With the purpose of civil war changed after Emancipation Proclamation, union army became an army of freedom, an agent of emancipation, and started wedding the goals of Union and abolition. This progress simply brought freedom to African American in the south immediately. With this freedom granted from Emancipation Proclamation, this newly born American …show more content…
Although the development of industrial economy and railroad systems generated a rapid economic growth, the Gilded Age is no doubt the dark era for African Americans. In a response of keep losing land, blacks in the South had no choice but contract with white landowners to lend land or work for their former masters in mines, iron furnaces, and tobacco factories. Striking as it was, the economic growth distributed the benefits very unequally, black community as the minority group was not only suffering the unevenly economic distribution from the glass ceiling in workplace, but also struggling in the social and political system. Right after the 14th amendment, in came a short blossom of black politics, however, political opportunities became more and more constrained for blacks during late 19th century and early 20th century, southern states even enacted laws aiming to eliminate the black vote. This disenfranchisement movement in South led directly to the rise of a generation of southern demagogues and extreme racism. Along with disenfranchisement, Scientific Racism, Segregation, and Lynching also spread and worsen the mistreatment of African American in the South. Segregation and racial discrimination towards black community was exacerbated at the end of 19th century. Besides the discrimination itself, the rise of lynching blocked blacks’ …show more content…
While majority of Americans expanding the definition of freedom, the disenfranchisement in the South exclusively debarred blacks from participate in American democracy. During progressive era, the golden age of civil liberties, African Americans were sadly left out. Disqualified from most worker unions, black workers had limited access to “industrial freedom”. Even during the New Feminism movement, female suffrage leaders still excluded black women and the disenfranchisement from their goal. After the 19th amendment in 1920, while most female finally celebrating the right of voting, southern black females were still left out in the forgotten