(The changing status of minorities) Changes in the lives of Black Americans

Question 1

What did Truman set up to investigate racial abuse?

Answer 1

The Civil Rights Committee

Question 2

Why did Truman set up the Civil Rights Committee?

Answer 2

To investigate racial abuse

Question 3

What did the 1947 ‘To Secure These Rights’ report of the Civil Rights Committee state?

(2)

Answer 3

US couldn’t expect to lead the free world, campaigning for democracy & freedom when minorities weren’t equal.

Called for anti-lynching, end to poll tax & make Fair Employment Practices Committee permanent.

Question 4

How was civil rights made virtually impossible in the late 40s?

Answer 4

20 Southern Democrats & 15 Republicans blocked every civil rights measure introduced to Senate.

Question 5

Truman passed Executive Order 9981 in July 1948.

What did this do?

Answer 5

Desegregated armed forces & guaranteed fair employment in civil service, setting up a new fair employment board, but lack of funding meant minimal impact.

Question 6

What had Truman done by the end of his presidency?

Answer 6

Made clear attempts to advance black civil rights, however desegregation didn’t apply to the National Guard or reserve forces.

Question 7

Popular entertainment - what did many jazz musicians still face, despite becoming increasingly popular (eg Billie Holiday)?

Answer 7

Segregation, racism & prejudice regarding performances, particularly in the South.

Question 8

Hollywood - how did black actors challenge traditional roles play by black americans?
Give evidence.

Answer 8

No longer content to be shown in roles as slow-witted & subservient.

Walt Disney portrayed Uncle Remus in ‘Song of the South’ as gentle & noble.

Question 9

Hollywood - name 2 black talented actors who were no longer content to be depicted in negatively stereotyped roles.

Answer 9

Henry Poitier

Dorothy Dandridge

Question 10

Hollywood - what was the consensus among many film producers?

Why?

Answer 10

Unwilling to take risks regarding minority ethnic actors.

Pressure from HUAC, who linked equality to communism & preferred to be safe due to declining cinema audiences (TV) & 20% were southern.

Question 11

Sport - name 2 black american sporting champions.

Answer 11

Jesse Owens won gold at Berlin Olympics 1936

Joe Louis became heavyweight boxing champion of the world

Question 12

Sport - what happened in 1946 regarding american football?

Answer 12

Being integrated

Question 13

Sport - what were limitations to equality in sport?

Answer 13

Unequal pay

Question 14

NAACP - how did the NAACP interact with Truman?

Answer 14

Key in his Civil Rights Committee and in the ‘To Secure These Rights’ report

Question 15

NAACP - what did the Margold Report, commissioned by the NAACP in 1930 find?

(3)

Answer 15

Black schools were under funded with poor conditions, no facilities and hand-me-down resources from white schools.

Black american teachers were paid less.

1946 - ¼ of black americans in the south were functionally illiterate.

Question 16

NAACP - what is the name of the report commissioned by the NAACP in 1930?

Answer 16

The Margold Report

Question 17

NAACP - when was the Margold Report?

Answer 17

1930

Question 18

NAACP - what is the greatest achievement of the NAACP?

Answer 18

The 1954 Brown vs Topeka Board of Education case

Question 19

NAACP - outline The 1954 Brown vs Topeka Board of Education case.

Answer 19

A 7 yr old girl was walking miles across railroad tracks to wait for a bus to get to a black school, when there were white schools nearby.

The Supreme Court ruled the notion of ‘separate but equal’ had no place in education.

Question 20

NAACP - what is the context of Topeka (1954 Brown vs Topeka Board of Education case)?

Answer 20

Topeka is a town outside of the Old South in Kansas which was against slavery in the Civil War so racism was not as entrenched as in other states.

Question 21

NAACP - what is the reality of change brought about by The 1954 Brown vs Topeka Board of Education case?

(2)

Answer 21

Very slow - by the 1956/57 school year, 723 school districts were desegregated, while 240,000 were segregated, mainly in the southern.

President Eisenhower was critical of the ruling as he didn’t not want to isolate southern voters and politicians

Question 22

Outline the Rosa Parks Bus Boycott.

2

Answer 22

1955 - Parks refused to give up her bus seat to a white man, resulting in a bus boycott that lasted 8 months.

The Supreme Court declared that public transport was to be desegregated.

Question 23

What was the impact of events such as The 1954 Brown vs Topeka Board of Education case and Rosa Parks Bus Boycott?

(2)

Answer 23

Showed black americans they had economic power

Saw the rise of Martin Luther King and acceleration of the Civil Rights Movement.