black civil rights Flashcards
when was slavery abolished
-1865 congress passed the 13th amendment to the constitution abolishing slavery in the USA
what was the 14th amendment and when did it occur
-1868
-made all people born of natrulaised in the us, us citizen
what was the 15th ammendment and when did it occur
3rd Feb 1870
-declared that all US citizens had equal voting rights
what was the position of black people after the amendments
-supposedly by 1870 all black americans were ‘free and equal’
-however despite 15th ammendment black voters were met with violence (e.g Fannie Harmer went to register to vote in missisippi 1962 but was sacked from her job as a result)
-this shows the difference between the existence of law and its enforcement (de facto and de jury)
what were conditions like for black people after WW1, why dsid they need to fight for civil rights
-after ww1 black Americans found they still faced a struggle for equality. There was discrimination segregation and violence
-this was worse in the south but even in the north, minorities were unofficially segregated and discriminated against
-anti black race riots occured in the south
why was life like for black americans in the south post ww1
-faced legal restrictions, violence and lower quality living
-lynchings from KKK
-significant unequal pay and restricted job options
-Jim crow laws introduced in 917 segregated white and black people (seperate toilets, schools, restraunts, places to sit etc)
-dramatic difference in quality of education
-booker T washkingto advocated for accepting segregation and had a huge following of white people
what was life like in the north post ww1 for black people
-expected to live in their own part of town, segregated from rest of city
-expected to do the lowest paid jobs, last hired first fired
discrimination reached the gov
who introduced segregation in gov offices and the white house and when
1913- president Wilson
what was voting like for black people after 15th ammendment
-given harder literacy tests, had to be home owners which they were not
-polls often surrounded by white mobs
what were jim crow laws
-introduced laws of segregation, ‘seperate but equal’
-state and local laws that enforced racial segregation, operating primarily in the south
-many christian ministers believed that white people were the chosen people and black people were cursed to be servants and that god supported racial segregation
-belief that black people were innately, intellectualy and culturally inferior to white people
FEATURES
-segregated transport
-segregated living areas
-segregated public facilities
-workplaces segregated workers to the point of different staircases to go on
how did jim crow laws effect voting rights
-voters had to pass a literacy test (black people didnt have access to good education and had low literacy rates as a result)
-cultivated a predominantly white voting body in the USA
-in these literacy tests black people were sometimes given harder passages to read and in many. states voters had to be home owners, most blacks werent which the gov was aware of
-white mobs surrounded voting polls to make racial attacks
what was lynching and why did it occur
-some whites felt segregation wasnt enough and that black people needed terrorising into obedience
-happened mostly in the south
how many lynchings occoured of white vs blck men between 1915 and 1930
-65 white men
-576 black men
what was the criteria for lynching a black person
-did not need to have committed a crime or an accusation
-black people often wrongly accused of a crime as an excuse to Lynch
what was the culture of lynching in the south
-often advertised beforehand
-photographs of crowds of men and women grinning happily beside corpses (was an event of leisure)
examples of injust lynchings
-1955, 14 year old Emmett Till visited relatives in south Chicago. He was lynched for merely talking to a white woman- allegedly asking her for a date
-he didnt understand the southern rules as he came from the north where measures were more mild
-this lynching attracted alot of publicity and shock, even in the south
what was the KKK and when was it founded
-brutal white supremacist organisation revived in 1915
-against any non-WASP group but especially black people
-by 1925, estimates of membership ranged from 3 to 8 million (even state governors and policemen)
-hid identity with whitw hooded cloaks but many knew the identities of the members
-created an extreme anti black environment that non clan members felt too scared to reject
-reduced quality of life of black people by creating terror.
how did the federal government hinder black equality
voting literacy tests
plessy vs ferguson ‘seperate but equal’
what was plessy vs Ferguson
1896
supreme court ruled that segregation was possible despite the 14th ammendment if the provision was ‘seperate but equal’
hindered black people economically socially and politically due to unequal oportunities that segragation gave
how did presidents intervene with segregation and violence
-wilson had no problem with segregation
-harding spoke out against lynching and was in favor of civil rights
-adressed 30,000 people at university of alabama of the evils of segregation
-BUT both harding and coolidge were committed to laissez faire so they didnt take any legal action/ legislation
how did the great depression effect civil rights intervention
-federall gov focused on correcting economic struggles, abandoned focus on civil rights
when and what was the great migration
-1917-32
-wave of black migration from the south to the north and east, mainly to cities
-drawn to cities as they were mostly industrial towns providing work opportunities
-also to escape violence and discrimination of the south the have a better standards of living in all ways.
what were the eastern cities with the largest growth due to the great migration
New York, Philadelphia and Pittsburgh
why were black americans drawn to northern cities
as they were mosrtly industrial towns so black americans weere drawn there for work
the migration sprung at ww1 and there was a demand for workers (e.g munitions factories-owners advertised in southern newspapers
what was segregation like for migrants in the north
-lowest paid wages
-accom in most crowded run down areas
-little respect from bosses in workplace
BUT they could vote and be elected to federal/local gov
how did the great migration begin and ensurre accessibility of work and a good standard of living for black people
-first world war meant there was a rising need for workers iin munitions factories in the north
-factory owners advertised this in southern newspapers
-it was appealing as they offered free housing, transportation, good wages (all things they didnt have in the south)
what were pull factors towards the north
-factory owners offered free housing, free transport and good wages (SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC)
-people were encuraged to migrate by friends and family who had already migrated north who could offer them a place to stay and help finding work (security and comfort) (SOCIAL)
-Sense of community cultivated in living areas for black people in north due to connections and cultural recognition/familiarity
-respect as citizens had the right to vote and be elected into federal gov
-chance for equal opportunities like education, employment etc
-chance to escape racism
-positive media coverage of the north
what wre push factors from the south
-Jim Crow- inferior treatment and facilities
-lynching and kkk
-brutal racism
-the 1927 great flood
-the boil weevil infestation (from Mexico, beetles fed off cotton fibrews and laid eggs which killed the plants, by 1908 cotton harvests in mississipi had beed reduced by 75 %)
difference in number of population in new york detroit and chicago from 1910-30
NY
91,709 to 327,706
DETROIT
5,741 to 120,066
CHICAGO
44,103
what wa sthe positive experience for migrants in the north
-not all landlords exploited migrants (SOCIAL)
-not all black people forced to live and work in the worst parts of the city (SOCIAL)
-poorer black americans found job opportunities when they moved to rich white suburbs (living in their own segregated areas) as nannies and domestic servants for families
-black people could vote unlike unequal opportunity in the south
-not all black people had low paid jobs
what were the negative experiences of mifgrants in the north
-jobs low paid and hard to find (ECONOMIC)
-RIGHTS WERE EXPLOITED as black workers replaced white workers asking for higher wages (SOCIAL)
-accom in crowded and run down places, cramping and disparity (SOCIAL)
-rent was 10x higher than what a whirte person would be charge- violation of seperate but equal (SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC)
-SKILLED MIGRANTS TOOK UNSKILLED JOBS
what was the harlem renaissance
-a literary, artistic and intellectual movement
-harmlem became an epicentre for black artistic explosion
what was the impact of the great migration
-population of northern cities rose sharply
-bigger black american voing body (E.G THE BLACK VOTE COULD KEEP A MAYOR, as seen in the 1919 chicago mayor)
-powerful business orientated black elite grew and more likely to have political positions (black ward vote)
-in cities like NY whwere white politicians had hold, blacks did not have political influence
impact of migration on the south
-the labour force shrank
-farming struggled to get by (poorest black farmers suffered)
-sotherners saw migration as blacks ‘voting with their feet’ over jim crow laws so they assumed those who remained accepted jim crow laws
WW1 effect on AA’s
-boom in low skilled jobs
-blacks found their voting rights for the first time
-sparked increase in AA consciousness and activism
-great migration
-urban decay (Harlem-poverty stricken ghettos)
-those who fought in france (more racially tolerant country) realised the us degree of intolerance
-hostility and violence when white men returned
-chicago riots 1919 (23 black and 15 white dead, when black teenager was drowned at a whites only beach)
adantages of the new deal on black people
-they were recieving some level of relief for the first time
-Roosevelt named black educator Mary McLeod Bunche to the advisory committee for NYA (meaning blacks recieved a fair share of funds)
-WPW was colour blind and blacks in northern cities benefitted from its relief programs
-Harold Ickes-supporter of civil rights-poured funds into black schools and hospitals in the south
-some policies helped e.g 1/3 of low income housing built had black tenants
what was new deals attitude towards black people
-new deal was supposedly coulour blind and work projects were meant to be given on merit alone
-190s shift from republican to demnocrat (helped by increased black vote)
-Roosevelt appointed few black advisors but needed support from southern democrats so did little to advance civil rights (would even restrict the no. of black workers on a project if the donor requested0
disadvantages of the new deal on black people
-authorised and legalised lower pay for black people (NRA pay scale less for them)
-black people often moved off project to make room for whites
-black farm workers sacked in their thousands during agricultural reforms
-social security provisions (e.g social security act 1935) did not apply to farm workers or those eho workwed in other peoples homes which was a lot of the african american population
-FDR refuse/failed to adress anti lynching measurements ass part of his deal
-blacks kept out of white neighbourhoods (FHA had policies which made it difficult for african americans to buy homes in middle class areas)
-the CCC maintained segregation
-Agricultural adjustments administration hit black namericans hard. their policies forced more than 100,000 blacks off the land in 1933 and 1934
what was african american RELATIONSHIP WITH COMMUNISTS during new deal like
african americans protested about treatment but had more support from communists than black civil rights organisations
communist lawyers took the case of 9 black men suppossedly raping 2 whute womeb and won (NAACP refused this case)
In 1930s birmingham, alabama there were 3,000 comunist african americans compared to 6 black NAACP members
communists in norther cities also championed the cause of workers and demanded equal allocation of funds
-civil rights became associated with communism which increased hostility
how did roosevelt positively impact civil rights
issued executive order 8802 when war broke out, banning racial discrimination in defence industry
how did black officials react to discrimination within the new deals
-black officials in gov protested
persuaded national recovery administration to set minimum wage for black and white people at the same rate
-often ignored
issues with the national recovery act?
-didnt apply to domestic or agricultural work
-where black people did qualify they found themselves working for less pay at same tasks
what was the impact of the great depression on civil rights
-black church organisations set up support systems during depression e.g father divine, Halem (set up resteraunts and shops that sold food at lower ratesthat white run stores
-housewives league: ‘dont buy where you cant work’ boycotted stores who hired black employess
-second depression in 1937 (little help, only helped 3,400 of 200,000 farmers)
positive impact of ww2 on civil rights
-executive order 8802 banned discrimination in defence industry as randolph threatened march on Washington
-1942, 2% of defnce workers were black , by 1944 it was 7%. blacks and white worked side by side
-large scale migration to cities for industrial migration jobs gave blacks a better economic and political position (and greater safety from south)
-increased activism (NAACP membership rose from 50,000 to 450,000 during ww2
how did membership on NAACP change during WW2
membership rose from 50,000 to 450,000 during ww2
percentage of black defence workers ww2
1942, 2% of defnce workers were black , by 1944 it was 7%
executive order 8802
banned discrimination in defence industry
negative impact of ww2 on civil rights
-wartime migration resented and rivalry of housing resulted in harsh treatment of blacks
-1943 outbreaks of racist violence and white people striked as they had to work with black people (e.g Race Riot in Detroit, 9 whiotes and 25 blacks died)
-POST WAR SURVEY- majority of whites still racist, supported housing segregation and thought jobs should be awarded to whites first
when and what was the detroit race riot
-1943
-white people striked as they had to work with black people (e.g Race Riot in Detroit, 9 whiotes and 25 blacks died)
truman positive impact civil rights
-1946 set up presidents comittee on civil rights (called for equl opportunity in work and housing)
-appointed black people in high profile gov jobs)
-‘to secure these rights’ examined discrimination and made suggestions fro change ( report)
-1947 first presidential speech (spoke to NAACP and said all americans entitled to full civil rights)
-1950 desegregated canteen in washington airport
-1948 executive orders to end discrimination in armed forces and garunteed fair service in civil service
1947 first presidential speech
truman spoke to NAACP and said all americans entitled to full civil rights
presidents comittee on civil rights
1946 set up presidents comittee on civil rights (called for equl opportunity in work and housing)
‘to secure thesse rights’
under truman
examined discrimination and made suggestions fro change ( report)
truman negative impact on civil rights
-never adressed and didnt pass anti lynching laws
-his fair employment board never properly funded
-called black americans slurs post war
-national guard remained segregated
-offivers resisted desegregation in armed forces, esp in Korean War
-fair deal programme- gov to build new homes but under funded and demolished more houses than built
fair deal programme
-under truman
-gov to build new homes but under funded and demolished more houses than built
trumans fair employment board
never properly funded
the UN and civil rights
-toned down support in face of opposition from countries like South Africa
-3 NAACP delegates initially showed support
Direct action
-non violent protests, picketing, boycotting and sit ins
-legal action taken by NAACP
-also a ‘seperatist’ movement saying blacks would never gain equalityand embrace segregation with equal rights so children wouldnt feel inferior
Marcus Garvey seperatism
1920s
suggested ‘back to africa’ movement
NAACP legal challenges successes
set up in 1910 and aim was to achieve equal rights
-won some cases in 30s/40s and every case in 50s
-BUT supreme court weakened case rulings by not SETTING TIME LIMIT FOR SEGREGATION (E.G BROWN VS BOARD OF EDUCATION 1 IN 100 BLACK PEOPLE IN SOUTH IN INTEGRATED SCHOOL 10 YEARS LATER)
Brown vs board of education and how it was hindered
-1954
-desegregation of schools, seperation of white and black students harmful
-most famous NAACP case
-10 years later only 1 in 100 black children were in integrated schools in the south
SUMMARISED NAACP MAJOR CASES
-1926 sweet trial
-1936 Murray v maryland
1946 morgan v virginia
-1948 shelly v kraemar
-1954 brown vs board of educations
-1926 sweet trial
Dr sweet and family moved to white area in detroit 1925- house surrounded by angry white mob for 2 nights
-2nd night sweets friend shot into crown and shot young man
-men in house put on trial for murder but NAACP won
1936 Murray v maryland
Uni of Maryland law school desegregated afted donald murray was refused admission due to race
-naacp case
1946 morgan v virginia
supreme court overturns virginia state law desegregating busses and trains that moved from one state to another
NAACP case
1948 shelly v kraemar
banned regulations that stopped black peoples from buying houses in an area in any state
direct action 40s and 50s
-stepped up and marches occurrig more
-CORE (series of sit ins in northern cities) chicago 1942, St Louis 1949, Baltimore 1952- to desegregate public facilities
-CORE and Fellowship for Reconciliation: rode interstate buses through southern states vurginia, north carolina, tenessee and Kentucky to desegregate them
CORE sit in 40s and 50
-northern cities sit ins to desegregate public facilities
-chicago 1942
-st louis 1949
-baltimore 1942
-CORE and Fellowship for Reconciliation
1947
rode interstate buses through southern states vurginia, north carolina, tenessee and Kentucky to desegregate them
when was core set up
1942
rules for non violent protest
-dress to appear respectable
-not loud
-not allowed to fight back
Montgomery bus boycott
1955
-people saw brutality i media
-december 1st 1955 Rosa parks arrested for sitting front of a bus refusing to give her seat to a white male
-NAACP lawyers took her case
-next day MIA (montgomery improvement association) set up, MLK was leader- MIA handed out leaflets, held meetings and organised other travel methods
-5th Dec bus boycott began (impactful as over 75% of bus users were black and 90% of them boycotted-lasted 380 days)
-gov imprisoned MLK and others for conspirtacy boycott continued
-1556 bus segregation ruled unconstitutional
percentage of black bus users before boycott in Montgomery
75% were black and 90% of them boycotted so impactful-lasted 380 days
what was MIA
MIA (montgomery improvement association) set up, MLK was leader
when was bus segregation ruled unconstitutional
1556
Martin Luther King Jr.
-became face of black civil rights
-media conscious
-refined non violent protest rules (arrested publically and going peacfully, accept as many whites as possible to protests, violent blacks harm the cause)
Little Rock, Arkansas
-southern campaign
-1952
-racist governer Faubus didnt want integrated schools
-1957, nine black children selected by daisy bates NAACP leader to go to all white school
-on their first day faubus sent national guard to stop them goiung
-8 children went by car and 1 went on own, surrounded by screaming mob
-photographs of incident shocked world
-eisenhower reluctantly sent federal troops to guard chilfren
SNCC
-SET UP 1960
-Racially integrated organisation of young people
-took training sessions on how to cope with violence from whites during protests
-protested in areas that were expected to have a violent reaction
-encouraged voter registration by sending ‘field secretaries’ to live and work in violent parts of south
Freedom rides
1961
-CORE and SNCC carried out freedom rides in south (organised by james farmer- CORE) to test if bus restroom facilities were actually desegregated after 1961 supreme court ruling
-7 blacks and 6 whites left washington on two public buses heading for Deep South
-first 2 buses were attacked
-in Alabama a bus was firebombed after being chased by 50 cars inc police
-imprisoned in Birmingham and beaten up in montgomery- 3 were killed
Greensboro sit in (southern)
-1960
-4 black students went to all white resteraunt in woolworths and went to white segregated counter and waited there until store shut
-next day returned with 30 others and day after (nearly all seats occupied by black students)-screamed at and food thrown on them
-promptrd more people in south to copy Greensboro example (54 sit ins emerged in south)
March on washington
-1963
-aimed to encourage civil rights bill and executive action to increase black employment
-SCLC, SNCC, CORE, NAACP worked all together
-250,000 marched (50,000 white)
Birmigham campaign
-1963
-King led campaign to desegregate town (knew it would provopke violence)
-a tactic was to get as many arrested as possible to overrun jails
-racist chief of police ‘bull’ connor ordered men to use high pressure hoses and dogs (on women and children also)
-may 1963 desegregation of lunch counters, restrooms, water fountains, store fitting rooms in 90 days- and everyone to be released from jail
achievements of march on washington
-forced kennedy to start working on civil rights bill
-positive media coveragain (sympathy gained)
-shown across world
-MLK ‘i have a dream’ speech
-civil rights leaders began working closely w gov
freedom summer
1964
SNCC and CORE pushed for voter registration, sent large numbers of volunteers to south (esp. Mississippi)
due to literacy tests only 6.2% were already registered
-17,000 registered to vote but only 1600 accepted
-campaign for freedom schools resulted in KKK killing 20 blacks
-2 white 1 black volutneer found dead and beaten, by summer 3 more murders and 35 shooting incidents
1965 voting rights act
allowed all citizens to vote
impact of black militancy
-SNCC changed face of campaignand advocated black militancy
-malcom X
Malcom X
-born in Michigan
-family terrorised by KKK and father murdered
-advocated self defence and thought white people shouldnt be involved
-first to stir up black militancy nationwide
-assassinated 1965
Black power movement
-1965 movement split, not a coherant force
-1965 stokely Carmichel set up Lowndes Country Freedom organisation as he didnt want to vote for white southerners
-wanted radicalisation and replaced ‘freedom’ slogan to black power
stokely Carmichael
leader of SNCC
set up Lowndes Country Freedom organisation as he didnt want to vote for white southerners
-wanted radicalisation and replaced ‘freedom’ slogan to black power
BLACK PANTHERS 1966
-Identified by panther symbol
-worked in black communities keeping order
-wore uniform and carried guns
-10 point programme
-based on idea of black power (subsequentally radicalised many civil rights groups)
-push for qual jobs pay and opportunities
major riots and their impacts 1964
NYC, CHICAGO, PHILIDELPHIA
set off by police brutality
media coverage showed whites assulting blacks
Northern Crusade
1966
-King focused on north post 1964
-crusade to improve slums (and working conditions and teaching of non violent protests) after 20 slum riots in 1966 summer
-focus on chicago as 800,000 in ghettos
-arguable fail as brought no permenant change
