How far do you agree with the view that African Americans were treated as second class citizens between 1940 and 1946? This view is very accurate; African Americans were not offered the same political, economic or social opportunities and rights as white people, despite the terms of the fourteenth and fifteenth amendments. However, overall, treatment of African Americans was worse in the south. Political/ legal rights and opportunities were limited for African Americans due to their treatment as second class citizens. For example, in the south, Jim Crow laws were in place, meaning that everybody had to pass a literacy test and pay poll tax before they could vote.
Education was also a big factor resulting in limited progress of improving the status of African-Americans because they consistently received a lower standard of education. As mentioned earlier this was a result of the Separate But Equal doctrine of Plessy v. Ferguson and Cunningham v. The Board of Education. Although, clearly stated in the doctrine it was far from equal, the white schools received more funding, better teachers and superior facilities than the schools for black children. This limited the status of African-Americans as they were never taught to the standard that was acceptable to go to university meaning that they could not go on to get a career in a highly skilled job. However, Sweet v. Painter in 1950 demonstrated that Separate But Equal was not being applied correctly but it was not until Brown v. Board of Education, Topeka in 1954 that
How freedoms for African Americans were socially, politically, and economically limited from 1865 to 1900 After the Civil War ended with Union victory, constitutional amendments were ratified to grant equal rights and freedom to enslaved African Americans; however, these rights were limited, restricted by those discriminating against African Americans. This new opportunity, promising African Americans better lives soon turned into lives full of terror and poverty. Many were poor, segregated in public facilities, and harassed, threatened or beaten by White Supremacy terror groups. Instead of living hopeful lives full with prosperity the African Americans wished for, they struggled to survive under conditions that gave them as much freedom as slaves had. African Americans’ social rights were very limited partially because of the Black Codes and Jim Crow laws.
"Explain how freedoms for African Americans were socially, politically, and economically limited from 1865 to 1900?” Socially, blacks were subjected to segregation and discrimination. Segregation wasn’t really a large problem to them, however, as they were more interested in forming a black community rather than integrating with the whites. However, I mean, it is still pretty awful to be treated like you’re not a being worthy enough to drink out of the same water fountain or attend the same school based on skin color. Blacks were subjected to many dehumanizing things socially speaking. Oh, and lets not forget the KKK (if that falls into this category; I think it does) who harassed, intimidated, and killed black people.
How far is it accurate to describe black Americans as second class citizens in the years 1945-55? [30] During this time period it is rational to see the Black American community as second class citizens. Despite the fact America was making changes, particularly in the Northern states in order to make America a place of equality, there were still issues that caused the disenfranchisement of the Black community. The North and the south couldn’t have been further apart on the matter of fairness. As in the North segregation was almost none existent so racial etiquette was more flexible than in the South where legal segregation, caused by the Jim Crow law was very much everywhere, which means that in the South, Black Americans could be seen as second class citizens.
The African Americans were not able to vote because the whites and the government disenfranchised the African Americans; until the 15th Amendment. The African Americans were considered illiterate to the Whites. The 15th amendment states that they could no longer discriminate based on race. Even though this amendment sounded like good news, the Whites still made literacy test and poll taxes that the African Americans had to do even before voting. The African Americans couldn’t run for office either, they still had Democrats and Republicans.
America has a dark history of slavery, but after 1863 vassalage was abolished. Even so this did not stop the racism; unjust treatments and racial segregation was still a part of every colored man’s life. It was still legal to treat African Americans as if they were worth less. In public places blacks were separated from whites in that the black areas were in much worse conditions than the white’s. Sidewalks where no blacks could walk, seats on the busses where they couldn’t sit, and toilets where only whites could go,
A major shift in the White-Americans’ City’s demographics evoked tension between White-Americans and African-Americans. This turned out be one of the bloodiest riots in the nation’s history. This evidence from before 1945 sparked the lack of improvement for African-Americans between the years of 1945 and 1955. However, the difference between the North and the South was that in the South segregation remained, and African-Americans were barred from all cinemas, restaurants and hotels; but eating, transport and education were not segregated in the North. As a result, it is fair to say that in this aspect, in the North there was some improvement for African-Americans after 1945.
Before the Civil Rights Act of 1964 segregation in the United States was commonly practiced in many southern states. African Americans were discriminated against repeatedly in the south and laws did nothing to protect them. The segregation in the time was supposed to be “separate but equal” but it was hardly close to that. The federal v. state controversy affected many people in the 1960’s because no one wanted to integrate. The struggle of federal v. state is affecting the world today with gun control just as it affected the 1960’s with segregation and integration.
Furthermore in the Southern states of USA the abolition movement was resented. Plantation owners were unwilling to end slavery because it provided them with a free labour force. Many white Americans had justified slavery by thinking of slaves as racially inferior, as people without human needs, rights or dignity. The legal system had supported these racist views, and the rights of the plantation owners for many years. After 1890 many Southern governments passed a series of laws that set up a system of segregation that would last until the mid-twentieth century.