Big Impact, Big Drama
Part IV of BI-US – the TIMELINE
At the start of the 1800’s, the new government was like a toddler. Many laws and policies had to be determined, within the new Constitution. Aside from the differences between North and South, the West came into the picture. The economics of slavery had to be dealt with; concerning balance between what individual states could do; and what laws should be enacted. The 1800’s had a huge impact on the future of the USA. The attitudes concerning the black population were formed and remain, two centuries later (and may never be removed)
To say that the USA had a split personality would be an understatement. One movie that depicts the 1830’s+, was Gangs of NY (HBO Max, 2002). Although it is historical fiction, The research on the times was obvious. Google says that in reality, Little Five Points was populated by freed slaves as well as immigrants. It probably wasn’t a friendly mix. The benchmark of the 1800’s was the Reconstruction Era. Reconstruction: America After the Civil War (PBS-2019) a documentary series by Henry Louis Gates, gave an excellent portrayal.
“After the Civil War, the13th and 14th Amendments granted freedom and citizenship to enslaved people; Freedmen gained political representation in the Southern United States for the first time.[4][5][6] In response to the growing numbers of Black statesmen and politicians, White Democrats turned to violence and intimidation to regain their political power” (the KKK).
VOTING became a major focus, as blacks attempted to be included in the new government. Backlash to voting and representation came quickly. Fear sharpened supremacist reactions.
This era was jammed packed with drama: The War of 1812, The Underground RR, the Dred Scott decision, Secession, the Civil War, Juneteenth, the KKK, Black Codes, the 14th & 15th Amendments, sharecropping, massacres, segregation, the Panic of 1873, the Presidential election of 1876, and the N. Carolina Coup d’état of 1889.
All the drama, legislation, the heroes, villains, plots, and plans, are waiting to be rediscovered.
CW Porter
Our next post will be on the 1900’s. Please respond with questions or comments, Thanks
