African Americans were the minorities; therefore, their function was to do all the unwanted and dirty jobs that white Americans did not want to do. And from a conflict perspective, the Americans are the dominant power and they have consistently won the conflict against African Americans. In 1865, the conflict ended and slavery was abolished. “No society could withstand the tension inherent in the slavery of its own members. » (Finley) What he means is that no society can bear the strain of enslaving its own people. American society is a very good example of this. However, this did not end prejudice and discrimination against African American people or any other race or ethnicity. After slavery was abolished, amendments were passed to grant certain rights to African Americans. However, "viewed by many as second-class citizens, blacks were segregated from whites by law and private action in transportation, places of public recreation, prisons, the armed forces, and schools in the states of the United States." North and South. (A Century of Racial Segregation 1849-1950) Due to this racial segregation in the United States, many civil rights leaders