true, however, the north also engaged in that systematic racism as well. The white people who lived in the north gentrified black communities, forcing them to leave so that they could turn it into something “better”. When black people tried to leave the hood to live a better life, they constantly harassed them, screaming at them with racial slurs, because they viewed themselves as superior. What does this show? It didn’t matter where they lived, in this time period, white people across America didn’t want to view black people as equals, so they to oppressed them. These lies have made people believe that America had a redemption arc. “They’ve done terrible things, but in turn they helped fixed it.” It makes it seem like the trials and tribulations that black people have faced are miniscule because the “Great America helped eradicate the matter. That is insulting to black people who live in this country; it manipulates us into thinking that we are exaggerating what happened. It’s disrespectful and that’s why American history has to be rewritten because a huge part of it lies on black people, their oppression, and their contributions to society. As I grow up, I discover different truths to Black history and it disheartens me that in school it was taught to me. It was an erasure of my ancestors trials. Black kids deserve to know the truth; to know the hardships our community faced and how we were able to remain steadfast to accomplish our goals. We wholeheartedly believed in our truth and our power, and that’s what American history is, no matter how hard they try to erase it.
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