Several different races and ethnic groups didn’t like the white people but the white people ruled the country back then. Nobody but white people had rights. White people were very racist over the African Americans. For many years we used the African Americans as slaves. (P Barton) White women were discriminated against a lot because women were not allowed to work and earn money.
How far do you agree that African Americans were treated as second class citizens in the USA in 1950? I agree completely that African Americans were treated as ‘second class’ citizens, I agree with this because of racial segregation, mostly in the form of Jim Crow laws. These laws are the way a law has been brought in to discriminate coloured people. In the southern states, legal segregation was widespread. Also, the vast majority of black Americans were disenfranchised by grandfather clauses and literacy tests which made it very hard for black Americans to vote.
In the South segregation was supported by the Jim Crow laws that made it legal. All public institutions in the South were separated according to skin colour, the ones for blacks being inferior in quality. In the north, where segregation wasn’t imposed by law, the blacks were forced to move into ghettos, because of discrimination by the whites. As well as that, there was also economic inequality. It was much harder for blacks to get a job, and there employment position could be described as ‘the last to be hired, the first to be fired’.
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 social impact of segregation was very damaging at the time for African American’s and America. In the south, “segregation was everywhere possible such as in places like schools, institutions for the blind, deaf, metal institutions, cemeteries, prisons, military units, boats, trains, hotels, waiting rooms, restaurants, elevators, hospitals, public bathrooms, pools, water fountains, churches, and a lot of other places.” (Segregation In The 1800's). This quote shows that many African Americans always had separate items as white people had. This quote also shows that the white people didn’t like having to share their environment with African Americans. Also, “No blacks were elected to office and black voters, especially in the Deep South had virtually disappeared” ( Brown, Nikki L. M., and Barry M. Stentiford,466).
The last on Jem’s scale is the blacks. The setting of To Kill A Mockingbird took place in the 1930’s, which is why the blacks Story 2 are on the bottom. This also explains why the blacks were not allowed the same opportunities as everyone else was. Blacks were not given the same education opportunities as the whites. A majority of the citizens in this time period were extremely racist.
Throughout the years racism has been a common problem and is happening all around us. In earlier times black people were used as slaves and did have little to no rights at all, but now discrimination between blacks and whites is illeagal and we are all supposed to have equal rights. Although the discrimination is illeagal it has happened in the judical system in the past that juries and other people have made their decision based on the defendants race. Like in the case of Tom Robinson from the book “To Kill a Mockingbird” and in the case of Stephen Lawrence the verdict seems to have been based mainly on their colors. So that leads me thinking if people of all races will ever be equal in the justice system and to the rest of the world.
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”.
To conclude, black people all over the world, wherever they live were for a long time victim of racism for their skin color. People treated them badly only because they had a darker skin color, forgetting that that we are all humans and the color of our skins an where we come from doesn’t indicate our personalities and beliefs. Black in America suffered a lot for reason of racism and went through the hard ships and difficulties
So far, one of the major plots seems to be about his choice to defend a black man, Tom Robinson, in court. During this era, the residents of Maycomb county and the world in general were still extremely racist towards African Americans. They were considered slaves and not on the same level as normal people. The people who were poorer than the black people (for example: the Erwells) were even respected more. Because of this racism and prejudice, the decision of Atticus’ to defend this man (who would certainly be killed without a lawyer because he is black and the accuser is white) is widely discussed in the town.