Extent of racial equality in the 1950s

?

What was life like for African-Americans between 1

.Life in the South

.Jim Crow Law

.Segregated housing,schools,transport and public amenities 

.Education was segregated and white univertsites refused to accept African-American students

Schools in the South

.Schools for African-Americans had a quarter of the budget of schools for white children 

.White children refused to go to school with African-American children 

The KKK

.Targeted African-Americans who showed any kind of 'disresect' towards white people

.They were terrorised by the Klan 

.In 1900 there were 115 lynchings in America

.Klan were very powerful in the South- many were judges, policemen or other officials

Other factors

.15th amendment- Right to vote, but in some southern states they prevented this from happening, by having the 'Grandfather Clause'

Life in the North

Great migration

.WW1- thousands of African-Americans migrated to the North

.1920s - 500,000 migrated to the North to look for job opportunities

.There were still inequalities in the North, but there was a substantial difference

Working conditions

.African-American people were paid less than white people (less than 50 pecent) 

Living conditions.Forced to live in undesirable neighbourhoods or ghettos

.90 percent of people who lived in ghettos were black

Limited KKK activity

Voting Rights

.It was easier for African American people to vote in the North

.Played an important role in the 1944 presidential election 

.

1 of 5

How did Martin Luther King get involved in the Civ

Montgomery Bus Boycott 

.King took charge of the situation after Rosa Parks was arrested 

.Organised protests that led to the boycotting of public transport

.Incharge of the MIA which was set up for the boycott

SLCC

.Was dedicated to non-violent protests 

The Birmingham protest 

.King was arrested but bailed out by Pritchett 

The March on Washington

.King worked with other groups to organise the march

.King's 'I have a dream' speech adressed a sprited call for peace and equality 

.The march encouraged President Kennedy to urge for reform 

2 of 5

Why did King win the Nobel Peace prize in 1964?

Role as leader

.King's leadership in Birmingham was crucial

.Him being arrested increased media attention which was vital for the success of the campaign

.King was an inspirational leader

.Was the key reason for why people carried of the boycott for nearly a year

Role as organiser

.He would use the church to organise meetings

.He was able to convince Civil Rights organisations to work together- this made them more effective 

Commitment to non-violence

.He never moved away from non-violent protests

.Inspired by Ghandi's use of non-violence

Civil Rights Act 1964

,Kennedy's civil Rights Bill eventually became the 3rd Civil Rights Act which was passed in 1964

.This outlawd the segregation in public places

3 of 5

What caused the 1964 race riots?

.Police brutality

.The North still had De Facto segregation- not improved by the Civil Rights Act 1964 or Voting Rights Act 1965

.Frustration in the North that the Civil Rights Movement hadnt improved their lives 

4 of 5

What impact did the assassination of Martin Luther

.Bobby Kennedy informed the public of his death and made a speech calling for peace and unity 

.People such as Jane Elliot attempted to ensure that white people understood the impact of discrimination could have

.The Civil Rights movement had lost its key supporters of non-violence. There were no more major non-violent protests

.President Johnson passed the Fair Housing Act (1968). This outlawed discrimination in housing on the basis of colour 

.The poor people's campaign was overshadowed by his death and ended in failure

.Presidenr Johnson declared April 7th a national day of mourning

.There were race riots in over 100 cities including Washington, Boston and Newyork

.50,000 people attended his funeral on 8th of April 1968

5 of 5

Comments

No comments have yet been made

Similar History resources:

See all History resources »See all Race relations in the USA 1945-68 resources »