Background to racism in the 1920s-30s

¬During WW1 thousands of black American soldiers served in the Army, and they were restricted to labouring duties.

¬Even at war segregation took place, and black soldiers were kept in all black units.

¬The few black officers weren’t allowed to command the white troops.

¬The Germans tried to convince the black soldiers to switch sides, saying that they shouldn’t be fighting for a country that treats them so badly.

¬In most southern states black people were isolated from society because of the system ofsegregation from white people.

¬They were made to use different restaurants, schools, busses(etc.) from white people.

¬The segregation system was backed up by theJim Crow Laws.

¬If black people even threatened to break these laws they could be sent to prison, or so much worse.

¬Afterthe first world war, there was a huge anti immigrant feeling rising in America

¬TheKu Klux Klan were key in this, and by 1925 they had five million members. They believed in white supremacy in America, and wanted protestants to dominate and control America.

¬WantedWhite Anglo Saxon Protestants to dominate America

¬They explored their beliefs by terrorising the lives of people that didn’t fit in with what they wanted (Blacks, Hispanics, Jews, and Roman Catholics).

¬They often paraded through the streets of black people carryingblazing crosses. Flogging and tarring were common punishments used by the Klan.

¬Because most of their activities were illegal, the KKKs often hid their identity. Manypolicemen, judgesand politicianswere members of the group.

¬When black men broke the law, they could expect no mercy in southern states, and were routinelylynched.

¬As a result of the discrimination they faced in southern states, many black people moved to northern cities were they got jobs making mass produced goods.

¬They faced less discrimination in these areas but were still treated assecond class citizens, and many white people claimed that they were taking their jobs. This led to many race riots.

¬A series of scandals led to a decrease in the number of KKK members after 1925. One of these scandals involved the leader of the organisation being convicted of ****** a white woman. The amount of members in the KKK didn’t increase again until the Civil Rights Movementbegan.