What Was Life Like For Black Americans?

Question 1

End of slavery

Answer 1

1865- end of civil war

Question 2

Life in the south- Jim Crow laws

Answer 2

American form of racial apartheid, restrict BA despite newly found freedom, segregation
Intended to regain control lost due to slavery abolition
Controlled public transport, housing, education, pub facilities, employment
Voters had to pass literacy qualification: examples gave BA harder passages, also had to be homeowners and some states held all white elections

Question 3

Intimidation of black people- lynching and the KKK

Answer 3

Often without specific accusation
Southern lynchings advertised beforehand
1925: KKK membership ranged from 3-8million
Women not commonly associated with violence but brought up supremacist children

Question 4

Harding and collide

Answer 4

‘Plessy vs Ferguson’ Supreme Court rule segregation constitutional if ‘separate but equal’
Harding in favour of Civil Rights and spoke out about lynching- eg university of Alabama speech
Laissez faire: provide opinion but not legislation

Question 5

Northern migration

Answer 5

Brutal enforcement of Jim Crow in south persuaded people
Examples such as Memphis 1892 mobbing of Thomas Alass
Harlem Renaissance: migrant work, artistically fertile, Jazz from South

Question 6

B Washington

Answer 6

Believed African Americans should become self sufficient and set up training college in Tuskegee

Question 7

W E B DuBois

Answer 7

Advancement came from education and campaigning
Middle class African exhibition
Co founded NAACP

Question 8

The Great Depression impact

Answer 8

Black Americans pushed out of low skilled, largely menial jobs
50% rise in unemployment (2x whites)
Impact on equality in education: black schools in shacks and white in brick, 2 story buildings

Question 9

Sit ins and boycotts

Answer 9

Smith vs Allwright
Right to vote for primaries
Core founded

Question 10

Blacks and whites co working

Answer 10

1 million blacks served in WWII
Violence: Alabama dry dock 1943
Segregated armed forces

Question 11

Migration

Answer 11

2million left south farms
Movt to cities
Less vulnerable

Question 12

Overcrowded cities

Answer 12

Urban housing shortages

Race riots eg Detroit in 1943

Question 13

Increased black consciousness and activism

Answer 13

NAACP no increase: 50 000 and 450 000
Wartime demand- black labour bargaining power
Committee on Fair Employment Practices

Question 14

WWII

Answer 14

Greater black urbanisation, increased awareness and activism
Inspired by US fight against fascism abroad
Media more important and groups like CORE established/ NAACP more active

Question 15

Legal challenge to direct action- NAACP

Answer 15

Membership: 1917-1919 9, 000- 90,000 and in 1946: 600,000
Leadership: white liberals, Dubois director of publicity and research

Question 16

Great Depression and the New Deal

Answer 16

2million Southern black farmers left land as stock prices fell
Desperate whites went into typical labour of BA
Vigilante groups such as Black Shirts of Atlanta prevented BEmployment
Unskilled labour and ‘last hired, first fired’
No effective security system: disease and starvation

Question 17

Evidence BA benefitted from new deal

Answer 17

1mill jobs provided and 50,000 public housing units, financial assistance, skilled occupations and training for 0.5million black youths
Fed assistance: sharecroppers became independent
Jobs in entertainment and cultural sector
Fed funded biracial theatrical productions criticised by congress: encouraged mixed dating

Question 18

Evidence that BA didn’t benefit from New Deal

Answer 18

Often didn’t reach the intended eg southern aid reached only WA
Govt refuse to guarantee mortgage for white area houses
TVA built all white towns
Some areas of work excluded from social security and min wage
1936 NAACP report: 6million BA in agriculture received no help

Question 19

Truman as a senator

Answer 19

Supported legislation to abolish poll tax and lynching

BA should be legally equal (housing, Civil Rights)

Question 20

Truman and relations/ policies

Answer 20

FEPC tried to end discriminatory hiring policies
Horrified by attacks on black servicemen
‘To Secure These Rights Report’: established liberal civil rights committee to investigate increasing violence against BA

Question 21

Details of ‘To Secure These Rights’

Answer 21

Anti lynching legislation 
Abolition of poll tax 
Voting rights laws
Permanent FEPC 
End to interstate discrimination 
Travel and armed force discrimination

Question 22

Truman speeches

Answer 22

1st president to address NAACP in 1947

Comparison of Cold War Soviet Enslavement or US freedom

Question 23

Truman and employment

Answer 23

Issued executive orders to end discrimination in armed forces and demand civil service fair employment
Fair employment board: minorities including federal hiring

Question 24

Truman and Supreme Court

Answer 24

Truman administration support for NAACP in Shelley vs Kraemer
Stopped BA purchasing homes in white areas

Question 25

1948 election

Answer 25

Political gamble to support BA in South

Campaign in Harlen: wins 2/3 of vote

Question 26

Actions of Truman

Answer 26

Give greater federal aid: public housing
Black governor and judge appointed
Promoted work equality: committee on Gov’t Contract Compliance
Awaken US to Civil Rights issues