Racial Prejudice - KKK

Question 1

Explain Jim Crow Laws.

Answer 1

Racially prejudiced white politicians created Jim Crow Laws to keep African-Americans segregated.

• i.e Some laws prevented black Americans from even using the same cemeteries as white people.
• African-Americans also couldn’t expect justice b/c judges, and police officers upheld Jim Crow Laws

Question 2

Why did African-Americans leave the South? What did this lead to?

Answer 2

1. Nearly 2 mil out of 12 mil African-Americans left the South where racial discrimination was at its highest to the northern states where there were more jobs in the new industries.
2. There was still racism in the North.
   • Last to get hired, first to get fired.
   • Housed in the poorest areas of cities
   • Some factories only employed white workers or paid African-Americans the lowest wages

Question 3

What was the Black Renaissance?

Answer 3

1. Talented African-American poets, artists, writers and musicians gathered in Harlem, New York and made it a centre for creativity, black culture and black pride.
2. White Americans were attracted to the excitement and liveliness
3. 1910: WEB Dubois created the NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Coloured People)
   
   • Advocated for the rights of African-Americans i.e the right to vote.
   • Still exists today and attracts support from celebrities.

Question 4

What was the KKK?

Answer 4

The Ku Klux Klan originated in the Southern states in the 1860s, but faded towards the end of the 1800s.

Question 5

When was the KKK revived?

Answer 5

1915: Hollywood film, ‘The Birth of a Nation’ told the story of KK Klansmen saving white families from violent black criminals.
- Glorified the KKK
- Attracted audience members and grew Klan membership
- 1925: KKK membership reached 5 million

Question 6

Who were the KKK against?

Answer 6

Anyone who wasn’t a WASP (White Anglo-Saxon Protestant)

- Saw themselves as: defenders of Protestantism, and defence against a decline moral standards

Question 7

Describe KKK methods.

Answer 7

1. Methods of violence included: whipping, branding with acid, castration and lynching.
2. Led by Texan dentist known as the Imperial Wizard.
3. Was strongest in the South, but spanned across the entirety of the country.

Question 8

Why did KKK membership see a decline?

Answer 8

1. 1925: Local Klansman was arrested and convicted for the rape and murder of a young woman
2. Gave up Kaln secrets during his trial.
3. Within a year, KKK membership fell to 300,000