Why were African Americans considered “unequal” until Lincoln was president?

[x_basketcase]

Another thing I'd like to know is how the constitution existed – why did it not apply to African Americans?

 

[Lenny]

Humans are not perfect.

Every civilized society had slavery in its past.
Original Constitution had individual states to legislate that outdated and harsh practice.

If some states wanted to keep slavery, it was their right to do it. If some states wanted to ban slavery they could do it as well.

Many states banned slavery well before Lincoln and they saw Blacks as humans like others.

Note also that while original US Federal Constitution had no opinion about slavery, slavery contradicted the most basic religion believes of the US Protectand population and it contradicted the American Declaration of Independence - the second most important document in US.

All man are created equal by God and God gave all of us basic rights nobody can take from us.

Black people were created by the same God and have the same basic rights as White people. Slavery is a violation of the will of God.

 

[chazw]

Lincoln did NOTHING to change that view.
He wanted to ship them all back to Africa, and only agreed to emancipation due to political pressure. He never believed that blacks were equal and so few people did at that time - including many blacks themselves.

I think you have to go to the 1960s until you find a time when more people accepted blacks as equals, than thought they were inferior.

THe view was based on the evidence of their eyes. African technology was far behind European, and complex societies were not common - or had long ago vanished from Africa. Further more- if you treat people like slaves then they act like them to stay alive. After several generations, given nothing to do except basic manual chores and receiving little education, blacks did not have much to show that they were as capable as white people.

People need opportunities to thrive, and they ned to seize those opportunities when they have the chance. A lot of young black males reject opportunities as 'doin a whitely thing', they will stay where they are and never progress. There are many poor people who choose this life; black and white, because it is easier than facing the hard work and the possibility of failure that grasping opportunities means.

The elites like to keep things that way because it justifies their poor opinion of the lower classes, and means they can keep all the privilege to themselves. Portraying blacks as killa/ganstas/rappers is good for white business, and good for a tiny minority of black people, but bad for black people as a whole. People who adopt this culture are really participating in their own oppression.