It is not surprising then that these conditions created strong feelings of hatred and hostility in blacks toward whites.They also caused fear and hostility in whites toward blacks,since whites were afraid that blacks would someday rebel.Most blacks were simply afraid of white people's power and mistreatment,and only some slaves tried to escape or did things to harm their owners.These actions, in turn, reinforced the owners' belief that black people were unreliable and untrustworthy.Often whites found excuses for "lynching", and torturing blacks.Justice, it was clear, could not exist without equality,and equality could not exist with stereotypes of racial inferiority.Conflict between the two races increased as the stereotypes became more widespread and the mistreatment continued.These racial stereotypes were in direct contradiction to the fundamental principles of the Constitution of the United States.The United States had been founded on the ideas that "all men are created equal" and that there should be "liberty and justice for all."People had come to the U. S. from all around the world in search of freedom.How could they call their country “ the land of the free ”when people actually had the right to own other human beings?Clearly, the concepts of freedom and slavery were in direct conflict with each other.
