Political Oppposition to Desegregation
- Created by: April15
- Created on: 09-05-19 20:23
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- Political opposition to desegregation
- Federal Opposition
- The 'Dixiecrats' are a splinter group of Democrats made up of Southern politicians
- Opposed attempts to introduce an effective Civil Rights Act
- Left the democratic party due to disagreementsabout civil rights, but rejoined in 1954
- Aims: keeping segregation and protecting states' rights to retain laws that guaranteed white supremacy
- Presidents needed the Dixiecrats' support in congress
- They had to take their views on board when creating new laws
- Congress were fearful that the Dixiecrats would disrupt government
- They hindered the cause for Civil Rights
- The 'Dixiecrats' are a splinter group of Democrats made up of Southern politicians
- Resistance
- Some southern state officials resisted desegregation in open ways
- Shutting down schools to avoid intergration
- Some school admissions tests were deliberately biased against black students to prevent them from joining 'white' schools
- Some states refused to end literacy tests and continued to disrupt opportunities for black voters to cast their vote at elections
- State officials could claim to follow the letter of the law to desegregate
- They did not stick to the spirit of desegregation laws
- Some southern state officials resisted desegregation in open ways
- White Citizens' Council (WCC)
- Organised protests and used threats of violence (or actual violence) against those who sought intergration
- Set up in 1954 to stop desegregation
- Had around 60000 members in the mid 1950s
- Opposed any desegregation: schools, libraries, swimming pools etc
- Sacked black employees who were involved in civil rights
- Members feared that desegregation would lead to more calls for political and economic equality for black Americans
- Federal Opposition
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