USA - topic 2 - Civil Rights in the 1950s

Jim Crow laws

- Jim Crow was a white actor who blackened his face to mimic the songs of an enslaved man called Jim Crow

- The Jim Crow laws enforced segregation in the deep south:

- African Americans had to attend different schools, and had to use separate areas of restaurants, libraries, cinemas, parks, and public transport

Segregation in the North

- There were fewer legal barriers to equality

- But, racism and discrimination means African Americans still faced segregation

- Wages for African Americans were typically half of wages for white people

- There was higher unemployment for black people

- Therefore, black people could only afford to live in poorer areas

Voting in the early 1950s

- Although all US citizens had the right to vote, African Americans were often unable to

- Registering to vote was made very difficult to prevent African Americans from voting:

- Difficult literacy test

- Poll tax, which was unaffordable

- Using violence to threaten black people if they tried to vote

Violence Against African Americans

- Black men suspected of crimes were frequently attacked by white mobs

- Lynchings were greatly feared

- Police officers were often racist themselves, so did not instil the law correctly and often participated in this violence.

Federal Government Maintaining Segregation

- Even if change was wanted by the gov, they needed the support of the politicians of the south, which were strongly against the idea

Plessy vs Ferguson

1896

- Facilities could be separate if they ere equal

- But, facilities were never equal

- This precedent was often used in cases to argue for segregation

Brown vs Topeka

1954

- In 1951 Linda Brown wanted to attend a school closer to her house

- She wasn't allowed to go due to her race, the school was for white pupils only

- Linda's parents and the NAACP took the case to the local court, but it was rejected because of Plessy vs Ferguson

- In 1952 they took the case to the Supreme court

- Before the retrial began, Earl Warren was appointed Chief Justice

- Lawyers of the NAACP like Thurgood Marshall argued separate school damaged African American children

- 1954 the Supreme court rules that segregation was unconstitutional

- Desegregation should happen 'with all deliberate speed'

Impact of Brown vs Topeka

- Very limited immediate impact

- The North started to integrate but it was slow and did not always benefit African American students or teachers

- In some towns and cities, segregation became more extreme due to "white flight", where white people left areas with large numbers of black residents

- Extreme backlash from white racists

- however, it brought an increased awareness of African American civil rights

- It provided a new legal precedent and therefore lead to more campaigns for desegregation

- It was the first time the Supreme Court were willing to support African American citizens

- Gave hope to civil rights campaigners

Revival of the KKK

- In the deep south many white people were determined to maintain segregation

- the first White Citizens' Council was set up in Mississippi for this purpose

- They organised protests and petitions

- Many WCC members were inspired to join the KKK

- Branches of the KKK reappeared all over the south

- Their targets were civil rights protestors and supporters

- Initial growth began after Brown vs Topeka

- Their actions became more extreme as more people protested civil rights, things like beating, lynching and shooting victims

The Death of Emmett Till

1955

- White woman Carolyn Bryant claimed Till flirted and touched her

- Four days later, in the middle of the night Till was taken from his house by the woman's husband and brother

- they beat him, shot him in the head, and threw his body into the river where it was found on August 31st

- His mother hardly recognised him as he was so badly beaten

- during the funeral, she left his coffin open so everyone could see what had be done to her child

- Photographs of Till's body were published, causing shock from many

- The two offenders were found not guilty

- Many Americans were angered by the lack of justice especially after the offenders confessed to Time magazine a few months later

The Impact of Emmett Till's Death

- Many white north Americans saw, for the first time, the extreme racism in the south. This brought increased awareness of the problems black people faced.

- It motivated change like the civil rights protests of the 1960s

- Acted as a catalyst for the civil rights movement

The Montgomery Bus Boycott