Reconstrution and Race Relations Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Reconstrution and Race Relations - Essay Example The exercise of freedom for the freed slaves was quite a challenging prospect especially in the southern states as the white southerners set up road blocks to any achievement of freedom for the former slaves. The southern states’ economies were in shambles at the time and many of its young men were dead or maimed after the war. They, however, formerly owned fewer slaves yet ironically, they vehemently opposed the freedom of the slaves. The Radical Republicans (as they called themselves) used their white majority during voting exercises to pass legislations and restrictions against the black minority, their legislators and voters. In Georgia poll tax of 1877, white southern legislatures passed laws that created more barriers to voting by blacks and poor whites, working to suppress the black vote and reduce it through changes in voter registration, election procedures, poll taxes, residency requirements, rule variations, literacy and understanding tests which were particularly h ard for the poor and especially blacks to fulfill while, for instance, exempting other white voters from literacy test using the grandfather clause. In addition, cases such as the Williams v. Mississippi (1898) and Giles v. Harris (1903) including white primaries created situations that prevented most blacks from voting in southern states. The white southerners also used force to prevent the exercise of any freedom by the former slaves. The enactment of the Jim Crow laws and the subsequent use of force and terror to enforce them aided them greatly in their aims. They waged terror through members of a secret vigilante organization called the Ku Klux Klan (KKK). The clan waged war even against whites they considered traitors to the race and the region as they sought so desperately to turn back the hands of time to before when African Americans gained the right to vote. Apart from the Ku Klux Klan, other such groups included the White League and the Red Shirts. The southern whites also used racial segregation in many forms as a tool to meet their aims. Blacks and whites rode in different parts of the bus, supported different baseball teams, enjoyed separate public parks and watched movies in separate theatres. Public schools were established separately for whites and blacks (1867) (Hofstadter (1982) where the white dominated municipal governments withheld funds from black schools. White residents also refused to sell or lease land for colored school construction. Due to the segregation, enrolment in black schools greatly exceeded the standard capacity as there were fewer black schools for the growing black community leading to low education standards. The blacks in turn challenged these efforts by the white southerners through law suits amongst other means and according to Foner (1988), the Freedman’s Bureau threatened lawsuits over unfair division of school funds eventually getting some money turned over to a panel of colored trustees for administration o f colored schools. Other such successful lawsuits included Guinn v. United States (1915), Lane v. Wilson (1939) and Smith v. Allwright (1944). The freed people also sought to enhance educational advances, one of the reasons they had been deemed inferior. They begun to buy and lease land for school construction and housing, for example, from the Barry family north of the insane asylum of Anacostia. Most of this they

Compare and contrast the four images below Essay

Compare and contrast the four images below - Essay Example The images depicted in each painting manifest the embodiment of masculinity at a time where it was glorified. The perfect aesthetic human qualities were the pinnacle of success. The strong link between each of this image that is made from bronze is the fact that it testaments athleticism in an era where physical strength was huge. Olympics that started in Athens gave birth to these paintings. It is evident that Olympics played a crucial role in western part of Peoloponnese. (â€Å"Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History†) For instance, the movie such as 300 depict soldiers as perfectly chiseled and powerful men. Similarly, the correlation of perfection in the sculpture is embodied in every genre. This is perfectly displayed in Figurine of an athlete making an offering. The athlete in this context is accepting the gift as a symbolism of celebration. The second element that these images manifest themselves that is Greek original in bronze by Polykleitos dates back to 430 AD. (â€Å"Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History†) The kylix image along with athlete of the diadoumenos type It again manifests the male body of perfection in which aesthetics were crucial. In this particular image, the artist clearly has been extremely creative from every angle and touch. This graphic is a great image as it depicts a typical hand brush that is utilized for cleaning purposes. The brush itself is painted in a very elegant manner with amazing finish. Every bristle is clear and gives the feeling of cleanliness to the audience. Furthermore, the bristles variation in color is a clear depiction of a unique style that the artist has embraced. This is created via bronze and stood in Olympics. Each male body part is symmetry of thorax and pelvis creates a contrast of the body itself. The proportions and the stance is for the audience to appreciate th e sense of potential movement. In art class, my main focus was to observe