There was some de jure change in the position of black Americans in the period 1945-55. The biggest de jure change was the Brown case, which ended the legal basis for segregation in the Southern states. However, there was much less improvement in the de facto position of black Americans. Nonetheless, this period saw the beginnings of improvement in the position of African Americans, as the status of black people changed due to the Second World War, the actions of President Truman and direct action and legal campaigns taken by the Civil Rights movement. The Second World War did improve the status of Black Americans, in the sense that it empowered many and encouraged them to fight for change, however it did nothing to address racial segregation or its legal foundation - Plessey v. Ferguson.
Furthermore, African Americans were given the right to marry and reunite with their families. Previously, in a life of a slave, there were no real marriages, since their masters could sell off or trade the slave’s family members as they wished. This also shows that they had the same rights as white people. But, even when it was getting better for blacks, there were still a lot of problems for
What part did the federal government play in helping or hindering the development of black civil rights from 1865-1900? The federal government helped more than they hindered in the development of black civil rights through the Amendments and Bills that were passed through congress. The 13th, 14th and 15th amendment set a solid foundation to improve civil, political and social position of former slaves. Racial discrimination was outlawed and institutions were set up to help black development. Although the Supreme Court countered the advancements that were trying to be made through cases such as Plessy vs. Ferguson, and their slack enforcement of the southern states implementation of the Civil Rights Laws; as a whole a strong foundation was set for the development of black civil rights.
Black campaigners tried to use the fact that they fought in the war to gain respect and equality. However, there was still a very high number of racism in the southern states and the number of lynchings increased after the war. This shows that even after the effort the black put into helping in the war, they were still classed as second class citizens and not respected in the same way as
A leader’s platform will either succeed or fail based upon the opinions of those who are following the leader. There are no absolute guarantees that a particular platform will provide all the correct answers and bring world peace as people might expect, but a leader must be chosen nonetheless. When discussing the social conditions that black people endured in the early 20th century in America, one has to admit there was a lot to be desired. Not too many years removed from slavery, black people were striving to make a place in American society with the hopes of being accepted by white America. As such black people struggled on many levels.
He believed that cooperation with supportive whites was the only way to overcome racism in the long run. His belief was that African-Americans should "concentrate all of their energy on industrial education, and accumulation of wealth, and the conciliation of the South." Washington valued the "industrial" education, as it provided critical skills for the jobs then available to the majority of African-Americans at the time, as most lived in the South, which was overwhelmingly rural and agricultural. He thought these skills that would lay the foundation for the creation of stability that the African-American community required in order to move forward. He believed that in the long term "blacks would eventually gain full participation in society by showing themselves to be responsible, reliable American citizens."
World War II may not have been a pleasant thing to endure, but it seems to be a pivotal moment for black history and their civil rights. During World War II, African American Men fought in the army for civil rights across the globe while representing America; they had started to wonder why it was not happening at home. This sparked a huge rise in black activism in America. The status of African Americans seemed to be minor and still had a long way to go until equality was established, but improvements were being made which meant that it could lead onto bigger and more drastic improvements. The improvements being made seemed to be in favour of hopefully treating African Americans as equals.
Equal Opportunity laws helped to assist multiple minority groups but were supportive of the African American communities because it helped to stop institutional discrimination and create more opportunities for African American individuals to better themselves and their situation. The removal of segregation allowed African American people better access to education as they could attend schools that before were “white only”. African Americans have made significant progress since the civil rights movement. There are a good number of African American Politicians in Congress as well as the first African American President Barack Obama. While there have been many improvements many African Americans are still struggling to overcome the years of oppression as African American families make significantly less money than most Caucasian families as well as poor education systems in many areas that are predominately populated by
He thought that ethical training was far more essential than intellectual education. He believed that the black race ought to refrain from politics and civil rights tension until industrial education should have done its work. Washington expounded that industrial education ought to aid a man to develop his self-image and level of professional abilities. To encourage the notion of industrial education and assist the black population, Washington opened a school in 1881 in Alabama. The foremost advantage of this school was that Washington applied his beliefs of education to situations of Southern regions and economic improvement of the South.
The NAACP and SCLC welcomed black and white members arguing that the cooperation between the two would make the movement stronger. However the more radical groups felts that black people should work alone. Furthermore, groups in America during this period such as; SNCC and CORE, were both protest groups which aimed at improving working and living conditions for black people, and to make them equal to other races in the USA. These had been quite moderate organisations which were linked to Martin Luther King and the civil rights movement. This was the first time that black organisations had really tried to improve conditions in the cities.