How far do you agree that the years 1945-55 saw only limited progress in improving the status of African Americans? The years 1945-55 can be described as ‘seeds of change’ in improving the African American people’s position in society as their lives saw slight improvements however nothing drastic happened that changed their economic, political and social status immediately in America. Before 1945, during the second world war, conditions of life for black American’s was slightly improving in the northern states with there being less institutional racism and more equal job opportunities with acceptable pay for everyone. However in the south, conditions were very different; Jim Crow Laws meant that deep racial divides were being enforced throughout most states. Segregation was seen as lawful due to the Plessy vs. Ferguson case saying that ‘separate but equal’ was how they should live their lives.
How far do you agree that the Second World War was the main reason the position of African Americans improved in the years 1945-1955? The Second World War was an absolutely huge factor in improving the position of African Americans between 1945-55 as it led to Federal Support. However it wasn’t as important as the use of Direct Action which for the first time, was able to convert De Jure change into De Facto change, which other methods such as federal support, Supreme Court rulings, and the work of other civil rights organisations were unable to do. The impact of the Second World War was influential in improving the lives of African Americans because it led to federal support. Following the Second World War which African Americans had played such a large part in, and ended up still coming home to beatings and brutal racism, President Truman felt obliged to commit to Civil Rights for African Americans.
it gave the meaning and identity which they had lost when racism was at its height. As a result people were more proud and independent. Overall the black panther party were very successful however this was only a small division of the black power movement. so therefore as a whole the black panthers had minimal success. However it can be argued that they achieved a lot as they helped give black people their identify back a key thing that they wanted to achieve.
Christopher Minett To what extent was the Federal Government responsible for improving the status of African Americans in the United States in the years 1945 – 65? After the Second World War, The United States of America was seen as a place of freedom and hope for those who strived for a better life. But, in reality, the freedom was not exactly as everyone would have imagined. Struggling with debt and racism, the country was not as problem free as they advertised to the world. Although there was grave problems facing racial equality after the war, by the 1960's, the black community had achieved so much to gain equality.
The 15th amendment (1870) gave black men equal voting rights with white men. However they were threatened or physically stopped from voting. It was no good having rights which were not enforced. Yet inequality increased at the end of the 19th century and continued in the early 20th century through Southern states passing the ‘Jim Crow’ laws which increased segregation. WW1 did little in stopping the rising tide of segregation.
However the positive effects of slavery ending did not come without consequences. During that time period of Reconstruction, African Americans faced many hardships in the movement towards their own cultural rebuilding. Although it was good that slavery came to an end, it was also a bittersweet time. After the Civil War southern states entered into what it now known as the Reconstruction Era, in which they worked to return the Confederacy to the Union and rebuild the southern economy. With the ending of the Civil War the Thirteenth Amendment was passed, abolishing slavery and giving African Americans a chance to also rebuild their lives now as freedmen.
The Second World War was a turning point for African Americans in the struggle for civil rights because they gained respect from most whites, but only to a certain extent. It helped them to get the vote, but outside the southern states suffered from de facto segregation, Southern states suffered from De Jero segregation and Jim Crow Laws, but they started to gain respect from some whites. The Second World War was a turning point for African Americans as it showed equality, however, voting rights did not necessarily result in the number of black votes within a constituency boundary. In 1945, there were only two black members of Congress, Representative William Dawson from Chicago, and Adam Clayton Powell, who had been elected to Congress in 1944 because newly drawn constituency boundaries ensured that Harlem’s quarter of a million blacks would be able to elect a black man to the House of Representatives. So, even though they took a step forward in equality outside of the south, it didn’t really help that much as they couldn’t do much with the vote because of the attitudes shown towards blacks from whites.
Attitudes were beginning to shift. President Truman was also the first president to challenge segregation, the fact that he was such a well-known and important figure was likely to have made Americans more tolerant when it came to understanding and challenging the issues of civil rights and racism. Although “To Secure These Rights” did not have much of an immediate impact on civil rights, it paved the way for others to challenge current views and laid the foundations for America to move past racism being seen as something that was acceptable. It was not only Truman that had seen the way in which black soldiers had honourably fought for America during the Second World War. The white men who had fought alongside them were beginning to realise how dedicated they were and respected them for it.
How far do you agree with the statement that the position of black Americans changes little during the period 1945-1955? It may be argued that during the period 1945-55 the position of the black Americans changed unnoticeable, yet there had been certain factors that in longer term resulted in improving the position of white Americans in a big scale. The improvements consisted of army. Truman desegregated the armed forces in 1948 and appointed the first black federal judge. This meant that the American workers left their jobs to join the army, which created many job opportunities for black Americans, which were needed especially in the defence industries, which now grew in importance as they had to make supplies for the Army such as guns and tanks.
Wilson argues that race was becoming less and less important in predicting the economic possibilities for well-educated African Americans. Since the black-led Civil Rights movement had been victorious in removing many racial barriers that made nearly impossible for well trained African Americans to gain access to appropriate educational and occupational opportunities. Wilson believed that this opened access that was unprecedented in the racial stratification system in the United States and that it would result in a noteworthy change and lasting gains for African American families with a quality amount of educational attainment. Research has only partially supported Wilson’s optimism. Yes blacks did experience significant educational and occupational gains during the 1970’s, their upward mobility has since tapered off, notably in the 1980’s and 1990’s.