Racism in Post-Emancipation America

Racism was widespread after the U.S. Civil War and the end of slavery. African Americans struggled to gain a foothold in the United States with limited opportunities to find work or purchase land. Barriers to voting rights, discrimination, and segregation maintained a society that favored white over Black populations. The 1954 Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas Supreme Court ruling, which decided that segregation of public schools was unconstitutional, marked the beginning of a renewed effort to expand civil rights. Marches against segregation and other forms of discrimination led to civil rights progress in policy making and legal proceedings. The landmark Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965 were high points, marking progress...