The civil rights for African Americans in the 1940s and 1950s Flashcards
Progress in education in the later 1950s
• The court
By January 1956, Supreme Court judges upheld the ruling in nineteen cases, demanding a prompt start to desegregation or overturning existing laws on segregation.
How did education failed for African American in the later 1950s
Name 3 facts
1) Southern school boards would give grants to private schools in order to continue to be segregated
2) By 1946, only 2% of African Americans in the 11 Southern states went to fully integrated schools.
3) Few American-American teachers were allowed to work in schools that were integrated
Montgomery bus boycott 1955
It gained a near unanimous support of ordinary African Americans and displayed an impressive unity with AA waling to work instead of using the local bus company.
Montgomery bus boycott 1955
• Result
It put financial pressure on the authorities.
In 1956, buses were totally desegregated after Browder v. Gayle ruled segregation on buses to be unconstitutional.
Little Rock High School 1957
• What happened
Arkansas governor used National Guard troops to bar the entry of 9 black children to the Central High School after a federal district court had ruled that the school must desegregated.
Little Rock High School 1957
• Significance
Name two points
1) It was the only occasion when President Eisenhower used his federal authority to intervene and enforce the Brown ruling
2) It demonstrated that states could be overruled by the federal government when necessary.
Brown v the Board 1954
•What happened
The court rules that in the question of education, the notion of separate but equal had no place.
Brown v the Board 1954
• Impact
Courts were more willing to become involved in political disputes and controversial issues.
Brown v the Board 1954
• Name 2 limitations
1) It did not set a deadline.
2) It merely placed the responsibility for implementation on local education authorities within a reasonable time.
Overview after the Second World
• By 1945
By 1945, there had been some progress in employment and the armed forces and many African Americans had become more active in campaigning for civil rights.
Desegregation of the armed forces in 1948
Truman enacted Executive Order to desegregated the armed forces entirely and guarantee fair employment opportunities in civil service.
Civil rights in the south by 1945
Discrimination and segregation remained a way of life in the Southern states, while the migration of many African Americans to the industrial cities of the North had created greater racial tension.
How did the WW2 provide a stimulus to the civil rights movement?
• Attitudes
Americans saw the incongruity of racial inequality in a country that promoted freedom and equality of opportunity.
How did the WW2 provide a stimulus to the civil rights movement?
• The Communist regime
Communist regimes promoted racial equality and could easily criticise the USA for the lack of it
Racial inequality in the US
Racial inequality therefore made the USA vulnerable to criticism and lacking credibility in the wider world.
