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How Did The Civil War Affect African American Culture

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The collapse of slavery after the Civil War sent shockwaves throughout American Society. While the concept of slavery was destroyed, the ideology of White Superiority over blacks remained throughout the Country. The Minstrel Shows emerged from the remnants of slavery and invigorated the discrimination towards blacks. The shows were comedic acts starring blacks slandering their demeanor and behavior through satirization. The Minstrel Shows and entertainment industry reflected the widely accepted the social differences of the time between blacks and whites and ultimately lead to the development of many black stereotypes.
The conclusion of the Civil War brought huge social changes for African Americans. The 13th amendment abolished slavery, thus freeing all African Americans from their former slave masters. However, not all people followed suit with the new amendment, and the rights of the blacks varied throughout the …show more content…
The general rights declared by the United States for African Americans were granted through the ratification of the 13th, 14th and 15th amendments. The 14th and 15th amendments made African Americans politically equal to whites throughout the United States. The 14th amendment granted citizenship to “all persons born or naturalized in the United States,” (1) including the recently freed slaves. The 15th amendment declared that the "right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any state on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude." (1) which once again included the recently freed African American men. Despite the constitution’s powers, African Americans still faced discrimination from whites with the implication of the Black Codes. The Black Codes were developed primarily in the South and limited the rights of African Americans without interfering with the Constitution. The

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