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Following the Civil War Congress passed the 14th amendment to the constitution. It granted citizenship to African Americans and forbade any state government from taking away life, liberty or property of any person without due process of law. However, the amendment benefited the corporations with little help to black Americans. Each time a state decided to curb the monopoly power of a business, the courts would step in and proclaim that the state flouted the due process clause. This collusion between the government and corporations has contributed to high rates of poverty in America, especially among African American communities.
INTRODUCTION
The Civil War ended in 1865 and slavery was abolished. A sad chapter in American history was over, but another began soon thereafter. In order to improve the lot of former slaves, Congress passed the first civil rights act in 1866 and amended the constitution in 1868 with the 14th amendment, which granted African Americans citizenship and gave people of "every race and color" equal rights. The amendment also introduced a due process clause, which barred state governments from depriving "any person of life, liberty and property without due process of law." (Hunt and Sherman, 1972, p. 92)
However, for several decades, the amendment did little to protect the civil rights of the new American citizens, who were forced to live in misery and poverty - hardly better than slavery. Instead the law became an instrument for rich corporations for self-enrichment. Most federal courts ruled that corporations were persons and therefore entitled to protection under the due process clause. Each time a state government passed legislation to curb the antimonopoly and discriminatory practices of a corporation, federal courts would step in and proclaim the state regulations unconstitutional for flouting the due process clause of the amendment. State governments thus became helpless before the might of giant enterprises.
Unencumbered by any state intervention and with federal courts supporting them, corporations throve in America as never before. The economy grew at an unprecedented rate, while small businesses were gobbled up one by one by a few giants. Almost every major industry became a duopoly that earned huge profits from their practices, while working hours were long and real wages puny. African Americans faced extra hardship from...