Free «Having Our Say» Essay
Issues concerning race have been contentious for a very long time. The Jim Crow laws were a perfect example of how Southern United States handled the issue of race. Adopted based on a play where a white character with a black painted face imitated black people, the Jim Crow laws acquired a reputation in several states of America. It led to a number of implications in public and social amenities. Black people were separated from the whites in most of the meeting places. Schools also introduced various laws that required materials used by black people to be put away from those used by the whites. Keeping in mind that slave trade was being practiced at the same time when this law was adopted, the blacks faced a tough period, and many of them could not find a way to express themselves. The Jim Crow laws were unfair and caused great suffering to many black people in the United States of America (Delany, Delany, and Hearth 191).
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Considering that these laws were put into effect without any contemplation of why black people could not use social amenities on equal terms with the whites, they were ethically wrong. When people are segregated based on their skin color, there are many individuals that miss opportunities of expressing themselves due to the lack of a platform. Analyzing an example of the education system, many black people could not be accorded the same services when they were in the library. Evidently, it meant that black students could not exploit their potential because learning conditions were not as conducive as those white students had. One can say that the rights of black people were highly infringed by the Jim Craw laws since they were treated unfairly comparing with their white counterparts (Delany, Delany, and Hearth 78).
With widespread discrimination across various sectors in the USA, the health sector was also involved in the implementation of the Jim Crow laws. Apart from the fact that the latter closed opportunities for many black citizens, the laws also endangered the lives of many blacks. Providing medical services based on the skin color is against the objectives of health professionals. Patients are supposed to be attended according to their needs and urgency as well. When people are given medical attention based on their race, the minority group is bound to suffer. The blacks, who in this case were the minority, could not be given specialized medical attention because they were considered inferior. There were many people, who lost their lives when health professionals could not actually help them.
The main reason why the Jim Crow laws were enacted was to secure the future of the whites. Black people were known to be hardworking laborers, and with their increasing population in the USA, it was evident that they would become successful with time. In order to manage the development of these black workers, the Jim Craw laws were aimed to limit their potential by cutting out the basic services and resources. Another important effect of these laws was denying black people the voice to complain or demand for justice. Fear was instilled in many black people and ensured that they remained inferior to the whites. As far as superiority was considered, the Jim Crow laws had been effective for the time they lasted. However, with the lapse of time, pressure increased and kept on challenging the reliability of the laws (Delany, Delany, and Hearth 4).
Black people had to lead their lives even in the wake of this discriminationn in the USA. According to Delany, Delany, and Hearth, if a black person wanted to lead a peaceful life during these times, it was advisable for him or her to accept the status, into which he or she had been forced into (63). Acceptance and living with the situation enabled the Delany sisters to live for more than 100 years. Allowing the whites to look down upon the black people was hard to swallow because it was unethical. As much as this was tough for those being mistreated, it was for their own good to ensure that above all they lead a peaceful life even when the Jim Crow laws were aimed to deny them that (Delany, Delany, and Hearth 71).
Another strategy that the black people employed to survive at these tough times was staying together as the oppressed. Increasing numbers of the blacks kept them united; and when they complained, their voices stood out strongly. It is more effective when many people in a group are protesting over something than when a small number is trying to voice their concerns. It is obvious that this increase in number will take time but it will be effective in the long run. Comparing all the possibilities that black people had, voicing their needs and complains was a sure way of providing their opinions on the matter.
It was not easy for the Delany sisters to live in the world where they were considered second-class citizens based on their color. The fact that they managed to live for over a hundred years show the strength that they had in dealing with the issue. Not many people would allow themselves to be discriminated and live so long. The possibility that other black citizens also survived the tough times was great. However, the bottom line is that the Jim Crow laws were biased against the blacks.
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