The "Separate But Equal" Doctrine In American Policy Towards The Black

In the civil war, Abraham Lincoln signed The Emancipation Proclamation. This proclamation declared that the slavery lasting for several centuries was over, and that the black no longer existed as a subsidiary of the master. After the civil war, a series of amendments and Bill of Rights also gave equal civil rights to the black in election, housing, etc. Particularly, the"equal protection"doctrine proposed by the Fourteenth Constitutional Amendment, was significant. But after the civil war, the white society, from the government to the citizens, wanted to restore the pre-war status of the race. They enacted a series of laws and regulations to restrict the rights of the black and segregated the black in many aspects. The"separate but equal"decision made by the Supreme Court in the"Plessey case"in 1896 symbolized that the segregation policy to the black was legalized. In the subsequent more than 50 years, the whites restricted the rights of the black through various laws, regulations and even violence. The black became strong in the struggle, they began to deeply think of their own race, and expressed their ideas through artistic. At the same time, there were outstanding leaders presenting their own ideas about black status and actively leading the black to struggle for their equality. Particularly, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People as an outstanding black organization leaded the black to against inequality of segregation in the way of legal form, and made a series of success. Taking the decision as a sign made by the Supreme Court in the"Brown case"in 1954,the segregation to the black in the field of education was abolished, after that the black gained equal rights in other areas.Chapter one: During the civil war, the Emancipation Proclamation signed by Abraham Lincoln, a series of constitutional amendments (the Thirteenth Amendment, the Fourteenth Amendment, and the Fifteenth Amendment) and Bill of Rights gave the equal rights to the black as citizens. Particularly, the fourteenth constitutional amendment provided the obligations of the"equal protection"to citizens by state, and citizen here included the black. With the help of Reconstruction Committee, they gained some rights. But the south whites were unwilling to accept the fact that the black have the same rights with them. They passed a series of laws from policy to daily life to restrict the rights of the black these laws were called the"Black Codes", and they repressed the black through violent organizations. Along with the failure of reconstruction, the situation in black society nearly returned to its pre-war level. In the"Plessey case"Supreme Court thought that the bus segregation laws in Louisiana did not violate the rights of the black, because it segregated the black under the conditions of providing the same facilities. The"separate but equal"doctrine established in this case became the basic judgment nearly half a century, and it made the situation of the black worse.Chapter two: Under the"separate but equal"doctrine, the black had been restricted in various areas, so the relationship between the white and the black became more deterioration. After the First World War and the migration movement to southern part, the civil and racial awareness of the black was strengthened. They expressed their dissatisfaction to the status through various means. During this period a Black Renaissance appeared, the black culture significantly developed. Outstanding leaders emerged in this period, such as Booker T. Washington. He stressed the importance of land, housing and vocational skills. He thought that the black should improve their economic status by learning more technology, so as to gain respects from the whites. Du Bois thought that the black should change the situation by two ways. On one hand, he held the point that the black should solve their own problems. He believed that the black need a multifaceted plan in terms of a moral renewal, economic development, revitalizing education and creation of the culture of the black and so on. On the other hand, the influence of racial discrimination from whites should be revealed through the systematic study of problems of the black. During this period, there were a lot of the revolutionary organizations. The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People achieved a degree of success as a means of commitment through long-term legal to get rights. During this period"back to Africa"movement leaded by Marcus Garvey also caused a lot of repercussions.Chapter three: After the second world war, the fighting consciousness of the black awaked, and the economical status had kind of improvement, The public opinion about international human rights gave the United States much pressure, forced the Truman government put forward many treasures to improve the situation of the black, and gave them equal rights in the fields of justice, education, housing and politics. At the same time, The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People provided the support in a large number of judicial proceedings for the civil right movement. Since the"Plessey case", more and more people protested and took avenues of appeal to challenge the"separate but equal"doctrine; the Federal Supreme Court made the judgment in favor of the black in several related cases, and effectively maintained the rights of the black. Taking the decision as a sign made by the Supreme Court in the"Brown case"in 1954,the segregation to the black in the field of education was abolished, after that the black gained rights in other areas. With the leading of Martin Luther King, the black launched a large civil rights movement, and they actively struggle for their rights.But now, the rights of the black in laws are not fully achieved in their daily life. The black are still living under the yoke of apartheid and racial discrimination. There is also some miscarriage of justice, discrimination in education, poverty and other serious problems in their society, for which the black still need a long term of struggle.