To what extent had black lives changed by the 1950s? Flashcards
How did black people contribute to ww2?
Over a million black Americans fought in WW2, in segregated units. Millions more worked in factories, making weapons or doing the jobs of those who had gone to fight.
How did WW2 impact white people’s opinions of African Americans?
Some white people, even in the South, were more open to civil rights after the war. This was especially true for white Americans who had worked with black people for the first time. Being in contact with each other changed prejudiced opinions.
Why was it important to increase the black voting population?
The right to vote gives people people power because politicians need votes to get elected. If enough black people register to vote, then politicians need some policies that black Americans approve of to win their support. This was happening in the North in the 1950s. In some parts of the south there was more acceptance of black Americans voting, especially for their own officials in segregated communities.
How did voting registration improve after WW2?
By 1954, there were 143 southern towns with black policemen. There had been very few before WW2.
In 1956 about 20% of black Americans in the south were registered to vote compared to 3% before the war.
How did white employers prevent black employees from registering to vote or voting?
They threatened to scam black employees if they registered to vote or voted.
What problems did black people face on voting and registration days?
On these days white gangs gathered outside registration and voting places.
What problems did black people face when defending their right to vote in court?
Black people who went to court to defend their right to vote (and the lawyers and civil rights activists helping them) faced beatings or even murder.
How did states make it harder for black people to vote/register to vote?
States set their own rules for state elections. Some passed laws making it harder for black people to vote, for example, they said political parties were ‘private organisations’ that could choose their members.
What was the literacy qualification to register to vote?
Most states had a literacy qualification to register to vote, which involved either reading a passage of text or passing a written test.
How were literacy qualifications (to register to vote) biased against black people?
A common way of preventing black people from registering to vote was to give them a far harder passage to read, or written test to complete, than they gave to white people.
How did WW2 and the Cold War improve the situation of African Americans?
Racial inequality was a political embarrassment for the USA. The USA had gone to war in 1941 to fight for democracy and freedom. Then, in the Cold War that developed after WW2, the USA was seen as the leader of the ‘free world’. However, opponents of the USA used the example of black Americans to show that it did not even give freedom to its own citizens. This put pressure on federal government to improve the situation, especially in the south.
