The Negative Perception of African-Americans: From Civil War to Modern Times

While doing some of the reading for my "Introduction to Criminology" course, I came across many instances in which there was a negative treatment of African Americans by Whites. These instances when read after Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, An American Slave lead me to ponder the idea of  1800s racism having trickled down into our modern day justice system. 

The period of time in which the United States allowed the institution of slavery to materialize and flourish has been often referred to me as a "blotch in our nation's history" by multiple middle school  and high school teachers. Through Douglass's narrative, readers receive a first hand account of the actions and brutality in which slaves where oppressed and dehumanized. Similarly, in Steve Bogira's Courtroom 302: A Year Behind The Scenes In An American Criminal Courthouse a reader ascertains knowledge of behind the scenes happenings in a court room that includes the treatment of those arrested by  the deputies on duty and the perceptions that a judge, prosecutors, and public defenders have of those alleged with crimes and vise versa.  


In this blog post I want to try and make a connection about how systems of institutions have failed and in some instances even worked against African Americans and  other people of color. 

During Douglass's era, laws such as the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 deliberately worked against those who wanted to escape the bondage of slavery. Due to this act, Douglass sees a rise of "legalized kidnappers" who deceive runaway slaves into believing they were good Samaritans who could aid them in their time of need but instead ended up returning them into slavery while making a profit (Narrative, pg 101). While Douglass fiercely advocated for the complete freedoms for his fellow African-Americans, it seemed that he and his fellow brethren traded one set of problems for another. This is illustrated in the picture below titled "The Union as it Was: A lost cause, Worse than Slavery." 

"The Union as it Was: The Lost Cause, Worse than Slavery"
Illustrated in Harper's Weekly.
Created by Thomas Nast.

The illustration depicts a "White League" man, a paramilitary group that arose in the 1870s that tried to turn out Republicans from office and stop recently-free slaves from voting and becoming politically organized, shaking hands with a Klu Klux Klan member. Below the handshake, is an African-American family huddling in positions that indicate fear. Behind them in the left hand corner of the space the couple encompasses is a man hanging from a tree. On the right there are remnants of a burned down school house that hint of the obstacles that slaves would still have to contend with on their road to equalize themselves with their lighter-skinned counterparts. An equality that I believe has not seen in our modern-day court system in which justice and fairness should be the prevailing outcomes. 

The African American couple appears to be within a badge-like frame. The top of this frame is bordered with a skull and cross-bones image that is reminiscent of the infamous Jolly Roger flag iconography that is associated with pirates. Above the handshake of the two white men, is an eagle with the inscription "This is a white man's government." The eagle is a symbol of the American government and the inscription conveys that people of color would not find true freedom and equality under their current government. 

Reading Courtroom 302, I have come across further belittlement of African Americans. Prosecutors of the courthouse in Chicago once had a contest in which the goal was to "convict four thousand pounds of defendants" (Bogira, pg 69). This contest was known as the "Two-Ton Contest" and later on renamed the "Niggers by the Pound" after most of the convicted turned out to be African American.  

While we as a nation have come a long way in terms of physically freeing those who were once considered property, I believe we have failed in terms of giving them equal opportunities under the law. While they may no longer have to call someone "master," discrimination towards them has not ceased. The negative perception of people of color that continues to persist no matter how many young men and women attend institutions of higher education and try to change the reputation that follows them, makes me wonder if discrimination can ever be eradicated. Can we really look past the color of a person's skin and see the human being?