Reaction paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 25

Reaction paper - Essay Example As a reaction to the freeing of slaves, some Southerners had resulted in killing government couriers as well as soldiers. The Southerners had indulged in an opposition against the Union, a factor that contributed to a complete absence of patriotism. Such factors explained why the president wanted Schurz to compile a report concerning the views of the Southerners. This paper will critically analyze some of the aspects discussed in the report presented by Schurz. In the report, Schurz discussed the attitudes of Southerners towards African Americans. The Southerners had harbored a belief that African Americans were unable to work without any form of compulsion (Johnson 309). In their view, African Americans could only be productive, if there were white masters compelling them to undertake tasks. In my view, this was a misconception because African-Americans could make a living by working as free people. The problem in the Southern States was that freed slaves never received the right opportunities to exploit their potential. In addition, the slave masters had spent several years with African Americans, but they did not understand their true characters. The report does highlight that the slave masters viewed African Americans as very deceitful. However, many African Americans serving as slaves were smart enough to hide their strategies from the masters. The Southerners also believed that African Americans only existed for one purpose. In their view, the purpose was cultivating cash crops such as cotton and rice (310). They opined that African Americans were not in a position to pursue their happiness. Such assumptions were wrong, African Americans had the will to pursue happiness, and their only barrier was slavery (308). The report also reveals that there were high levels of persecution directed towards African Americans