3.10 African Americans Flashcards
What were the reasons for the revival of the KKK after WW1?
- Release of the film, The Birth of a Nation in 1915
- New groups of immigrants
- Increasing industrialisation brough more workers to towns and cities
What was the film, The Birth of a Nation 1915
It was set in the South and the Civil War and showed the Klan saving white families from gangs of African Americans intent on raping and looting
Attracted huge audiences and re-enforced white supremacy
How were African Americans treated in the army in WW1?
Southern white resented African American soldiers and there was much segregation.
What characterised the members of the KKK?
- WASPs
- Anti-communist, anti-black, anti-jew, and anti-catholic
- Mostly Southerners
- White
How did KKK members dress?
White sheets and white hoods
This was to hide the identity of the original Klan members who often attacked thier victims at night.
What was KKK membership in 1920 and 1925?
100,000 in 1920 and 5 million in 1925
What did the KKK do?
Carried out lynchings of African Americans and bet up and mutilated anyone they considered to be their enemy.
What event led to the decline of the KKK?
- One of its leader, Stephenson, was convicted of a sexually motivated murder
- Stephenson produced evidence of illegal Klan activiteies when he was refused pardoning
- Discredited the Klan and led to a decline in membership
Which of the New Deal Policies didn’t support African Americans?
- Agricultural Adjustment Administration (AAA)
- National Recovery Administration (NRA)
- Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC)
Why were African Americans hit particularly badly by the Great Depression?
Often the last to be taken on and the first to be fired. Many of the poorly paid jobs, previously reserved for them, were now given to whites.
Why did the National Recovery Administration (NRA) benefit African Americans?
Allowed for African Americans to be paid less than whites for doing the same jobs.
why did the civilian Conservation Corps benefit African Americans?
It was run by a Southern racist who did little to encourage African Americans to join: those who did faced strict segregation?
What was done to address lynching under FDR?
- Anti-lynching bills were introudced into Congress in 1934 and 1937
- FDR did nothing to support either
- Both were eventually defeated
How did the role of African Americans in government change in the 1930s?
- President employed more African Americans in government
- Some were of an ‘African American cabinet’ addressing race issues
How did numbers of African Americans in the civil service change between 1932 and 1941?
It trippled to 150,000
