African American civil rights up to 1990s

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  • Created by: Alasdair
  • Created on: 03-06-17 14:40
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  • African American civil rights up to 1990s
    • Economic situation by early 1990s
      • High unemployment, poverty, poor schools and housing, and unfair treatment led to race riots in summer of 1965
        • Worst riots in Watts, Los Angeles where 34 people died
      • Failure of federal government to address underlying causes of racial tension was seen in re-emergence of serious riots in 1992
        • Again in Los Angeles
          • Triggered by events surrounding Rodney King
            • 3rd March 1991, Los Angeles
            • Black taxi driver
            • Followed by 5 police officers
            • Severely beat him whilst lying on ground (in order to arrest him)
            • Recorded and resident sent tape to local news station
            • Police officers were not successfully prosecuted
      • Bulk of Johnson administration's measures reinforced what had been enacted after Civil War but had not been implemented after 1977
        • Economic inequality remained
          • In 1989, 77% of WAs (white Americans) graduated from high school as opposed to 63% of AAs (African Americans)
        • Gap was bigger in college graduation, with 21% of WAs graduating as opposed to 11% of AAs
        • In 1988, unemployment among AAs was 5 percentage points higher than for WAs
        • AAs  occupied only half of managerial and professional occupations of WAs
        • Although AA family income doubled from 1950 to 1989 (to $16,800), gap between AA and WA incomes increased far more, from $7000 in 1950 to $12,000 in 1987
        • Average hourly wage fr AA men was $6.26 as compared to $7.69 for WA men
      • Middle class AAs retreated in suburbs
        • Left problematic social gap between suburbs and inner cities
          • Conclusion of authors of major study in 1990s was 'Despite the successes of the Civil Rights Acts, harsh economic conditions for America's bottom half have brought disillusion to more and more blacks and disillusion with the political realm with declining turnout in elections and disaffection'
    • The civil rights movement until 1992
      • Decline
        • Violence in US cities in 1965  and rise of militant AA groups disappointed moderate supports of civil rights
        • Movement split and King's later campaigns against poverty and Vietnam War were less successful
          • Problem seemed to be despite gains in voter registration and laws and against discrimination, economic equality of AAs was a bar to equal to opportunity and fueled more extreme AA opposition
      • Nixon
        • Recognised need to do more to reduce discontent and unrest
          • Took up positive discrimination in Philadelphia Plan, and Congress and Supreme Court backed policy
        • Equal Opportunity Act of 1972
          • Helped increase AA employment
      • Desegregating education
        • Radical idea of busing children from different areas into desegregated schools did make difference
          • Unpopular and declined in 1970s as middle-class parents found suburban areas where there was no integration policy
        • Both Nixon and Republican successor, Ford, supported parental opposition to busing
      • Carter
        • Greatly criticised for his limited measures
        • Problem was economic problems had come to dominate, with higher oil prices causing inflation and general slump in US economy
          • Made quotas for jobs unpopular and reduced opportunities for many AAs, a disproportionate number of whom were dependent on state welfare
      • Reagan
        • Voting Rights Act of 1982
          • Strengthened penalties against discrimination
        • Civil Rights Restoration Act
        • General increase of AAs holding public office
          • 100 in 1964 and 8000 in 1992
        • Reductions of welfare benefits fell disproportionately on AA population
      • Without central unifying issue and faced with complex economic and social problems, activities and membership of civil rights organisations declined from high points of 1960s
      • Jesse Jackson
        • African American
        • Failed to gain Democratic Party presidential candidacy in 1984 and 1988
        • However, votes for him did increase in 1988 from what they were in 1984

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