Post-slavery+-+response

​ What do you think was responsible for the cruelty of whites to blacks in those post - slavery days?  I think the whites thought they were all that and thought they were better than the blacks..... only because of skin color.. everybody is different and it should have never happened but people are unfortunately dumb sometimes and dont think things through. they are not respectful of difference and didn't understand that they were just the same

I agree and think that whites thought they were better than blacks because of religions and race. I also think that there was a lot of tension just because more people liked african americans than the white farmers thought. The whites were probably angry that they could no longer beat African Americans and trade them like baseball cards. Now they actually had to pay for labor and it wasn't free. I think that the white plantation owners were upset that they did not get what they wanted, and that they could no longer have free labor. There was lots of resentment towards African Americans once whites found out they were free. Overall, whites didn't like the idea of people that they thought were worthless, being worth something. ELLIE

=== ===  The whites thought that they were all that. I feel kind of disgraced when I think about slavery. Just because they're not the same color doesn't mean they're different. - Logan  I think it was a bit shocking for the whites to see the blacks set free, and it might've made them irritated to see blacks trying to move into society and become someone. They were so used to seeing them work and being able to order them around and treat them like dirt, and now they're actually becoming someone. It's almost like being a mean captain of a ship and then having your lowest-class worker become your co-captain. You would be very angry. This is maybe how the whites felt, and took it out on these people with these harsh actions.
 * White's would beat and hurt the blacks if they didn't do what the whites wanted.~Claire~
 * Slaves were treated as property instead of people. They had to do as their master commanded or they would get punished or even killed. Some slaves tried to escape but if they were caught they were captured and killed. They would offer money to try and get their slaves back. Fortunately Abraham Lincoln helped them. He believed that having slaves wasn't right so he freed them. -Leah
 * I think that the main responsibility for the cruelty would be anger, and an unwillingness, or perhaps disability to change. First of all, those that were on the Confederate side had to be upset that slavery was banned. So this could only add to the disrespect blacks were receiving because they were different. I can only imagine the excuses some people could come up with on how it was all blacks' fault. As well, blacks had always been slaves, since the beginning of America. And then suddenly, they're free, and slavery is against the law. I'm sure this must have been a huge setback for many white people, seeing as they had never had to work, and didn't know how. White suddenly had to work, and more importantly, //**learn **// how to work. Such a sudden change was undoubtedly very difficult, and seeing as most whites did not want to work, it made them very angry. And whites showed their anger through irrational ways, such as fierce cruelty.