The continuation of discrimination and prejudice Flashcards
Topic sentence
Finally, some historians argue that another reason for the development of the civil rights movement was the continuation of discrimination and prejudice.
Evidence 1
During the Great Migration thousand of Southern Black people moved northern ward for greater job opportunities in states such as Detroit or Chicago which were known as car manufacturing centres, Chicago’s population rose from 250 000 in 1940 to half a million in 1950.
Analysis 1
This led to the growth of the civil rights movement because the Great Migration caused relationships between the races to worsen as there was increased competition for jobs and houses, which made black people eager to improve their status and take down the system if segregation.
Evidence 2
Furthermore, the continuation of prejudice and racism was highlighted when a 14-year old black boy named Emmit Till was murdered during his visit to the Southern State of Mississippi.
Analysis 2
This led to the growth of the civil rights movement because the case drew in large publicity. Tills death was used by his family, national newspapers and organisations e.g the NAACP to campaign against racial injustice and terrorism.
Counter analysis
However, many historians argue that it was take more than the publicity of the injustice that black peoples suffered to develop the civil rights movement as it was the people in power who’s view had to be convinced. This was unlikely to happen as US political hierarchy was made up of rich white old men who were unwilling to changed their racist opinions.
Evaluation
To evaluate, it is clear that the continuation of prejudice and discrimination was the most important factor in explaining the development of the civil rights movement because the widely held racist views across the USA fulled Black Americans to campaign for their civil rights, the violence demonstrated by white peoples also gained mass publicity to the cause. This is evidenced through the events at Little Rock High School, Arkansas which went against the brown ruling 1954 decision to end segregation in schools making national and world headlines.