table: aacr 1915-1941

Development	Comments	Evidence of Positive Change	Evidence of Continuity or negative change
The First World War.	US joined WW1 in 1917 but prior to that their economy was benefitting from selling weapons to Britain and france One of the reasons that US joined the war was because there was a fear for UK and France would lose and wouldn’t be able to pay off war debt There is a post-war economic slump	African americans went to fight in the war – broadened their horizons on the question of racial equality	African Americans who went to fight in the war were segregated and were unable to fight with American troops There was a lot of tension following the war and many African Americans were fired when white soldiers returned from the war 350,000 African Americans served in the war but only 40,000 saw active combat and the ones who did fought with french regiments (France had its own colonial troops from North Africa)
The ‘Great Migration’	Migration of African Americans from rural South to industrialised North More access to jobs due to white men going to fight in the war Potentially leaving behind social inequalities and difficulties of poverty in the South	Many African Americans moved north for better employment opportunities There was also less racial discrimination in the north at this time EG less likelihood of lynching in the north Some black people in the north were eligible to vote and be jurors meaning trials were sometimes more fair	African Americans who remained in the south experience continuing discrimination and economic issues EG sharecroppers were poorly off and workers were sacked at the merest excuse Due to the huge numbers of African Americans arriving in the north, ghettos developed to house them all which led to unofficial segregation Due to continued segregation in the north, many black people became frustrated that life wasn’t much better in the North
The Economic Boom of the 1920s.	Development of electrification allowing boom in industries eg entertainment industry aided by development of cinema Development of home appliances such as fridges and vacuum cleaners– economic boom predicated by modern technology Cars were invented before the war, but post-war developments created an industry surrounding cars Harlem renaissance – became fashionable for some people to wear African American fashions etc . also fuelled by easy credit	Potential opportunities for black people to be employed in skilled industries	Education for black people was still significantly lacking and there was much less investment compared to white education With the move to industry, many black people were unqualified for jobs as they had been making a living on cotton plantations/ in agriculture
Continuing economic challenges in the 1920s	Question of how much African Americans will contribute and benefit from the boom African American educations were not very well educated but many of these industries needed skilled workers. Some industries were the economic boom did not benefit Women’s fashions was changing (EG hemlines rising) – people were wearing less and different materials (less cotton) so didn’t benefit African Americans as they were making a living with control farming	Steady development of black middle class = more black voices able to create change eg Oscar de Priest elected to Congress in 1928 >> lone voice	Many black people were too concerned with making a living and surviving in impoverished areas to be concerned with the civil rights movement or activism Segregation remained a barrier to their education Lack of education, addiction, poor quality accommodation People’s ideas of the north were different to the reality
Activism and social change in the 1920s	In the 1920s, there was an increase in art and music within black society – became known as the ‘jazz age’ and/or the ‘Harlem renaissance’ Marcus Garvey’s shipping company aimed to promote a black economy and later to move black people back to Africa The steady development of the black middle class and black society created questions of leadership and solidarity Formation of the NAACP and increases in political activism such as lobbying – by the early 1920s NAACP membership was over 90,000 (both black and white)	During this period, many talented black people managed to emerge from poverty Combined black and white society in the public eye as musicians were often black Sense of music as a vehicle for African American liberation – either as a sense of expression or economic success Became more fashionable for white people to be interested in African American music etc However black music was commodified by white people	Nightclubs were still white owned and discrimination was still prominent Black people were allowed into clubs as prostitutes/ kitchen-hands or performers The benefits of the Harlem renaissance was mainly limited to black men After legal scandal and alleged talks with the KKK, Garvey was forced to leave the US – was negative impact due to his prominence as a leader in the civil rights movement In the North, opposition to the NAACP was often peaceful however it was much more violent and obvious in the south. This discouraged leaders from trying to speak in the south
Continuing ‘racial conservatism’	HdHhhhhh	NONE	White southerners made attempts to keep radical literature out of their states, though radical black northern newspapers did infiltrate
The Great Depression	Civil rights activity was low >> everyone focused on surviving financially, with poor economy = high homeless rate, poverty etc	American communists recruited 7k black supporters (homeless n unemployed) + defended Scottsboro Boys National negro congress formed in 1934 >> influenced by Communists	Bad for everyone. After Great Depression there were fears of communism Many believed communism to be allegiance to foreign state ie Soviet Union = limited support
The New Deal and after	Roosevelt implemented labour laws known as The New Deal he shied away from aggressively promoting civil rights or an anti-lynching law, for fear of alienating Southern whites “Relief, Recovery and Reform” recovery = helping economy to recover relief = relief from poverty, homelessness, etc reform = ensuring the Great Depression couldn’t happen again laissez-faire thinking, rugged individualism sets precedent that it is the federal govt’s role to intervene in social issues	Low-cost public housing was made available to black families By 1935, 30% of black families were on relief (vs 10% of white) = fair application of policy Roosevelt enamel president and promised to stop America from becoming communist Eleanor Roosevelt was a supporter of black rights	Urban black unemployment rates were high South: black sharecroppers were hit hard by the Depression >> not covered by Social Security Act/National Labour Relations Act

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