1.2 civil rights Flashcards
What were the Jim Crow Laws.
Give an example of this.
A set of laws that were to segregate black and whites in America. For example a black person could not play billiards with a white person.
What is lynching?
Relevance to America?
A mob taking the Law into its own hands for what is seen as a crime.
In the south it was white people lynching a black man. The victim was burned or hanged.
Why did lynchings happen?
Give an example of a lynching?
- There were lynchings because black people did not think it was enough to segregate so had to terrorise black people.
- An example of this is the Emmet Till case in 1955. He was lynched for asking a white girl on a date in South Chicago, as was unaware of the rules.
Who was the KKK against?
How far was it subscribed to? Who was subscribed?
The KKK was against any Non- WASP group but especially against Black people.
By 1925 estimates of membership was between 3 and 8 million. It was not only normal people who were members those with high political power as judges and police officers were involved.
Did the FEDERAL government intervene in the south?
Black people lost political power as they lost opportunity to vote.
The federal government hindered black equality. The Plessy vs Ferguson case ruled, despite the 14th amendment, that segregation was okay as long as sperate but equal.
President Wilson who was a southerner had no problem with segregation. (He had once been a member of the KKK).
- President Harding spoke out against lynching and was in favour of civil rights. To a group of 30,000 University students in Alabama he spoke about the evils of segregation.
- However both he and Coolidge were committed to a policy of laissez-faire.
How did the Republican Party deal with civil rights?
The Laissez Faire policy taken by Coolidge meant that they did not get involved in daily life.
The Republicans wanted to express opinion against discrimination but did not enforce it.
The economic depression after 1929 was the main concern for the government.
What was the Great Migration?
Where was the movement?
How did this change during WW2?
Movement of 5,000,000 Southern blacks between 1915 and 1960.
Southen Black moved to major Northern cities like Chicago, Illinois and New York.
During WW2 blacks continued moving north but some also moved west.
What was the impact on the north of the great migration?
- Population of the north increased by 40%
- Black people began to have a more important power in politics
- Churches became significant bases for organising civil rights.
- Black workers displaced white workers.
- Chicago Race riots
What was the impact on the south of the great migration?
- Labour force shrank
- Farming areas struggled to survive
- Southerners saw migration as a way of blacks “voting with their feet.
- There was an assumption that those who stayed accepted the Jim Crow laws.
What were the factors that made people want to leave the south?
- low job opportunity
- Jim Crow laws
- discrimination
Factors that made people attracted to the north?
- Job opportunity WW1 needed factory jobs.
- less discriminative
- family and friends may have moved to the north
How did the Jim Crow laws come into force after the abolition of slavery?
From 1865 southern states wanted to regain control over black people.
Black codes: restrictive rules put on black people.
1896 Plessy v Ferguson case ruled that segregation was okay as long as equal but separate.
initially the Northen states were not involved in Jim Cro laws but they progressively became more involved.
why was there a shift in black voters in the 1930s?
The black voters went from (Republican) who abolished slavery to democrats who promised the new deal
What was Roosevelts view on civil rights?
He was in favour of civil rights as he appointed some black advisors but he did little to advance it as he also had to please anti-civil rights individuals.
What was the executive order 8802 and why was it important?
It banned racial discrimination in the defence industry to get as many people working as possible.
How did the New Deal discriminate against black Americans? (2 ways)
- The agricultural reforms caused black people to be sacked in thousands.
- Social security reforms of New Deal did not help those who worked in other’s homes (mostly blacks).
How did black Americans benefit from the new deal?
National Recovery administration. One third of of low income houses built had black tenants many of the poorest eligible were black.
Why did Black Americans protest against the New Deal?
They were the last hired and the first fired.
They were not gaining the benefits of the New deal.
Who were the NAACP and why were they important during 1930s?
Civil rights group, organised many of the legal actions against segregation.
Managed to get case of black men raping white girls dismissed.
What was the impact of communist supports of black civil rights?
Communists in Northen cities championed the cause of all workers and demanded that relief should be equally allocated between white and blacks.
What organisations were set up during the 1930s protesting against the New Deal? Why were they important?
Black Church organisations set up supports systems mostly in the North. Father Divine set up low-cost shops that sold supplies to black people for less.
What was executive order 7027 and what impact did it have?
To resettle low-income families in new housing and to lend money where needed. It gave black farmers who had lost their homes, fair loans. 3400/20,000
Why did Black Americans not gain from the war induced boom?
Because there was preferential treatment to white workers as they were the first fired and last hired.
Who is A. Philip Randolph and why was he important?
He led the successful protest by railway workers. Threatened 100,000 all black march on Washington.
Aim was to ban discrimination in factories and military.
Why was there an increase in Black American defence workers?
Military factories needed more people 1942-3 the number of defence workers increased.
What happened in 1943 against black people?
Violent and racist strikes by white people.
What were some of the positive and negative aspects of white and black people working together during the war?
Positive- People realised that black people were capable of doing skilled work.
Negative- They were subjected to more racism.
Did President Truman support civil rights?
He was supportive. As he proposed anti-lynching anti-segregation and fair employment laws in 1954.
What did Truman do in relation to civil rights?
He had the right intentions, but he failed to push it through congress as they were almost always blocked.
Why were Civil rights measures difficult to get through?
Blocked by the strong opposition of southern delegates and lukewarm support to Northen ones.
What did Truman set up in 1946 and what was its aim?
President’s commitee on Civil Rights which caused for equal oppurtunitites in work and housing. It also urged federal support of civil rights.
Why was it difficult for Truman to make progress in Civil Rights?
Because he struggled getting past congress and he also had to focus on Cold War.
Why was desegregating the military and businesses for government an important turning point?
Because there were outbreaks of racist violence against returning soldiers. Who fought for the country.
What tactics did Black Americans to fight for equality?
Black protestors used non-violent protest, picketing, boycotting and sittings to draw public attention to discrimination.
What groups were set up for civil rights?
NAACP and the National Urban league that grew and prospered.
Also smaller organisations set around church groups.
Why did the number of civil rights group increase after FWW and SWW?
NAACP membership rose from 9,000 in 1917 to 90,000 in 1919 and 600,000 in 1946. To 600,000 in 1946.
This was because African Americans were disappointed that they lost freedom when they came back from war.
What was the Separatist movement?
Separatists said blacks were never going to achieve true equality with whites so they were going to move back to Africa. Marcus Garvey encouraged this.
NAACP? When was it set up? How did it start? What did they do? What did they do legally? What were their rules?
NAACP was set up was setup in 1910 to gain Americans their legal right.
Began by mounting a campaign against lynching.
Published pamphlets about lynching, demonstrated, held. marches and petioned congress.
Laws against lynching brought to congress but blocked by southern politicians.
NAACP provided lawyers to defend black people who it felt had been unjustly accused.
For example men in a house shot individuals attacking them and were arrested NAACP lawyers highlighted it was self defence.
Rules for NAACP.
Dress, well and do not abuse.
Show respect for government.
Ask white people to join with them.
