Chapter 2 - The quest for civil rights 1933-45 Flashcards
how did the great depression effect Black Americans
falling crop prices prompted thousands of southern black farmers to migrate north to cities where black unemployement was 5x higher than the white population
what happened to the black workers who moved to the cities
they were usualy last hired and first fired
example of a vigilante group designed to exclude black workers
Black shirts of Atlanta
what did the percentage of black owned property fall to from 1929 to 35
35% - 5%
How did the employment by the federal government change under Roosevelt
Number of black Americans employed in the federal bureaucracy increased from 50,000 to 150,000by 1941
nearly 50 were employed in senior positions and where nicknamed the Black Cabinet
most notibly Mary McLeod Bethune
How did Eleanor Roosevelt show the administrations sympathy for the Black Americans
displayed her opposition to racism on many occasions
e.g flew on a plane piloted by black airmen because their prowess was doubted by white racists
southern press hated her and said she had black ancestry
what was the least helpful new deal agency
the agricultural adjustment agency (AAA)
what was the agricultural adjustment agency?
southern white landowners were paid to remove land from production and often removing black tenants and sharecroppers too
how many sharecroppers were evicted between 1933 -40
200,000 and werent provided with any federal government compensation
this is because the new deal relied upon local and state authorities to distribute federal government aid and many southern white people didnt do this
how did the Works progress Administration provide black people with employment opportunities
350,000 worked for WPA a year on average between 1936-40
WPA education programme employed over 5,000 black teaches and taught over 250,000 to read and write.
what happened when WPA imposed racial quotas on contracters
the number of black people working for them rose from 8% to 15%
however in the north only 5% had supervisory roles
what was the Tennessee valley authority programme
new deal programme designed to revitilise the economy of several impoverished southern states through provision of flood control electricity and employment
why did the TVA upset some people
as they only began to help black workers after the 1936 NAACP exposure of discrimination in the TVA
why’d poverty cause black people to have a disproportionate amount of help from the new deal
they were poor
received 1/3 help from Federal emergency relief administration
what was the rational recovery administration NRA used for that made black people feel angry
encouraged employers to have minimum wages and maximum hours however black workers were avoided paying
felt it stood for the Negro removal act
what did the state of Georgia feel about black people
govener thought that black people were lazy and needed a good dose of castor oil
white Georgian officials excused the relief for hack people and said that they could get by with less as they had a lower standard of living
how did the national security act effect black people
were excluded from pensions and unemployment provisions
however some of it was due to racism as lots of farm and domestic workers weren’t covered by the act due to its seasonal/temperary nature
how much of the new housing did black people receive from the 1937 Wagner steagsll national housing act established by the housing administration
had 1/3 of the housing made for low income black families
what did the new deal establish a principal of
racially I inclusive if not racial equal entitlement
when was the positive impact of Roosevelt and the new deal made clear
when black Americans changed there traditional voting allegiance from Abraham Lincolns Republican Party to Roosevelts democratic party
how many black voters voted for Hoover compared to Roosevelt
70% black voted hoover
76% black voted Roosevelt
what made Roosevelt unwilling to promote a civil rights legislation
the need for southern white democrats votes in congress
however Roosevelts administration an the new deal helped make civil rights a national political issue and reinforced the contention of some back activists that the government was key to civil rights advances
why did many black Americans not demand civil rights during WW2
feared appearing unpatriotic in wartime
because they feared violence (large scale race riots in Detroit and Harlem in 1943 and Jim Crow laws in the south)
how many black Americans served in the armed forces
over one million
resented the hypocrisy of the country with a clearly unequal black population that claimed to be fighting for democracy abroad
black people in the army were refused lunch at lunch counters but who could get some
German prisoners of war
what did the resentment created in the army encourage
resistance and activism
February 1942 black Pittsburgh courier introduce the double V campaign
fighting for victory overseas and against discrimination at home
what did the NAACP membership rise from during WW2
50,000 - 450,000
most new members were southern professionals
what happened in New Orleans 1943
bus driver ordered black soldier to sit at the back of the bus and all 24 black passengers protested resulting in them all being jailed
how did black participation in the war provide greater bargaining power
trade union leader A.Phillip Randolph threatened that 100,000 black Americans would march on Washington and bring it to a standstill unless discrimination was ended in the armed forces and in the work place
what did Roosevelt establish in 1941despite being advised against it
Fair employment practice committee (FEPC)
banned discrimination in defence industries in which 2 million black people were employed
led to 4% rise in black people employed in defence industries
in 1944 why did Roosevelt have tp use the war labour disputes act and send in 8000 troops
because there was a strike by public transport who objected to the FEPC ordering them to employ black drivers
what was established in 1942
core
congress of racial equality
campaigned for desegregation of interstate transport and organised sitins in segregated Chicago resterautns
what did the GI bill of rights 1944 offer
veterans government aid for college eduction or to set up a business
what issue caused the trail of Gaines VS Canada 1938
the segregation policy of the university if Missouri wouldn’t allow Gaines any further education despite it being the only law school in his state
what progress was made in Gaines Vs Canada
the case was win by Gaines and it was recommended that a law school should be developed in Lincoln university for black people
what were the limitations of the Gaines Vs canada
many still believed in the separate but equal policy and refrained from addressing segregation inn higher education
southern states still offered less opportunities
Positive impacts of the new deal
Roosevelt made civil rights a national political issue and reinforced that it was the duty of the government to help
roosevelt passed order 8802 banning racial discrimination in the defence industry
Minimum wage was set by the NRA as equal for black and whites
number of blacks in the federal bureaucracy rose from 50,000 to 150,000 by 1941
50 were employed in senior positions called the black cabinet
1937 Wagner- steagall national housing act - 1/3 receive by blacks
new deal established principle of racially inclusive entitlement
Negative if the new deal
Roosevelt claimed the deals were colourblind however many black workers were sacked to make way for whites
the social security act excluded many black from pensions and umemplyoent provisions manly due to their temporary or seasonal work
Many black workers were mis categorisd in order to pay them less and this led to the hatred of the NRA
required distribution from local authorities. southern white people ensured black inequality. Federal emergency relief administration was distributed unfairly
the agricultural adjustment act was detrimental to black workers 200,000 black tenant farmers were pushed of their land because of the AAA
Roosevelt unwilling to promote civil rights legislation due to needing support from southern white democrats. Roosevelt ignred calls for antilynching end of poll tax and end to segregation
