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.
When they first arrived they were greeted and accepted, but as the population of migrators grew, fear began to surface and the Americans started to show racism, discrimination and segregation. The Polish and the Chinese did not know that coming to America could and eventually would mean getting rid of their ethnic identity, their language, their culture and last but not least their religious traditions. They were not aware that becoming an American and having thee American dream would mean adopt the “American Way”. “The early European Colonization of what was to become the United States begins with the Northern European Ethnic groups who dominated the U.S society for generations” (Scupin 2003, p. 103). The establishment of the New Nation would soon be known as America.
APUSH DBQ ESSAY The view of overseas expansion in the late 19th and early 20th century was mainly driven by Imperialism. With that being said, there emerged two groups with viewpoints on overseas expansion, imperialists and anti-imperialists. Although there are plenty of differences, the main one between the two was over territorial expansion. The imperialists were all for it, thinking that it would help the American market and the depressed economy from the panic of 1893. On the other hand, the anti-imperialists argued that it went against our American democracy and was harmful to the territories we were trying to acquire and our country itself.
Other states introduced literacy tests as criteria for voting. Literacy testes were not applied fairly and therefore even educated black people were disenfranchised. These were not explicitly racist, but both prevented black Americans from voting. These barriers, which prevented black Americans from voting, meant that black citizens no longer had a voice for their opinion to be heard. This affected how black people would still be treated as second-class citizens through white supremacy.
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.
Although the general position of the African Americans improved, there was still discrimination and segregation of the blacks as they were deprived of basic human rights. Issues like disfranchisement, racism, racial hatred groups and segregation prohibited Black equality. In 1950s segregation existed everywhere in America. In the south it was de jure and in the North de facto. In the South segregation was supported by the Jim Crow laws that made it legal.
Segregation After the civil war in the USA, the African Americans gain “equal” rights. But the 14th amendment in 1868 (Absolute equality of the two races before the law) didn’t include “social rights” which meant that they didn’t get much choices in society, like choosing where you wanted to sit on a bus. This still made the African Americans feel inferior, knowing that within their home town the “whites” had the choices, and actual freedom. Blacks responded to their situation in 4 ways as their situation began to worsen from 1877. They would co-operate with any willing whites, migrate to the North or West, protest politically and would follow accommodationism.
Color Blind Racism In Bonilla-Silva's piece the The Central Frames of Color-Blind Racism he explains in detail the four frames of color-blind racism: abstract liberalism, naturalization, cultural racism, and minimization of racism. Bonilla-Silva believes that although most whites have abandoned the idea that blacks are in part to blame for their own oppression and lower class status, racism still exists. Color-blind racism has replaced the formerly established idea of racism, but this does not mean hope for the oppressed. Bonilla-Silva does agree that minorities are much better off today, but he believes that because blacks have become so far behind in the order of society it might be impossible for them to catch up to the whites. Color- blind racism is contemporary way of thinking about race that justifies and rationalizes racial inequalities.
Although each of them had their own perspectives, their main objective was the same. Reparations in this society can be defined by stating that the U.S. government needs to make a formal apology to blacks for the damage caused by the transatlantic slave trade due to social and economic consequences in the United States. Advocates also feel the U.S. government owes the black people. Blacks remain behind due to many things, the most important being slavery. The Constitution, until recently, did not apply to blacks; blacks feel they deserve payments from 310 years of slavery, destruction to their minds and culture.
Racism among the social majority in society today is largely subconscious, because the majority neither suffers from racism as frequently, nor do they usually attribute their problems to racism. The Civil Rights Movement, beginning in the 1950’s, arose from a black community that was fed up with hatred and intolerance. Stores, restaurants, and other businesses refused service to people of color, and the difference in job opportunities between races was staggering. Near the end of the Civil Rights Movement in 1961, President Kennedy signed into law Executive Order 10925, which stated that job applicants could not be discriminated against based on “race, creed, color, or national origin.” A similar change in constitutionalism arose