These laws denied black Americans the equal rights of white citizens which re-imposed white supremacy and meant they remained as second-class citizens. It wasn’t only the Jim Crow laws but under the Fifteenth Amendment, black people had the legal right to vote throughout America. Nonetheless, the southern states found devious ways to disenfranchise the local black population. For example, some states introduced a grandfather clause, which meant that people could only vote if their grandfathers had been able to vote. Other states introduced literacy tests as criteria for voting.
How far did conditions for black Americans improve in the period 1945-56? Civil right was a major issue in America during 1945-56, especially in the Deep South. This was because conditions of African Americans didn’t improve much, it was mainly the start to any change that happened, with some limited progress. The first issue is ‘Jim crow’ laws; this was a law in the Southern states of America that introduced segregation between black and white people, by passing laws which denied them access to white facilities. Many of these facilities were, education, healthcare, transport, cinemas, restaurants and churches and even housing and estates were segregated.
The Jim Crow laws were racial segregation laws enacted between 1876 and 1965 in the United States at the state and local level. They mandated de jure racial segregation in all public facilities in Southern states of the former Confederacy, with, starting in 1890, a "separate but equal" status for African Americans. The separation in practice led to conditions for African Americans that tended to be inferior to those provided for white Americans, systematizing a number of economic, educational and social disadvantages. De jure segregation mainly applied to the Southern United States. While Northern segregation was generally de facto, there were patterns of segregation in housing enforced by covenants, bank lending practices, and job discrimination, including discriminatory union practices for decades.
Although the end of the American civil war marked the end of slavery for African Americans, it did not mark their acceptance and equality with white people. Many southern states resented losing their slaves and were determined to keep African Americans as second class citizens. In 1950 segregation was in full force, meaning African Americans had separate churches, public transport, theatres, schools, hotels, swimming pools and many other facilities to white people. Segregation also applied to where people lived, so African Americans could only live in certain areas separate from white people, with these areas being much worse than the white suburbs, despite the separate but equal principle. Even when this was challenged in the Plessy vs Ferguson Supreme Court case the separate but equal principle was found to be constitutional.
In 1951, the father of a black student named Linda Brown sued the Board of Education because a white school had prevented Brown from attending a school which was only seven blocks away, compared to the segregated black school she was attending which was more than seven blocks away from her home. Despite losing the first legal battle, Brown’s father did not give up. He found help from the NAACP, a prominent civil rights organisation which appealed on his behalf to the Supreme Court of USA. Following the appeal, in May 1954, Chief Justice Earl Warren declared the US Constitution to be ‘colour-blind’ and therefore ordered the Topeka Board of education to end segregation in its schools. This was one of the first major steps in the civil rights movement.
Even to today, this is still happening, a superior race, we try to say that everyone is equal but no African Americans would believe this, but this is all starting to change now that the US have a African American president. Reconstruction In the Southern states, many African Americans demanded equality in 1865 - they felt they were unequal in economic, social, political and legal aspects. Durings 1865 Reconstruction Confederate style was
If they let that happen to Meredith, we don't need an American flag (Street, 2013).” It was against the law in New York to desecrate or speak against the flag; he was arrested, charged, and convicted. He lost all his state appeals and was finally heard by the Supreme Court on October 21, 1968. The Supreme Court in a 5-4 decision overturned the conviction under the grounds that it was
During the early 20th century, Jim Crow South had a significant impact on people. Jim Crow laws were rulings that enforced racial segregation in the south from 1877-1954 forcing blacks to live separate from whites; usually in a poor quality society. Jim Crow laws managed and dictated which privileges blacks enjoyed. By law, blacks could not use the same facilities, could not attend the same schools, or could not drink out of the same water fountains as whites. The laws were basically just a list of “could-nots”.
After the Rosa Parks incident, she and King organised the black boycott of Montgomery bus system in 1955. Once King realised he was achieving more rights for black people he led non-violent protests throughout America. Eight years after the boycott, King led a protest in Birmingham, Alabama. However the white people in Alabama didn’t approve of this and it turned into a violent protest, and King was arrested for his participation in the protest. Along with King, police arrested 1000 other protesters and many were beat with whips and clubs.
Civil Rights are the rights give to a citizen by the United States government, such as the right to vote, the Civil Rights Movement was when African Americans and other minorities began to protest and fight for these rights, which at the time was only given to white Americans I the believe the Federal Government has the right to integrate the southern Untied States. The states in the south, like Mississippi, did not have the right to ignore the federal law to set by Congress and the Civil Right Act of 1964. Even with the tenth amendment the laws of the federal government over power the rights of the state. The common good of the southern population was interrupted by the racist laws and regulations set by the “Southern Manifesto”. The common good was affected one way by these because the majority population in the south was African American.