A-level History EDEXCEL: In search of The American dream 1917-96- 1.2 The quest for civil rights, 1917-80

What was the situation of black Americans in 1917?

-population

-%of those living in the south

-ww1 and what that caused

-living situations after ww1 (particularly in the south)

-examples of Jim Crow Laws

-Black Americans constituted for 10% of the population.

-90% of black Americans lived in the south in 1917.

-The US joined the war in 1917, increasing the demand for jobs.

-At the end of ww1 there was still struggles for equality. Black Americans still faced discrimination, segregation and violence.

-This was particularly prominent in the south, as there was a large number of Jim Crow Laws which segregated aspects of everyday life.

-There were laws about where to sit on public transport, where to live and where to send children to school.

The Northern (Great) Migration: what were the positive impacts on migrants?

-benefits for black Americans moving north

-Greater employment opportunities (due to more factories in the north, higher demand for workers as ww1 broke out), no Jim Crow Laws: buses, voting rights, ect.

-Voting gave black Northerners representation and influence: eg in 1920 Oscar DePriest became the first black American elected to the US House of representatives.

- An increase in the black population up north also meant that campaigners in politics had to focus on equality in order to receive a good number of votes.

-Many employers would offer housing, free transport north and high wages compared to what they earned working in the south due to the need of having employers.

The Northern (Great) Migration: what were the negative impacts on migrants?

-negatives of moving north

-Racism sometimes made it difficult to obtain employment: 'last hired, first fired' scheme.

-Could get away with being payed lower wages as they would not push for higher unlike some white Americans

-Urban accommodation was crowded and expensive- black Americans concentrated in growing ghettoes eg NYC Harlem

-Often rent was higher for black Americans than for white Americans

-Because of: social segregation- friends and relations there already, black Americans moved to join them; white Americans ensured black Americans could not live alongside them or have access to white schools

The Northern (Great) Migration: what were the impacts of the migration on the cities they moved to?

-positive and negative impacts on the northern cities

-Populations of the northern cities rose sharply: between 1910 and 1970, over 6 million black people migrated from rural south to northern cities

-Segregation in some cities eg: Chicago made it more likely that black Americans could try for positions in politics, a black American campaigning in a black ward was very likely to sweep the black vote

-In northern cities, eg New York, the black population was more evenly distributed and white politicians had a tight hold on the politics in the city, so black Americans did not gain political power and influence

-Tended to live in smaller segregated groups, with their own businesses, schools and churches

-Churches became significant bases for organising civil rights protests, and many later black American leaders for civil rights movements were preachers -eg Martin Luther King Jr

The Northern (Great) Migration: what were the impacts of the migration on southern USA?

-Labour force shrank, and in particular farming areas struggled to get by

-Poorest farmers suffered the most, and most of those were black

-Southerners saw the Great Migration as black people 'voting with their feet', and assumed that those who remained in the south were accepting Jim Crow

-Increased racial tension, the migration helped prompt the revival of the KKK, beyond the south

-Number of members rose from 100,000 in 1921 to 4 million in 1924

What positive impacts did the New Deal have on black Americans?

-outcomes of Great Depression

-voters shift (can link to voting acts set later in the civil rights movement)

-some policies and opportunities for black people under Roosevelt

-alphabet agencies

-The Great Depression hit black Americans harder than white Americans, due to failing crops, lack of employment and 'last hired first fired' policy- urban black unemployment was 5x higher than white

-In the early 1930s black voters shifted from republicans (the party that abolished slavery) to democrats (The party promising the new deal)

-Black peoples vote was a significant part of Roosevelts 'landslide' victory

-When war broke out, Roosevelt issued Executive Order 8802, banning racial discrimination in the defence industry, in order to get as many people into war-work as possible

-Under Roosevelt, number of black people employed in federal bureaucracy rose from 50,000 to 150,000 by 1941

-Alphabet agencies set up to provide relief and work were both helpful and unhelpful:

-Provided employment: Works Progress Administration (WPA) hired an avg of 350,000 black employees each year

-WPA education programmes from 1936-40 employed 5000+ black teachers and taught 250,000 black Americans to read and write

What negative impacts did the New Deal have on black Americans?

-AAA

-employment

-New Deal measures were supposedly colour-blind, but there was still inequality present

-Least helpful agency towards black Americans was the Agricultural Adjustment Administration (AAA): Southern white landowners were paid to remove land from production (to help w overproduction), and often removed black tenants and sharecroppers too

-Black farmers were sacked in their thousands during agricultural reforms

-1933-40 around 200,000 black sharecroppers were evicted

-black people were often moved off projects for white people (last hired first fired)

What was the positive impacts of WW2 on black Americans?

-armed forces

- impact on post war civil rights

-Over 1 million black Americans worked in the armed forces

-Army desegregated- Roosevelts Executive Order 8802

for non-discrimination in defence work

-In 1942 only 3% of defence workers were black, in 1944 this had risen to 8%

-Shortage of workers meant white skilled workers had to allow black people to also be trained in said skills

-As black and white people worked side by side, and could do the same skills, white people saw that they could be friends

-More people supportive of post-war civil rights efforts

-War increased black activism and assertiveness

-NAACP membership rose from 50,000 to 450,000 during the war- a lot of new members being southern officials

-1942 Congress of Racial Equality (CORE) set up- WW2 inspired a new generation of leaders

What were the negative impacts of WW2?

-equality

-increased tension

-post war outcomes

-Equality was not fully implemented due to the pressure on the government of opponents of equal rights

-At first the order did not deal with military segregation, but as workers became more in demand, black Americans could push more for equality, black Americans became more militant

-Increased tension leading to race riots due to influx of black workers being resented

-Post-war survey showed many white Americans were still racist

How did black Americans fight for their rights from 1917-55?

-what had been done by 1955

-role of the NAAPC

-shift to direct action

-Consistent use of non-violent direct action including, protesting, boycotting and sit ins

-Aim to draw public attention

-Significance of the NAACP, focused on legal action and legislation

-NAACP won several Supreme Court rulings to help erode the Plessy v Ferguson of allowing segregation, but being 'separate but equal'

-Brown V Board of education, Topeka, Kansas, desegregating schools- did not put a date on desegregation, by 1955 schools in the deep south still segregated

Key protests: Montgomery Bus Boycott

-context

-events

-outcomes

Context:

-Since early 1900s buses and other kinds of transport have been segregated: Black americans had to sit at the back of the bus, stand if their section was full even if the white american only section was empty, and always had to give up their seats for white passengers

Events:

-1 Dec: Rosa Parks, respectable black woman and member of the NAACP was arrested for sitting at the front of the bus

-Following day: Montgomery Improvement Association (MIA) set up to organise a boycott

-Boycott headed by a newly appointed Baptist minister: Martin Luther King

-5 Dec: 380 day boycott ensued: people organised taxis, and other services to help people get around

-13 Nov 1956: Supreme court rules segregation on buses as unconstitutional

-21 Dec: boycott ended, buses desegregated

Significance:

-75% bus users black, 90% boycotted

-MLK ensured to use non-violent direct protest & keep media informed

-Never been such a lengthy and sustained black community organisation

-Showed power of non-violent direct action

-Paved the way for other types of non violent direct action

Key protests: Little Rock 9

Context:

- 1957: NAACP encouraged 9 black students to enrol in the newly desegregated Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas

-Faced racist abuse while in school

Outcomes:

-King managed to meet with Eisenhower, urging federal intervention, pointing out the political damage this was doing

-Eisenhower sent federal troops to guard the students

-Students met with taunts and violence, NAAPC members houses firebombed several times

-Central High was integrated by 1960

-It wasnt until 1972 where all schools in little rock were desegregated, despite the supreme court ruling Brown vs Board stating desegregation in schools as unconstitutional