Civil Rights Flashcards
what status did African Americans have in the South
African Americans had inferior social, economic, political and legal status in the South
social status in the South
Black people in the South were under the jurisdiction of Jim Crow laws - laws that made it illegal for Black people to use the same public amenities as white people. Education was segregated and it could not be challenged for fear of lynching.
economic status
Many African Americans in the South worked in Agriculture as sharecroppers. Those in the low shield menial jobs like domestics or hotel porters.
political status
Few Southern black people could vote in 1945, white neighbours made it very difficult for black people to register to vote using a variety of methods such as literacy test or knowledge test, they asked impossible questions like ‘what does section 3, paragraph 1 of the constitution say’. If registration was successful they will be asked to pay poll tax, rosa parks had to pay $16.50 in 1945 which was expensive for her
legal status
AA had little to no protection from white police officers, white justices or juries.
the North 1945
Life was better in the North, 80M AA migrated there from the South in what was known as the great migration. They were forced to live in defacto segregated housing but could sit where they pleased on public transport. More well-paid jobs were available for example, at Ford car plants in Detroit, Michigan. AA could vote in the North and in 1945, there were two black congressman in the House of Rep
black congressman in the House
William Dawson for Chicago
Clayton Powell for Halem
factors that WWII had an impact on
Migration
Servicemen
Increased activism and opportunities
impact of WWII on migration
Many AA migrated from the South to jobs in the defence industry in the North and in West Coast cities. The denser concentration of population in urban areas contributed to greater political power and to the greater community consciousness and assertiveness
impact of WWII on servicemen
Black soldiers accustomed to greater freedom in the North when stationed in the South frequently defied Jim Crow laws as they deserved greater respect. For example, in 1943, a New Orleans bus driver ordered a black soldier to the rear of the bus, he refused and 24 black passengers supported him, though they ended up in prison it showed that attitudes were changing. Hundreds of black soldiers returned from fighting German and Japanese fascism ready to fight racism ‘should I sacrifice my life to live as a Half American’ - James G Thompson. Many black veterans benefitted from the GI Bill of rights, a lot attended college which improved their employment opportunities and put them in a better position to demand equality.
increased activism and opportunities
The NAACP was established in the early 20th century to campaign for racial equality, the impact of WWII on black activism was clearly illustrated by the wartime rise in NAACP membership from 50,000 to 450,000. War time propaganda about fighting for democracy contributed to greater black assertiveness. The War improved black American bargaining power for example - Phillip Randolph a black labour leader who founded the political magazine The Messenfer and the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters trade union threatened to bring Washington to a standstill unless there was equality within the armed forces and the workplace. FDR needed black workers so he established the Fair Employment Practices Commission to promote equality and forbid discrimination in employment as a result 2M AA were employed
groups that campaigns for Civil Rights
CORE
NAACP
when was CORE established
1942
who was CORE established by
James Farmer
what was CORE’s focus on
Their focus was on the North and they aimed to make sure that court rulings were obeyed and end defacto segregation.
what was CORE’s main methods
Their main method was the use of sit-ins in segregated restaurants in Chicago and a 1947 - Journey of Reconciliation where CORE activists rode buses across the South to test whether the SC ruling on Morgan v Virginia 1946 against segregation on interstate transport was followed
when was the NAACP created
1909
main aim of the NAACP
Their main aim was to overturn Plessy v Ferguson and end dejure segregation
main method of the NAACP
Their main method was the use of litigation where they took cases to the supreme court against segregation
key cases
Henderson v US 1950
McLaurin v Oklahoma State 1950
Sweatt v Painter 1950
Henderson v US 1950
Banned desegragation on railroad dining cars
McLaurin v Oklahoma State 1950
A black student could not be physically separated from white students in the University of Oklahoma
Sweatt v Painter 1950
A separate Black Texan law school was not equal to the all-white University of Texas law school
successes of the NAACP
Won many cases against segregation, slowly eroded the influence of the Jim Crow laws - plessy
limitations of the NAACP
Plessy wasnt overturned until 1954
successes of CORE
Raised attention
limitations of CORE
Segregation was not ended until 1964, even them it still somtimes occured
why was Truman chosen as VP
His record on civil rights. In 1940, he gave a speech declaring that he believed in the brotherhood of black and white before the law he also called out the horror that black men returning from war were facing
requests Truman made to congress
Truman repeatedly sought but never obtained civil rights legislation through congress. In 1945-6, he failed to get congressional approval for the continuation of the FEPC.
what did Truman establish
In 1946, he established the Presidents Committee on Civil Rights
what report did the President’s committee on Civil Rights produce
To Secure These Rights 1947
what was To Secure These Rights
It was a scathing attack on all aspects of discrimination both in the North but particularly in the South and called for the US to live up to its claims to lead the free world by treating black Americans as equal
what did To Secure These Rights call for
It called for anti-lynching laws, abolition of poll tax, voting rights laws, a permanent FEPC, and an end to discrimination on interstate travel, an end to discrimination in the armed forces. A civil rights division in the justice department administration support for civil rights suits in federal courts. The establishment of the US commission on civil rights
what happened to - To Secure These Rights
When Truman asked for these things he was ignored so he responded by giving a radical civil rights speech to congress in Feb 1948 asking Congress to support Measures in the report. It marked the first time in nearly a century that a president had put civil rights on the legislative agenda
opposition from Fellow Democrats
The opposition from Fellow Democrats was a key factor hampering Truman. Members of the party included racist Dixiecrat congressmen like James Eastland, senator for Mississippi and Strom Thurmond senator for south carolina. Southern politicians keenly aware of the importance of segregation to voters to whom they were accountable hated the idea of the CRM. Truman’s attempts were met with obstruction and delay by southern politicians who covered their racism behind defending the rights of their states from federal interference
what did Truman have to pass in response to opposition from congress
Executive Orders
what executive orders did Truman pass
Executive Order 9981 in 1948
Executive Order 10308 1951
Executive Orders
In 1948, Truman issued Executive Order 9981, to end discrimination in and desegregated the Armed Forces, though the top of the army resisted the pressures of the Korean War forced them to implement Truman’s orders. Executive Order 10308 established the Committee on Government Contract Compliance to guarantee fair employment in the federal bureaucracy, it put pressure on companies with federal contracts to end discrimination
Trumans Motivation
It can be argued that Truman was simply after the black vote. His advisers told him that many believed the ‘Northern Negro vote today holds the balance of power in presidential elections’ because AA voted as a block and was geographically concentrated in large, closely contested and electorally pivotal states such as New York, Illinois and Michigan. However, his state alienated voters in the solid south and led to Thurmond’s Dixiecrat challenge in 1948 (Dixiecrats left the party and selected Thurmond as their presidential candidate in the 1948 election so it seems more likely that Truman was motivated by his sense of fairness
supreme court and congress response to CR
The Supreme Court was particularly helpful to AA with rulings that eroded the constitutional foundations for Jim Crow. However, the SC had no powers of enforcement that relied on the president and congress to enforce its rulings and congress did nothing to help Black Americans in the Truman years. Dixiecrats and republicans dominated congress and congressional committees and they were steadfast opponents of racial equality.
state and local government
State governments had control of education, voting and transport within the state and southern states remained pro-segregation. However by 1952, Only 5 states retained poll tax, 11 states had fair employment laws, and 20 states had legislation against some form of racial discrimination. A school in Delaware admitted black children into a white school - Clayton High School. However, white politicians in the Deep South remained determined to obstruct black progress towards equality
assessing Truman
He had not managed as much as he had hoped over public housing and civil rights although he had given an admirable lead on both. He failed to establish his medical insurance programme and he handled the unions and inflation badly. However many Americans were better off by the end of his presidency. A 1952 census report showed unprecendented improvements in income, standards of living, education and housing in the Truman years, to which the president had made some contribution.
