The character of the relationship between blacks and whites is a long-running theme in American history. In the early days of slavery in the colonies, whites considered African-Americans as subordinate humans while believing in their own superiority, and continued to do so for much of contemporary history. But when law mandated that blacks be treated as beings of equal status, a majority of whites refused to comply, forcing African-Americans to constantly put up a fight for their rights as United States citizens. Blacks have solicited the federal government and various interest groups for help to improve their social, political, and economic conditions. When these resources could only provide minimal assistance, blacks turned inward and first began fighting with violent intent, but the movement gradually evolved into a nonviolent resistance to white oppression. Legal changes served only as symbolic steps toward change, as many whites refused to comply with and enforce such social transformations. Social reactions of blacks to the existing conditions of inequality had a greater impace on improving race relations than did the actual

Although historically blacks have been at a political, social, and economic disadvantage, the government did not give much serious attention to their situation until the Great Depression. Blacks were among the hardest hit by the crash, and most were desperate for assistance. One of the first important reactions of the federal govenment to the plight of the blacks was creating recovery and relief programs, which benefited them greatly, despite the fact that some were racially discriminatory. In the aftermath, New Deal measures passed by Congress were all the more encouraging because the nation's highest authorities had found the compelling reason they needed to set into motion the actions necessary for national change: what they were seeing was "a community just like any other American community. The same pattern, only a different shade" (Course reader, 226).

So between 1920 and 1950, the government did its best to stop racist practices in many aspects of life. But the lack of consistent enforcement essentially allowed whites to get away with resisting forced tolerance and integration. All these progressive steps made by the government were made with the best of intentions in mind, but the rest test of their effectiveness would lie in social reaction to them by both whites and blacks.

modifications in law made to alleviate racial tension.

Through such civil activities, blacks applied increasing pressure on authorities and legislatures to do something real about the problems in race relations. A survey of federal action shows that legislation and Supreme Court decisions were all reactive measures taken in response to the social reactions of blacks. Through it all, blacks persevered in the face of adversity and constant opposition. Not only did blacks' reactions bring the issue of race relations to the forefront of social politics, it raised awareness of the need for change. Had they silently withstood the racism and discrimination of unmoved whites, the movement for civil rights would have never evolved into such an historic era of social and political reform. Blacks are no longer the invisible creatures to which Ellison's narrator compares himself; they have more than earned their right to be equal to whites.

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