African Americans Flashcards
What are human rights?
- Fundamental rights, especially those believed to belong to an individual and in whose exercise a govt may not interfere
- Includes the right to speak, associate, work etc.
What are civil rights?
- Rights to personal Liberty established by the 13th and 14th Amendments to the U.S Constitution and certain Congressional acts especially as applied to an individual or a minority group
- The rights to full legal, social, and economical equality extended to blacks.
What is congress?
Discusses laws and agrees the people in the President’s cabinet (personal advisors)
What is the role of the president?
- Elected every 4 years
- In charge of foreign and domestic policy, head of armed forces
- A cabinet of advisors helps the president govern
- Asks Congress to draft laws
What is the supreme court?
- Highest court in the land whose judgements are final
- States whether or not a law is constitutional
When was Andrew Johnson president?
1865-69
When was the reconstruction period?
1865-1877
What was Andrew Johnson’s aim?
To re-admit and re-build the Confederate states and help African Americans integrate into society
What was Andrew Johnson’s plan?
- All Southerners prepared to swear oath of allegiance to receive Amnesty
- All required to ratify 13th Amendment
- All property bar slaves to be returned
- Civil and military leaders not pardoned
- Slaves given land - Special Field Order #15 ‘Forty acres and a mule’
When was the emancipation proclamation?
1st January 1863
What was the emancipation proclamation?
- Declared “that all persons held as slaves” within the rebellious states “are, and henceforward shall be free”
Why was the emancipation proclamation limited?
- It applied only to states that had seceded from the United States, leaving slavery untouched in the loyal border states
- The freedom it promised depended upon Union (United States) military victory.
Did the emancipation proclamation end slavery?
No
When was the 13th Amendment introduced?
1865
What was the 13th Amendment?
- Abolished slavery everywhere in the USA
- Gave Congress power to ensure this through legislation
When was the Freedman’s Bureau created?
1865
What was the Freedman’s Bureau?
- A federal agency
- Lasted for 4 years
- Supplied food, medical services and schools to freedmen
- Also negotiated work contracts between them and their former masters
- It was an example of social welfare by the state.
When was the first Civil Rights Act?
1866
What was the first Civil Rights Act?
Granted citizenship to anyone born in the USA (except Native Americans).
Why was the first Civil Rights Act limited in terms of helping African Americans?
It was only for those born in the USA which most slaves were not, they were traded and imported
What was the first Civil Rights Act in response to?
- A response to the black codes of some Southern states (laws designed to limit the rights and freedom of former slaves)
When was the 14th Amendment introduced?
1866
What was the 14th Amendment?
- A 4-part amendment
- Confirmed the rights to citizenship
- Forbade states from depriving the ‘privileges and immunities of citizens’
- Forbade states from depriving any person of life, liberty or property without ‘due process of law’
- Forbade states from denying citizens the ‘equal protection of the laws’.
When was U.S. Grant president?
1869-77
When was the 15th Amendment introduced?
1870
What was the 15th Amendment?
- Forbade states from denying anyone the right to vote ‘on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude’
- But left states free to restrict suffrage on other grounds such as illiteracy or poverty
When were the Enforcement Acts/Ku Klux Klan Acts?
1870-71
What were the Enforcement Acts/Ku Klux Klan Acts?
- It became a federal criminal offence for an individual to restrict the civil and political rights of others
- In order to control the Ku Klux Klan, martial law could be enforced and habeas corpus (the right to trial) suspended.
What were the Enforcement Acts/Ku Klux Klan Acts introduced in response to?
- In response to increased violence in the South against freedmen
When was the 2nd Civil Rights Act?
1875
What was the 2nd Civil Rights Act?
A law to guarantee black Americans equal accommodation in public places, but lacked powers of enforcement.
How many Southern rebels were pardoned?
- 13,000
- Far more than suggested
How many black people were killed in Texas between 1865-68?
1000
What were black codes?
- Allowed African Americans to own property, draw up contracts, sue, attend school and marry
- Forbade voting, serving on a jury, giving evidence against a white person, carrying arms and marrying a white person
Who introduced black codes following the 13th Amendment?
Southern States
When was the period of ‘Congressional Reconstruction’?
1867
What was the period of ‘Congressional Reconstruction’?
Radical Republicans took control of both Congress and Reconstruction, allowing the fourteenth and fifteenth Amendment to be ratified
When was The Period of Hope?
1867-77
From 1865-75, how many black men held office in the South?
1,465
What was the situation by the mid 1870s for African Americans?
- Black sharecroppers, controlled by white landowners
- Industrial employment discouraged by whites fearing for their jobs
- Freedmen’s Bureau closed in 1872 - real fear of violence becomes evident
- Contrast between De Jure (in theory/law) and De Facto (in reality/fact) rights became clear
- Segregation was common but not formalised until later
- African Americans seen as a corrupting influence on white children
When was the Slaughterhouse Case?
1873
What was the Slaughterhouse Case?
- In judging a case concerning a meat monopoly, the federal Supreme Court decided that the rights of citizens should stay under state rather than federal control
What were the Jim Crow Laws?
- Series of State Laws in the Southern and border states
- Started with 8 Southern states introducing formal segregation of races on trains, 3 extended this to waiting rooms
- Re-enforced school segregation
When were the Jim Crow Laws put into place?
Between 1887 and 1891
In what year was segregation extended to cover pubic places of all kinds?
After 1891
When were the Jim Crow Laws deemed constitutional?
1896
Which case made segregation constitutional?
Plessy vs Ferguson
What was Plessy vs Ferguson?
- Separate but equal’
- Plessy was a light-skinned mulatto, legally classed as black who sued after being denied a seat in an all-white railway carriage
- Decided 8-1 against him that the segregation was constitutional
- It ruled that separation didn’t mean inferior; this created a legal precedent for future cases.
When was Plessy vs Ferguson?
1896
Who were the major early activists against the Jim Crow Laws?
- Ida B. Wells
- Booker T. Washington
- Du Bois
- Marcus Garvey
- Frederick Douglass
What did Ida B. Wells do?
- Anti-lynching campaign
- Founded NAACP
What were Ida B. Wells’ limitations?
- Stubborn
- Angry personality
- Preferred to work alone
- Limited support for NAACP
What were Ida B. Wells’ impacts (social, economic, political)?
- Social
- Political
What did Booker T. Washington do?
- Met with Teddy Roosevelt
- Atlanta address
- Tuskegee Institute
What were Booker T. Washington’s limitations?
- Too civil
- Slow with actions
What were Booker T. Washington’s impacts (social, economic, political)?
- Social
- Economic
What did Du Bois do?
- Founded NAACP
- First AA to get a PhD from Harvard
- Made a proclamation requesting equal rights
- Niagara Movement
- Called upon talented tenth
- Set the foundations for equal rights
What were Du Bois’ impacts (social, economic, political)?
Political
What did Marcus Garvey do?
- UNIA
- Created his own newspaper called The Negro World
- Pan-Africanism
- Black Star Line
- Encouraged black consciousness, pride in heritage
What were Marcus Garvey’s limitations?
No long-term effect
What were Marcus Garvey’s impacts (social, economic, political)?
- Social
- Economic
What did Frederick Douglass do?
- Anti-slavery society and newspaper
- Speaking tours and active protests
- Autobiography about his experiences as a slave
- The North Star anti-slavery newspaper which circulated through more than 4,000 readers in the US, Europe and West Indies
- Campaigns for equality
- Anti-slavery society and newspaper
What were Frederick Douglass’ limitations?
Refused to run the Freedmen’s Bureau
What were Frederick Douglass’ impacts (social, economic, political)?
Political
When was the NAACP founded?
1909
What was the NAACP?
- First national association and eventually successful supporting civil rights
- Led by both blacks and whites
What were the policies of the NAACP?
- Believe the races should live, work and be educated together
- It would take cases to federal courts that would establish the equal rights of the African American
- Defended those accused of rioting but non-violent organisation
- Lobbying rather than mass action was the central policy
- Supports anti-lynching law though it fails- contributes to decline in lynchings.
How many members did the NAACP have by 1920 and what does it suggest?
- More than 90,000 members
- Greater interest in civil rights post WW1
How many members did the NAACP have by 1930 and what does it suggest?
Declined to 50,000 members
How did people in the South feel about the NAACP?
- White population was violently anti-NAACP.
- Therefore there was limited speaking opportunities in the South
How many blacks supported communism after 1929?
7,000
How did the Great Depression affect African Americans?
- Hit harder than whites
- 2 million Southern black farmers left the land as crop prices plummeted
- Many went to the cities but urban black unemployment was between 30-60% and always higher than whites
- Whites took over black jobs
- Whites organised vigilante groups such as the black Shirts of Atlanta to stop blacks getting jobs
- Blacks tended to be the last hired and first fired
When was Franklin D. Roosevelt (FDR) president?
1932-45
What was Franklin D. Roosevelt’s (FDR) aim?
- Wanted to ‘save America’
- ‘We are going to make a country in which no one is left out’
When was the New Deal?
1933-38
What were the aims of the New Deal?
- Relieve human suffering
- Promote economic recovery
How did the New Deal attempt to achieve it’s aims?
- Correcting the financial crisis
- Offering initial short-term relief to the unemployed
- Promoting industrial recovery by increased government spending and by cooperative agreements between govt, industry and unions
- Alphabet Agencies
The second New Deal programme 1935-38
Why were the Alphabet Agencies introduced?
These were the first he first New Deal programmes
When were the first New Deal programmes/Alphabet Agencies introduced?
1933-34
When were the second New Deal programmes/Alphabet Agencies introduced?
1935-38
Name the first New Deal programmes/Alphabet Agencies.
- Agricultural Adjustment Act (AAA)
- Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA)
- Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC)
- Federal Housing Administration (FHA)
When was the Agricultural Adjustment Act (AAA)?
1933
What was the purpose of the Agricultural Adjustment Act (AAA)?
Used farm subsidies to regulate farm production
What were the issues with Agricultural Adjustment Act (AAA)?
Disbanded after WW2
What impact did the Agricultural Adjustment Act (AAA) have on African Americans?
- More black workers were unemployed than white
- Black American life expectancy was 10 years less than that of white Americans living in the same area
- Lynching increased; 20 dead in 1930 and 24 in 1934.
When was the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA)?
1933
What was the purpose of the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA)?
Regional planning of a deprived area, with hydro-electricity conservation, flood control and educational and health projects.
What were the issues with Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA)?
Still in operation, though criticised for it’s anticipated environmental impact
What impact did the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) have on African Americans?
- Racial segregation
- Sharecroppers suffered badly as farms went out of production and farmers reduced the number of labourers required
When was the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC)?
1933
What was the purpose of the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC)?
Provided work for young men aged 8-25, paying $30 a month, of which $25 had to be sent to their families
What were the issues with the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC)?
Disbanded in 1942
What impact did the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) have on African Americans?
- Racial segregation
- Sharecroppers suffered badly as farms went out of production and farmers reduced the number of labourers required
When was the Federal Housing Administration (FHA)?
1934
What was the purpose of the Federal Housing Administration (FHA)?
- Federal guarantees of private mortgages, with reduced down payments from 30% to 10%, and extended repayment time for 20 to 30 years.
- Enabled more Americans to purchase their own homes
What is a the strength of the Federal Housing Administration (FHA)?
- This policy continues today
What impact did the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) have on African Americans?
- Discrimination
- A refusal to give mortgages for black families in traditionally white neighbourhoods
- Reinforces segregation and effectively ghettos too
Name the second New Deal programmes/Alphabet Agencies.
- Works Progress Administration (WPA) and Wagner Act
- Social Security Act (SSA)
- Fair Labor Standards Act
- National Housing Act
When was the Works Progress Administration (WPA) and Wagner Act?
1935
What was the purpose of the Works Progress Administration (WPA) and Wagner Act?
- Established work relief programmes funding a vast range of projects directed at different areas, including the Federal Art Project (FAP).
- Helps resolve labour disputes
What were the strengths and issues of the Works Progress Administration (WPA) and Wagner Act?
- Ran for 8 years
- Employed 8.5 million people
- African Americans were excluded from trade unions
What impact did the Works Progress Administration (WPA) and Wagner Act have on African Americans?
- WPA- Known for being ‘colour-blind’, with 1 million black Americans working for it by 1939
- The Wagner Act- harmed blacks by making labour union monopolies legal, discrimination, encourages incentive in workers to exclude outsiders
When was the Social Security Act (SSA) ?
1935
What was the purpose of the Social Security Act (SSA)?
- Guaranteed retirement payments for over-65s
- Set up federal insurance for the unemployed
- Provided additional assistance for the disabled, for public health and for dependent women and children
What is a strength of the Social Security Act (SSA)?
Continues today
What impact did the Social Security Act (SSA) have on African Americans?
Does not apply to domestic jobs (a major area of black female employment)
When was the Fair Labor Standards Act?
1938
What was the purpose of the Fair Labor Standards Act?
- Set a minimum wage of 40 cent an hour
- Set maximum working week of 40 hours for business involved in interstate commerce, and particular for workers not in unions
- raised the wages of 12 million workers by 1940
What were the strengths and issues of the Fair Labor Standards Act?
- Massive benefits to the worker without the need of Trade Union negotiation
- This was the last New Deal reform to become law
- The system was a model for the future
- Opposed by Southern conservatives on the grounds of excessive government interference with business
- They also feared that Southern industry, with its traditional low wage structure, would lose it’s competitiveness
What impact did the Fair Labor Standards Act have on African Americans?
No minimum wage for domestic workers (typically black jobs) leaving them unprotected
When was the National Housing Act?
1938
What was the purpose of the National Housing Act?
- Established the United States Housing Authority
- Set up housing projects for low income families
What impact did the National Housing Act have on African Americans?
Discriminatory as focused on suburban housing rather than the black areas in the inner city.
Who introduced the New Deal?
Franklin D. Roosevelt
What were the positive impacts of the New Deal?
- Provided 1 million jobs, nearly 50,000 housing units and financial assistance
- Government assistance allowed sharecroppers to become independent farmers
- Eleanor Roosevelt- black women causes, Declaration of Human Rights
What were the negative impacts of the New Deal?
- Black people were not always given the aid and assistance available
- Fair Labour Standards Act did not apply to domestic jobs (black jobs)
- Tennessee Valley Authority built all white towns
When the Dock Company in Mobile finally responded to federal pressure and employed blacks in 1943, how many blacks were injured?
50
How many blacks served in the armed forces in WW2?
Over 1 million
How many blacks were shot in Alexandria, Louisiana, by a drunken white Military Police, state troopers, local police and civilians?
13
During WW2, how many members did the NAACP gain?
- Gained 400,000
- From 50,000 to 450,000
When was Harry S. Truman president?
1945-53
Name the actions Truman took to improve the civil rights situation.
- Fair Employment Practices Commission (FEPC)
- Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR)
- ‘To Secure These Rights’
- Black involvement in the Korean War
- Shelley vs Kraemer
- CORE/NAACP/Freedom Rides
- Impact on later Brown vs Board
