Dan Kelly

Mr. Peck
Grade 8 History, Period 8
December 16, 2014
History Questions
1.
What were the black codes and how did they make the lives of freed Blacks
miserable?
The black codes were laws passed by the southern states in 1865 and 1866 that had a
terrible effect on African American people in the United States. These laws restricted
black people to doing their basic activities such as voting, traveling freely, or working in
an occupation for their choice. There were six specific codes that were put on the former
slaves. The civil rights code included that whites and blacks could not marry, they could
be sued, and they had to claim and dispose of their property such as land. The labor
contracts code pretty much sums up the fact that if a black is a white mans servant, then
they could be forced to work and could be whipped if necessary. The only kind of
positive thing on the black codes was that black people could not be murdered. These
black codes restricted blacks from owning their own property. This makes the lives of
freed blacks miserable because they would not be treated as equals. In conclusion, the
black codes were cruel and made the lives of freed blacks miserable.
Sites used:Wikipedia.org and cra-usa.org

2.

How were the Jim Crow laws used in the South after the Civil War? Give several
examples.
The Jim Crow laws were laws used against black people during the reconstruction period
of the Civil War. These were segregation laws so blacks and whites could be separated.
They were used in the South by separating bathrooms and restaurants from blacks and
whites. For example no white woman nurse could go into a negro hospital to treat negros.
Also, negros could not be playing baseball with a white team. Next, if a black person
tried to argue about equality, they would go to jail. Next, they made separated free
schools from whites and blacks. The Jim crows were pretty much laws just to keep the
distinction between black and white people. Lastly, the white and black militia will be
separated. These are just a few of the ways the Jim Crow laws were used in the South.
Sites used: history.com
3. Describe what a returning soldier might see as he returned to an area that had been
scourged by General Sherman and his men.
A returning soldier would see destruction of all sorts when he is returning home. First, he
would see destructed railroads everywhere. Also, he would see no building, just part of
buildings on the ground. Next, a soldier would see everything charred and burnt. He
would see starving people because nobody has food, since Sherman stole it all. The
soldier would see angry townspeople. The townspeople would probably try to kill him for
what he had done. There would be thousands of builders trying to help build back the
town. There would be all of the townspeople trying to rebuild their town. The total
destruction of the town would bring the townspeople hatred and anger towards the Union
soldiers. In conclusion, a soldier would see a lot of destruction and rebuilding.
Sites used: Pythiapress.com, Wikipedia.org
4.
Who were the carpetbaggers and what did they head South to accomplish?

A carpetbagger is someone who moved to the South after the Civil War. They did this for
personal gain. They try to profit and gain control of the things around in the South. At
first, the South welcomed him at first. The carpetbaggers didnt bring many possessions
with them, but enough to survive. These carpetbaggers were not poor though. They were
mostly middle class citizens who worked as teachers and businessmen. So, they didnt
not need the money. Many carpetbaggers used to be Union soldiers. Most carpetbaggers
ended up failing their task, it some succeeded. In conclusion Carpetbaggers were people
who moved to the South after the civil war to profit.
Sites used: History.com
5.
Name four schools/colleges that were set up by freedmans bureau, and what were
they created to accomplish. List at least 2 that exist today.
There were many colleges set up by the Freedmans Bureau. The first college is one that
still exists today: Fisk University. Another college setup that still exists today is Dillard
University. Next, another college setup by Freedmans Bureau is Shaw University. Lastly,
Tougaloo University was setup by the Freedmans Bureau. All of the universities that I
mentioned still exist today, which I think is pretty amazing. These schools were created to
accomplish slaves learning to read and write. I find it neat that these schools that were
funded very little, but have now turned into big Universities today. These slaves did not
know the proper English language because they were not allowed to learn how to read
and write. Now with these Universities, we would have a more educated country and
African Americans could be more like a citizen of the U.S.
Sites used: History.com, Wikipedia.org

6.

Research racism in the United States, then/or now, and give 15 examples.
1. Stephen Lawrence (a black British man) was murdered at a bus stop waiting for a bus.
Five suspects were arrested, but not convicted. It is suggested the suspect killed Stephen
because he was black. Years later the court found two men guilty for being racially
motivated to stab Stephen
2. James Byrd Jr was tied to the back of a pickup truck that three men were driving and
dragged along an asphalt road. He was dragged along a road for 3 miles and then put out
of his misery with his head being decapitated hitting the edge of a culvert.
3. A jello advertisement of a little boy pronouncing and spelling words incorrectly.
4. A miller light commercial of a black man being a white mans servant.
5. An advertisement for a suit company that says 4 out of 5 men want oxfords in these new
van housen styles. All of the four men in suits were white and the one not in a suit was
black.
6. A banned Volkswagon commercial of a muslam man blowing himself up in a car. This
was showing all muslams were terrorists, when they are really not.
7. An ice cream bar by the name of Teves flavor of the week was black and white. Their
advertisement showed President Obama in front of the white house.
8. The football team Washington redskins with a Native American on their logo.
9. Michael Brown was shot and killed by a police officer even though he was unarmed. His
crime was selling stealing a roll of cigars.
10. Eric Garner (a black man) was put into an illegal choke hold by a police officer. He said
I cant breathe before he was killed by a police officer. His crime was selling individual
cigars. He was unarmed. The police officer was not indicted by the jury.
11. Two African dancers were bringing in their white student to an event in Houston, Texas
and they were pulled over because they thought they looked like criminals. They wanted
to show proof that they had full guardianship over the girl in the state. The officer
wouldnt listen and took them back to the station and put the girl into child protective
services.
12. Some California artists painted paintings of black effigies and hung them.

13. An advertisement for a product called colored Italiana. When she put the product in the
wash a black man came out. The slogan says colored is better
14. A Picanany watermelon commercial was made with a little African boy holding a
watermelon because it was cheap and had no nutrients
15. A black man with large lips is smoking tobacco in a tobacco ad back in the early 1900s.
Sites used: Wikipedia.org, abcnews.com, owni.eu
7. In your opinion, how can we beat racism and create a society where we all see each
other as equals?
In my opinion the best way to stop racism is teaching the youth in schools it is wrong.
This would create a society we could all be equals. I fell that they should teach a lesson
about treating everyone being equals during health class. The reason I think this is
because in health class teachers teach students about not doing wrong things such as
doing drugs. If we could add racism into that unit, racism would probably stop a lot more
in the next 20-30 years. That is a long time, but we cant just completely destroy racism
in one punch. After enough punches and years later racism could not be a worry for
African Americans. In conclusion, the best way to stop racism is to teach the youth it is
wrong.