The issue of civil rights

Question 1

Black American contribution to the war effort

Answer 1

• many black women served in the armed forces as nurses but were only allowed to treat black soldiers
• black people were employed as cooks and labourers or to transport supplies
• the us airforce did not accept black pilots
• in the navy, black soldiers carried out the most dangerous tasks such as loading ammunition onto ships bound for war zones
• when black soldiers were injured, only black blood could be used to treat them as it would ‘mongrelise’ the USA
• before 1944, black soldier were not allowed into combat in the marines

Question 2

Progress in black effort in the war

Answer 2

• general Eisenhower supported integrated combat units
• by the end of 1944, black soldiers were fighting in these units and there were hundreds of black officers in the army and marines
• there were fighter squadrons of black pilots and by the end of 1945 there were 600 trained black pilots
• by the end of the war 58 out of 3.5 million had risen to the rank as officer

Question 3

Employment of black Americans during WW2

Answer 3

• black Americans were treated poorly in employment
• ‘DOUBLE V’, a newspaper campaign after readers commented on the second class status of black workers during wartime. This was victory at home in terms of civil rights and against fascism in the war
• during the war over 400,000 black Americans migrated from the south to the USAs industrial centres
• number of black Americans employed increased from 50,000 to 200,000 and by the end of the war there were more than 2 million black Americans involved in industry
• by the end of the war the number of jobs held by black Americans accounted for 8% of defence industry jobs
• the gov employed 3x the number of black Americans after the war than before
• black workers only earned half of what white workers earned

Question 4

WW2 and civil rights

Answer 4

Race riots broke out in 47 cities across the USA because of racial tension from the increased numbers of black Americans migrating from the south to the indurtail north.
The worst of these was detroit in june 1943 when 25 black people and 9 white people were killed, more than 700 injured and $2million in damage.
Riots also took place in Harlem, New york and at 9 black army training camps.

Question 5

Civil rights organisations

Answer 5

NAACP (national association for the advancement of coloured people)
- growth during the ear from 50,000 to 450,000 members
- Thrugood Marshall was their most famous lawyer
- Turned their focus to desegregation in education
CORE (congress of racial equality)
- formed by James Farmer in 1942
- inspired by glands non violent protests
- used the idea of sit-ins in cinemas and restaurants
- did lead to desegregation in some northern cities

Question 6

Truman and civil rights (1940s)

Answer 6

• Truman supporter the civil rights movement and tried to pass a civil rights and anti-lynching bill in 1948, but was rejected by Dixiecrats
• Trumans set up a civil rights committee in 1946 and recommend laws to prevent lynching ad the prevention of segregation in housing, nothing was done
• Republicans and Dixiecrats refused reforms
• Truman raised the nations awareness of the problems of civil rights

Question 7

Issue of education

Answer 7

• in the 50s segregation was still a ket feature for life as a black american
• they were subject to ‘Jim Crow’ laws which were passed in the southern states at the end of the 19th century
• ‘separate and equal’ doctrine
• segregation was constitutional
• views on segregation changes all over the USA, the south eastern states made segregation required, other states had no legislation, optional, limited and forbidden segregation

Question 8

Brown v. Topeka Case

Answer 8

• Linda browns parents wanted her to attend a closer local school rather than a school for black Americans
• lawyers from the NAACP presented evidence to the supreme court stating the permeate education created low self esteem and was psychologically harmful and educational achievement was restricted
• the process took 18 months, and in 17th may 1954, the supreme court concluded that the doctrine of ‘sprat but equal’ has no place

Question 9

Problems after brown case

Answer 9

• although 300,000 black children went to desegregated schools because of this, 2.4 million black children in the south still attended ‘Jim crow’ schools
• over the next two years southern state legislatures passed more than 450 laws and resolutions which were aimes to prevent the brown decision from being enforced
• Eisenhower did little to encourage integration