Paper 1: USA Issue 2 Flashcards
Willoughby and Willoghby
USA Issue 2
(In POPULAR PREJUDICE) about the Chicago Race Riots: “this incident clearly indicates the depth and ocrent of the hatred and prejudice”.
Ida B Wells
USA Issue 2 (in LACK OF POLITICAL INFLUENCE)
Sentencing disparities in judicial system of Southern states: “if a white man steals je often goes to the legislature or Congress, and the [black man] goes to jail”.
Executive Order 8803
“there shall be no discrimination in the employment of workers in the defence industries and in Government, because of race, creed, colour or national origin”
Knowledge for DIVISIONS IN BLACK COMMUNITY fr A+
13th Amendment
1865; abolished slavery
14th Amendment
1868; abolished black codes and guaranteed black people US citizenship and thus equality before the law
15th Amendment
1870; Black people guaranteed the right to vote
Ku Klux Klan
- re-founded in 1915 by William J Simmons. Used terror, fear and intimidation to prevent black people from enjoying their entitled civil rights
> it was difficult for black people to step forward and attempt to improve their status as they would be suppressed by this powerful organisation. Exemplified by the minimum number of lunched black people being 3000 1880-1941 - it was more active in advertising itself and its views: 1920 a recruitment campaign for white Protestants; gained a membership of 5 million by 1925
> encouraged the ideas of white supremacy and black segregation which became a significant barrier for African Americans to fight for their civil rights.
A+ : whilst violence exemplified by KKK was a significant deterrent to the achievement of black civil rights, the membership of this organisation decreased in late 1920s and so did its influence
E: they had widespread support especially in southern states like Oklahoma, Alabama and Texas, but without popular prejudice it would cease to exist.
Lack of political voice
- 1870s: southern states pasted voting qualification such as Income and Literacy Qualifications which penalised blacks more than whites. Illiterate white males could vote under Grandfather Clauses. Black franchise of Alabama reduced from 180000 to 3000 1900-1902
> couldn’t cast vote to elect those who would stand against discrimination they faced - southern states blacks were denied right to sit in juries
> unable to receive fair trial and would often receive punishments disproportional to their crimes. Ida B Wells: “if a white man steals he often goes to the legislature or Congress, and the [black man] goes to jail.”
A*: black ppl had incr influence in N. Migrated ppl would congregate to large cities gaining political leverage; allowed them to vote for politicians who would rep represent them and fight against discrimination they fell victims to
E: yes, black ppl had polit voice in N but it was absent in S where it was most needed; black franchise was reduced to just 3%. It’s clear that prejudice was most important. I’m it’s absence, American pop would not be supported these qualifications and they wouldn’t have become legalised
Popular prejudice
- in S, although 13/14/15th Amendmmets were passed (abolished slavey and granted US citizenship), legislatures still passed Jim Crow Laws which intro segregation into schools, churches and leisure facilities, etc
> solidified differences and made it even harder for black ppl to fight for civil rights. Whites passionately believed in their superiority and differences - C20th Great Migration: 400 000 northwards in search of low payed and low skilled jobs. This reignited white-black tension and was experienced as race riots, eg employment riot in St Louis - 49 b and 9 w were killed
> black ppl first-handedly experienced the discrimination and “difference” between them and whites; Wiloghby and W: “this incident clearly indicates the depth and extent of the hatred and discrimination”
A*: 1922: Congress passes anti lunching bill which drastically reduced number of lunched black ppl. Shows that they understood the extent of the discrimination and attempted to rectify it, despite the bill being defeated before it was legalised
E: without popular prejudice, the racism that persisted in USA wouldn’t have had such prominent results and many laws would not have been passed due to a lack of support. T. Roosevelt: “ a perfectly stupid race”
“Separate but Equal” Desicion
- 1896: position of Jim Crow Laws was strengthened when court ruled that it was constitutional for black and white ppl to be segregated as long as equal facilities were provided
> was a Green light to S legislature who passes even more Laws which created an impenetrable barrier to black civil rights - Homer Plessy challenged the Jim Crow Laws after being arrested for occupying a white reserved seat on a train. After several years the issue was taken to the Supreme Court with Plessy stating that the Laws broke the US federal constitution. He lost the case and Curt ruled the Decision
> this proved to black people that despite the so called protection of the 14/15th amendments, inequality could still thrive in the souther states due to the existence of Jim Crow Laws
A*: decision only affected black ppl living in southern states; since it didn’t affect community as a whole, cannot he considered most significant barrier
E: John Kerr: “black people said that the Court’s decision made it legal to discriminate against them and they were right”, but it’s clear that only racist legislatures ought to deprive blacks of their civil rights, so popular prejudice was ultimately more important than this Decision
Divisons in black community
- W E B De Bois and NAACP: NAACP founded in 1909; sought to challenge racial apartheid and white supremacy by attempting to influence legal system: published public inquiries and lawsuits. 1919, 91 000 members
> although popular, it used tactics that required a certain level of education not many blacks possessed so it’s members were only white men and well-off blacks; it failed to win over the urban and uneducated masses - Marcus Garvey and UNIA: founded UNIA in 1914; believed in black separatism and only way to succeed was to establish black institutions. 1923: 6 million members
> gained support of unskilled and illiterate but received much criticism from fellow black activists due to similarities between black separatism and discrimination faced by black community
A*: A Phillip Randolph had organised a march on Washington in 1941, demanding an end to the discrimination aging black people in the federal and military service. President Roosevelt felt pressured and issued Executive Order 8802 which essentially ended segregation of workers based on their colour, nationality or creed
E: divisions existed due to mass support of different ideas. Success of these movements was clearly due to the persistance of prejudice and racism as aggressive by historians. J. Andersen comments that the headquarters of the Brotherhood of the Sleeping Car Porters (est Randolph) was “the political headquarters of black America”. Nonetheless, foundation of all of these groups was achievement of civil rights the barrier to which was racism and popular prejudice
Introduction
After the end of the Civil War in 1865, slavery was abolished and amendments to the constitution were passed to protect the newly freed black people. Despite this, they remained victims of severe discrimination and racism both in the North as De Fact Segregation and in the South as De Jure Segregation. Many historians argue that the greatest obstacle to achieving black civil rights was white supremacist organisations such as the KKK, while others argue that popular prejudice along with the lack of political voice. This rash will argue that popular prejudice was a greater obstacle to black civil rights in American up to 1941.
