Taking on segregation

(Book title- The Americans )

THE SEGREGATION SYSTEM

Plessy v. Ferguson--  In 1890 Louisiana passed a law requiring rail roads to provide “equal but separate accommodation for white and other races”. In 1896 supreme court ruled this “separate but equal” law did not violate Fourteenth amendment, which guarantees all American equal treatment under the law.  Armed with Plessy’s decision , states thought the nation passed Jim Crow laws.

JIM CROW LAWS -- aimed at separating races, these laws forbid marriage between black and white, schools, streetcars, waiting rooms, railroad coaches, elevators, public restrooms all were separated. There were some humiliating signs such as “colored water” “No blacks allowed”, “whites only”

SEGREGATION CONTINUES INTO THE 20TH CENTURY

After the civil war, some African Americans tried to escape the Southern racism by moving to north but the racism continued. Most people could find housing only in all black neighborhoods

DEVELOPING CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT --

World war II set the stage for many civil right movements, demand of soldiers in the early 1940s created a shortage for white male laborers. This open new job opportunities for African Americans Latinos and white women

African Americans served in military forces which needed so many fighting men that they had to end their discriminatory policies. During the war, civil rights challenged Jim Crow laws. Later President Roosevelt issued a presidential directive prohibiting racial discrimination by fedral agencies and all companies that were engaged in war work

CHALLENGING SEGREGATION IN THE COURT

Desegregation camp was largely led by NAACP(since 1909)

Chief legal counsel for NAACP from 1934 to 1938- Charles Hamilton Houston

NAACP LEGAL STRATEGY

Houston focused on inequality between the separate school,

Thurgood Marshall- Houston's team of best law students (1938)

1946 Morgan V. Virginia - supreme court declare unconstitutional those state laws mandating segregated seating on interstate bus

1950-- Sweatt V Painter that state law schools must admit black applicants, even if seperate black schools exist

Brown V. Board of education

Supreme court unanimously struck down segregation in school as unconstitutional and violation of fourteenth amendment

1955 Supreme court handed down a second rule Brown II  to speed things up