Religious and Racial Intolerance: Monkey Trial, Jim Crow Laws, KKK, UNIA, NAACP, Great Migration

When was the Butler Act introduced?

21st March 1925 (in Tenesse)

What was the Butler Act?

A law that made it illegal to teach “any theory that denies the Divine Creation of Man” in public schools

Who introduced the Butler act?

John W. Butler

what does ACLU stand for and what does it do?

The American Civil Liberties Union which wants to challenge Butler’s law in court

Who volunteers to challenge the Butler Act?

Biology teacher John T. Scopes

Who is the Prosecution Lawyer in court and what does he believe?

Christen William Jennings Bryan who is a literalist who has a fundamentalist take on the Bible

Who is the Defence Lawyer in court and what does he believe?

Clarence Darrow who is agnostic and believes in Darwin’s theory of evolution

When was the monkey trial?

July 10th 1925

What is the aftermath/result of the trial?

John Scopes is found guilty of breaking a law and pays $100 as a symbolic penalty and the Butler act remains in place

What is meant by the term “Bible Belt”?

A region of America, mainly in the south, where protestantism has a strong cultural and social impact

True. or false: states could make their own laws

True

What did the Jim Crow laws state and when were they put in place?

They stated that Black people must be segregated (separated) in schools, parks, hospitals, swimming pools, libraries and other public places, and they were introduced in the late 1870s

Why were Jim Crow Laws introduced?

Because white-controlled state governments feared the power of black Americans so they wanted to limit their freedom

How many black Americans served in the armed forces during WW1?

360 million

When and where did the KKK start?

It started in Southern America post civil war (1864-1865)

What was the KKK’s aim?

To terrorise black people and foreigners

By 1920 how many members did the KKK have?

over 100,000 members

In 1925 how many members did the KKK have?

around 5 million members

What was the KKK fighting for?

Native White Protestant Supremacy

Who was each state under command of (in the KKK)?

The Grand Dragon - David C. Stephenson

After 1925 why did the numbers of members of the KKK decline?

• The Grand Dragon (David C. Stephenson) was put on trial for raping and mutilating a female assistant Madge Oberholzer

• And he was sentenced to life-long imprisonment as the governor of Indiana refused to pardon him

• As revenge he released evidence to the press containing the names and incriminating records of political leaders in Indiana who were members of the KKK

What did Klan members wear and why?

• Dressed in white with white gowns with white hoods and masks designed to conceal their identity as they often attacked at night and also to symbolise white protestant supremacy

Who was the Imperial Wizard?

Hiram Wesley Evans

What did the KKK believe?

• WASPS = more superior than any other race including Jews, “negros”, communists, catholics, and foreigners in general

• They believed that the USa and its institutions were above any other government in the world

Why did the number of klan members increase between 1920-1925?

• from over 100,000 members —> 5 million members

• Because the klan grew into a national organisation by positioning itself as a fraternal patriotic club/society which defended “100% Americanism”

• `The “Birth of Nations” film portrayed the klan as saving white families from black gangs who had the intent of looting and rape - this instilled fear in WASPS therefore more WASPS joined the klan

• The Southern whites resented the arming of black soldiers during WW1

When was the Great Migration and what happened?

• 1916-1920

• Almost 1 million left the south for jobs in the north

Describe living conditions for Black Americans in the North

• Black Americans lived in poor living conditions in filthy slums and faced even more racial intolerance

• Blacks in Chicago and New York lived in poorer houses compared to whites, yet they still payed more rent

How many US cities were there race riots and when? What did this result in?

• 1919

• 20 cities

• Resulted in 62 deaths and hundred of injuries

Where were the worst race riots?

• Chicago and Washington D.C where the army had to be used to restore order

What did the UNIA stand for?

• Universal Negro Improvement Association

Who set up the UNIA and when?

• Marcus Garvey in 1914

At its peak how many members did the UNIA have?

• 250,000 members

What did Garvey encourage Black Americans to do?

• To not try to blend in with white society

What was Garvey’s slogan?

• “Back to Africa”

When and why did the UNIA fall apart?

• 1925 when Garvey was put in prison for postal fraud and in his release was deported to Jamaica

What was “repatriation”?

The mass movement of African Americans moving away from America

What was the Black Star line?

• A shipping company intended to transport Black people from America to Africa (instilled by Garvey) 

What does the NAACP stand for?

• National Association for the Advancements of Coloured People

Who set up the NAACP and when did they set it up?

• William Edward Burghardt Du Bois

• (W.E.B Du Bois)

• 1909

What methods did the NAACP use?

• Legal methods to fight segregation

What was the NAACP’s aim?

• To accept all people with equal opportunities for all, challenging white supremacy

How many members did the NAACP have by 1919?

• 90,000 members in 300 different branches