How Far Did Black Americans Share in the Economic Boom That Followed the Second World War?

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Following the Second World War there was an economic boom. Most of the money made from things like industry went to business men and upper class citizens who were able to buy shares and stocks. While many people like the rich got richer and the poor made a step up but life for the black Americans stayed the same to an extent. One reason and the most important reason that black Americans did not share in the economic boom was that they were particularly hit badly by the problems in the country as they had always done the least skilled jobs. They had jobs such as railroad track layers, brick layers, grave diggers; fruit, vegetable and cotton pickers, doormen, elevator operators.Almost 1 million black farm workers lost their jobs, many moved to the cities where they shared similar experiences with the immigrants; low paid jobs and poor housing conditions.In the northern states, decent jobs went to the white population and discrimination was just as common in the north as it was in the South and many black families lived in ghettoes in the cities in very poor conditions. On the other hand one reason that black Americans did benefit as before the war less than 2% of the population in the southern states could vote but by 1945 around 15% of black Americans in the southern states had been registered to vote. Another reason that the black Americans did not share in the economic boom was that the living situations for them was appalling. 40% of housing available to black Americans in Washington DC was found to be sub standard where as only 12% of white housing fell into this category however as a result of boom the amount of unemployed black Americans fell. It fell from 937,000 to 151,000. In politics things started to change for Black Americans as people such as Adam Clayton Powell and William L Dawson were the first Black Americans to be elected into congress.

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