How And Why Did Black Americans Fight For Civil Rights, 1917-55

Question 1

What did many black Americans believe?

Answer 1

Hoped if they worked hard and showed their worth, white people would accept them and allow them equality granted by law

Question 2

Why fight for civil rights?

Situation at end of WW1 for black americans?

Answer 2

Found that they still had to fight for equality

Question 3

Why fight for civil rights?

Problems faced by black americans?

Answer 3

Discrimination, segregation and violence

Question 4

Why fight for civil rights?

Where were black Americans problems more promenant?

Answer 4

Extreme in the South, especially Deep South. But even in North/West blacks unofficially segregated and discriminated

Question 5

Why fight for civil rights?

What was black Americans living situation?

Answer 5

Expected to live in own part of town (the worst), living, shopping and schooling children there.

Question 6

Why fight for civil rights?

What was black Americans employment situation?

Answer 6

Mostly ‘last hired, first fired’, and expected to do lowest paid jobs

Question 7

Why fight for civil rights?

What impact did having bad jobs have on segregation?

Answer 7

Being less well paid automatically pushed people into poorest parts of town

Question 8

Why fight for civil rights?

Was there discrimination in government?

Answer 8

Yes, there were some exceptions but it did reach top levels in some cases.

Question 9

Why fight for civil rights?

Example of discrimination in government?

Answer 9

In 1913, President Wilson introduced segregation in government offices and the white house

Question 10

Why fight for civil rights?

Was violence common?

Answer 10

Yes, in 1919 there were 25 anti-black race riots, often set off by police injustice

Question 11

Why fight for civil rights?

What happened in the 1919 race riots?

Answer 11

Hundreds were killed, the worst of these were ‘red summer’ riots in chicago, not south

Question 12

What was life like in the South?

What was life like in the South in 1917?

Answer 12

Hard for many black Americans, faced legal restrictions at every turn.

Question 13

What was life like in the South?

Famous Black American that advocated separatism early on?

Answer 13

Booker T Washington had a significant following, accepting segregation he had support from wealthy blacks and many whites

Question 14

What was life like in the South?

Why did many whites support Booker T Washington?

Answer 14

Felt he saw how Southern whites feared black Americans gaining equality

Question 15

What was life like in the South?

What was the situation in education?

Answer 15

Blacks educated in black schools/colleges. Black teachers paid less and schools less equipped.

Question 16

What was life like in the South

How did many black students fight the odds?

Answer 16

Did learn and went on to become doctors, lawyers etc, proving they were as intelligent despite white denial

Question 17

What was life like in the South?

How did white southerners feel with slavery gone?

Answer 17

Felt less in control of blacks, so they introduced laws on segregation for different control

Question 18

What was life like in the South?

What segregation laws were introduced by 1917 in the South?

Answer 18

Jim Crow laws, which segregated every aspect of life, called ‘the final settlement’

Question 19

What was life like in the South?

What did Jim crow laws decide for many Black Americans?

Answer 19

Where to sit on transport, where to live, where to send kids to school etc

Question 20

What was life like in the South?

What facilities did Jim Crow laws segregate?

Answer 20

Drinking fountains, workplaces, toilets, even staircases etc

Question 21

What was life like in the South?

How did some states introduce discrimination more subtly?

Answer 21

Had literacy tests to vote, gave harder tests to black people

Question 22

What was life like in the South?

How else did some states stop black people from voting

Answer 22

Had to be home owner - most blacks weren’t, all white elections to select candidates,

Question 23

What was life like in the South?

What physical force was used to stop black people from voting?

Answer 23

Whites surrounded polling stations to beat up any black person

Question 24

What was life like in the South?

What happened to black voting registration due to these infringements?

Answer 24

Dropped significantly, by hundreds of thousands in some states e.g. Louisiana

Question 25

# What was life like in the South? What did some whites want to do aswell as segregation?

Answer 25

Felt segregation not enough, and black people needed terrorising into obedience

Question 26

# What was life like in the South? How many lynchings were there between 1915 and 30?

Answer 26

65 of white men and 579 black men, mostly in the South

Question 27

# What was life like in South? What were the causes of lynchings?

Answer 27

Did not need to have committed a crime, those lycning didnt even feel need to produce an accusation

Question 28

# What was life like in the South? Did white southerners enjoy lynchings?

Answer 28

Yes, they were often advertised and photographs of people grinning over corpse

Question 29

# What was life like in the South? Who was Emmett Till?

Answer 29

A 14 year old visiting relations in the South, he was lynched in 1955 for talking to a white woman. Attracted large publicity and caused large shock even in the South

Question 30

# What was life like in the South? What was the Klu Klux Klan (KKK)?

Answer 30

White supremacist organisation revived in 1915, against any non-WASP group, especially black people

Question 31

# What was life like in the South? How many members were in the KKK?

Answer 31

Members lived all over, by 1925 estimates of membership ranged from 3 to 8 million

Question 32

# What was life like in the South? What was the KKK in the south like?

Answer 32

Influencial, more likely to include people with real political powers e.g. governors and the army

Question 33

# What was life like in the South? What did KKK members wear?

Answer 33

Robes and hoods to hide their identity

Question 34

# What was life like in the South? What did women clan members seldom do?

Answer 34

Took part in more violent activities like lynchings and raised their children up as white supremacists, created anti black environment

Question 36

# What was life like in tbe South? What happened to black peoples political power?

Answer 36

Lost it as they lost chance to vote, took them step back from equality

Question 37

# What was life like in South? What was the federal govs impact on black equality?

Answer 37

Hindered it substantially

Question 38

# What was life like in the South? What was plessy v ferguson?

Answer 38

Supreme court ruled that despite the 14th amendment, segregation was possible with the notion 'separate but equal'

Question 39

# What was life like in the South? What was the problem with 'separate equal'?

Answer 39

Wasnt really equal at all. The ruling was used to support other cases of segregation

Question 40

# What was life like in the South? What were Wilsons views on segregation?

Answer 40

As a southerner, had no problem with it

Question 41

# What was life like in the South? What was Hardings stance on southern discrimination?

Answer 41

Spoke out against lynching and was in favour of civil rights, adressed 30,000 in Alabama on the evils of segregation

Question 42

# What was life like in the South? However why didnt Harding really do anything about discrimination?

Answer 42

Committed to laissez, could express opinion and encourage but not enforce. When GD hit aswell civil rights slid further out of sight