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Truman Civil Rights Flashcards

1
Q

What was the status of racial segregation in the US during Truman’s presidency?

A

The South was segregated under Jim Crow laws, while the North had de facto segregation in housing and employment.

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2
Q

What percentage of African Americans lived in the South in 1945?

A

66%.

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3
Q

How many African Americans were registered to vote in the South in 1945?

A

Only 2% due to literacy tests, poll taxes, and intimidation.

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4
Q

What was the NAACP’s membership by 1945?

A

It had grown to 450,000 members.

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5
Q

What landmark Supreme Court case ruled against restrictive housing covenants in 1948?

A

Shelley v. Kraemer – It declared that courts could not enforce racially restrictive housing agreements.

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6
Q

What key civil rights report did Truman commission in 1946?

A

‘To Secure These Rights’ – It highlighted racial injustices and called for federal action.

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7
Q

What recommendations did ‘To Secure These Rights’ propose?

A

Ending lynching, abolishing poll taxes, enforcing fair employment laws, and desegregating the military.

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8
Q

How did Truman respond to the recommendations in ‘To Secure These Rights’?

A

He delivered a civil rights speech to Congress in 1948, proposing anti-lynching laws and voting rights protections, but Congress blocked them.

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9
Q

What major executive order did Truman issue in 1948?

A

Executive Order 9981 – It desegregated the US military.

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10
Q

Why was the desegregation of the military significant?

A

It was the first major federal action to end segregation and set a precedent for further reforms.

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11
Q

What did Truman’s Executive Order 9980 do?

A

It desegregated federal employment by banning racial discrimination in federal hiring.

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12
Q

How did Southern Democrats (Dixiecrats) react to Truman’s civil rights stance?

A

They broke away from the Democratic Party in 1948, forming the States’ Rights Democratic Party (Dixiecrats).

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13
Q

Who led the Dixiecrats in the 1948 election?

A

Strom Thurmond, who opposed federal civil rights intervention.

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14
Q

How did Truman’s civil rights stance impact the 1948 election?

A

Despite opposition from the South, he won with strong support from African American voters in the North.

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15
Q

What key legal strategy did the NAACP pursue under Thurgood Marshall?

A

Challenging segregation through the courts, particularly in education.

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16
Q

What was the significance of Sweatt v. Painter (1950)?

A

The Supreme Court ruled that Texas had to integrate its law school, setting a precedent against ‘separate but equal.’

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17
Q

What was the ruling in McLaurin v. Oklahoma State Regents (1950)?

A

The Supreme Court ruled that universities could not physically segregate Black students, weakening school segregation.

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18
Q

How much money did the NAACP raise annually to support legal cases by 1950?

A

Over $1 million.

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19
Q

What role did A. Philip Randolph play in civil rights?

A

He pressured Truman to desegregate the military through the 1948 March on Washington Movement.

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20
Q

What civil rights organization was founded in 1942 to challenge segregation through nonviolent protest?

A

The Congress of Racial Equality (CORE).

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21
Q

What form of protest did CORE use in the late 1940s?

A

Freedom Rides, challenging segregation in interstate travel.

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22
Q

What was the impact of Truman’s Fair Employment Practices Committee (FEPC)?

A

It investigated workplace discrimination but lacked enforcement power.

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23
Q

What percentage of Black workers had white-collar jobs by 1950?

A

Only 3%, showing the continued economic inequality.

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24
Q

How did Southern states resist civil rights changes?

A

They used states’ rights arguments, voter suppression, and local laws to maintain segregation.

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25
What was the impact of the Southern Manifesto (1956)?
Southern politicians vowed to resist desegregation, delaying civil rights progress.
26
How many Black Americans were lynched between 1945 and 1950?
18, highlighting continued racial violence despite Truman’s efforts.
27
How did white homeowners in the North resist desegregation?
Through racial covenants, redlining, and violence against Black families moving into white neighborhoods.
28
What percentage of Black voters supported Truman in the 1948 election?
Over 70%, largely due to his civil rights stance.
29
How did the African American vote impact the election results?
It was crucial in key swing states like Illinois and Ohio, helping Truman secure victory.
30
What was the role of Black newspapers in Truman’s civil rights push?
Papers like the Pittsburgh Courier and Chicago Defender encouraged African Americans to demand their rights.
31
What was Truman’s overall impact on civil rights?
He set important precedents by desegregating the military and promoting legal challenges to segregation.
32
Why was Truman unable to pass major civil rights legislation?
Southern Democrats in Congress blocked his proposals.
33
How did Truman’s civil rights actions influence later presidents?
His policies laid the groundwork for Eisenhower’s civil rights actions and the later Civil Rights Movement.
34
What was the long-term effect of Executive Order 9981 on the military?
By the Korean War (1950–1953), many military units were racially integrated for the first time.
35
What impact did Truman’s leadership have on the Democratic Party?
It caused a split between Northern liberals and Southern conservatives, foreshadowing later political realignments.
36
Why were Southern states able to introduce discriminatory legislation between 1877–1919?
1872 Amnesty Act restored political rights to most former Confederates. Northern support for Reconstruction faded. Congress rejected the 1875 Enforcement Bill against Southern extremists. 1873 Slaughterhouse Cases: SC ruled 14th Amendment only covered national citizenship, not state issues. U.S. v. Cruikshank (1876): SC ruled federal government was not responsible for protecting individuals from racial violence. Social Darwinists like Luther Burbank promoted theories of Black inferiority.
37
What were Jim Crow laws?
Laws that enforced racial segregation in the South, named after an 1830s blackface minstrel character.
38
Give examples of Jim Crow laws.
Alabama: Separate bus waiting rooms. Florida: Segregated education. Mississippi: Interracial marriage was illegal.
39
What was the political status of Black Americans in the South in the 1940s?
3% of Black Southerners could vote in 1940, rising to 12% by 1947. Rosa Parks failed the literacy test in 1943. Even if passed, poll taxes ($16.50 in 1945) were required to vote.
40
What was the economic status of Black Southerners in 1945?
Mostly sharecroppers or menial workers. Few white-collar jobs. Segregated and underfunded education limited opportunities.
41
How were Black Southerners legally disadvantaged?
No protection from racist police, juries, or judges. Returning Black servicemen were attacked in 1945–46 without consequences.
42
How did life for Black Americans in the North differ from the South?
De facto segregation (not legal but widespread). Better job opportunities (e.g., Ford plants in Detroit). No segregation on public transport. Had voting rights – Two Black congressmen: William Dawson (Chicago) and Adam Clayton Powell (Harlem).
43
How did World War II impact Black Americans?
2 million migrated North for jobs in Detroit and the West Coast. More political influence due to urban concentration. NAACP membership increased from 50,000 to 450,000. Greater assertiveness – Black veterans resented fighting for a country where they lacked rights.
44
How did A. Philip Randolph influence civil rights during WWII?
Threatened a 1941 March on Washington to demand equality in defense industries. Led to Executive Order 8802, banning racial discrimination in defense industries.
45
What racial tensions arose during WWII?
1943 Detroit Race Riots – 34 killed. Alabama Dry Dock Co. violence over Black men working alongside white women.
46
How did the GI Bill impact Black veterans?
100,000 Black men sought college education, but only 20,000 received funding. Many became vocal in demanding equality.
47
What civil rights organizations emerged in the 1940s?
Congress of Racial Equality (CORE) – founded 1942 by James Farmer. NAACP – led legal challenges against segregation.
48
What civil rights campaigns occurred in the 1940s?
1947 Journey of Reconciliation – CORE activists tested the Supreme Court’s 1946 ruling against bus segregation. 1947 New Orleans boycott of stores that refused to let Black women try on hats.
49
What were key Supreme Court victories for civil rights under Truman?
Henderson v. U.S. (1950): Segregation on railroad dining cars ruled illegal. McLaurin v. Oklahoma State Regents (1950): Black students could not be physically segregated in universities. Sweatt v. Painter (1950): Texas had to integrate its law school.
50
How did Truman’s personal views on race evolve?
Grew up in racist Missouri, had family ties to the Confederacy. Privately used racist language, but supported civil rights policies in office.
51
What civil rights committee did Truman establish in 1946?
The President’s Committee on Civil Rights.
52
What was the 1947 “To Secure These Rights” report?
Called for federal action against segregation and racial violence. Recommended: anti-lynching laws, voting rights laws, a permanent FEPC, desegregation of the military.
53
What was Truman’s first major speech on civil rights?
1947 NAACP speech – First president to publicly support civil rights.
54
What executive orders did Truman issue in 1948?
Executive Order 9981: Desegregated the U.S. military. Executive Order 9980: Ended racial discrimination in federal employment.
55
What role did the Fair Employment Board (1948) play?
Ensured minorities were treated equally in federal government jobs (though underfunded).
56
How did the Democratic Party split over civil rights in 1948?
Southern Dixiecrats broke away, led by Strom Thurmond. Opposed Truman’s civil rights stance.
57
How did Truman’s civil rights policies impact the 1948 election?
Won with strong Black voter support in the North. Lost some Southern support due to Dixiecrat opposition.
58
How did the Supreme Court impact Jim Crow laws?
Ruled against segregation in education and transport, but had no enforcement power.
59
How did state and local governments respond to civil rights?
By 1952, only five states still had a poll tax. 11 states and 20 cities had fair employment laws. 19 states had some anti-discrimination laws.
60
How did Southern politicians resist civil rights progress?
Determined to obstruct racial equality. Continued enforcing Jim Crow laws and voter suppression tactics.
61
Who was Booker T. Washington?
Born a slave (1856), promoted vocational education for Black Americans. Gave the Atlanta Compromise Speech, advocating for gradual equality.
62
Who was W.E.B. Du Bois?
First Black PhD from Harvard. Founded the Niagara Movement, leading to the NAACP. Wanted radical reforms and later joined the Communist Party.
63
What was Marcus Garvey’s vision?
Advocated for Black nationalism and African repatriation. Founded UNIA (2 million members by 1920) and the Black Star Line.

Us History Truman Domestic (6 decks)

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