issue 2 🇺🇸 Flashcards
Obstacles facing black people to achieve civil rights
What were the five obstacles facing black people to achieve civil rights ?
- popular prejudice
- the separate but equal decision and Jim crow laws (legal basis )
- lack of political influence
- white supremacist organisations, such as the KKK
- divisions in the black community
Background info
During the early and mid 20th century, Black people were denied their civil rights and were discriminated against by white people who believed to be superior. There was a legal system filled with injustice, widespread discriminatory views and fear in both northern and southern states
Ku klux klan
- The K.K.K was resounded in 1915 by William J Simmons and as a white supremacist organisation was committed to using fear, terror and intimidation to prevent black people from claiming their civil rights.
- By 1925, the organisation had acquired 5million members, including influential men such as judges, sheriffs and assemblymen
KKK- Analysis
- This was an important obstacle because any black who attempted to improve their status would likely be targeted by this increasingly powerful organisation, as evidence by the lynching of more than 3000 black peoples between 1880 and 1941
- this was important to preventing black people from getting the vote, as the higher number of membership means that racist views were widely held across America. The membership of such men who were in a position of power meant that it would be even harder for black people to gather for change
KKK -Evaluation
Whilst the KKK were undoubtedly an influential white supremacist organisation that enjoyed widespread support in states such as Oklahoma and Oregon and exercised great political influence, it can be argued that it would not have grown to be prominent if it weren’t for the existence of prejudice and racism. Indeed popular prejudice was the oxygen that breathed the life into lungs of the KKK
Popular prejudice and racism knowledge
- The southern states, a system of de jury segregation was in place which legalised separate facilities between black and white people.
- Furthermore, the race riots in 1917 happened as a result of a black teenage boy who was toned to death by white sunbathers in a ‘white only’ beach on Lake Michigan after he accidentally strolled there. His death this began a week of horrific violence which led to 23 black people killed and 15 white people killed
Popular prejudice and racism analysis
- As argued by willoughby & Willoughby “This incident clearly indicates the depth and extent of the hatred and prejudice.”
Popular prejudice and racism evaluation
It’s clear that prejudice and racism was the key reason that prevented black people from getting their civil rights, since without this, all other reasons would cease to exist. It was the foundation for the ‘seperate but equal’ decision by the Supreme Court which would have had a racist jury to allow segregation to take place.
‘Separate but equal’ decision knowledge
- Form the 1870s, Southern state legislatures sought to deny black Americans from their civil rights by introducing a series of segregation laws which collectively became known as ‘Jim crow’ laws.
- Moreover, the position of the Jim Crow laws was strengthened in 1896, when the Supreme Court issued its infamous ’seperate but equal’ decision which stated that it was constitutional to seperate the races so long as the facilities provided were equal
Separate but equal analysis
- The very existence of these laws meant that the legal basis could only be challenged through courts
- This gave the green light to pass yet more Jim crow Laws throughout the southern states, strengthening the system of racial apartheid in place
Separate but equal evaluation
The Supreme Court’s decision meant that the system of segregation was difficult to challenge, as argued by Historian John Kerr, ‘Black people said that the decision of the Supreme Court made it legal in the USA to discriminate against them and they were right.’ However, it couldn’t have been the most important obstacle as the laws were passed in southern states and not the northern ones. This led to many black people migrating to the North in hopes of a better life
Lack of political voice knowledge
- During 1880s, southern state legislatures followed the successful 1980 example of Mississippi and introduced income and literacy qualifications for voting which penalised black people more than white people.
- During 1900, only 3% of black people could vote due to these legislations. In Alabama, the result of these qualifications meant black voters went from 18,000 down to 3,000 in just two years
Lack of political voice evaluation
It’s clear that balck people were stolen from the vote since they had the right to vote listed in the 15th amendment which prevented them from getting their civil rights. However, divisions in the black community also played a part in preventing black people from getting civil rights.
divisions in the black community knowledge
W. E. B de bois founded NAACP in 1909 which was to fight against disenfranchisement. By 1919, the organisation had 91,000 members after they previously launched a campaign against lynching. They believed that the solution to the problem began in the education of the people. Their main objective was legal action
2. The UNIA was formed by Marcus Garvey and had 6million members by 1923. They opposed racial integration and strongly believed in black separatism. They came up with the slogan ‘Black is beautiful’ and argued that black people were One around the globe.
Divisions in the black community analysis and counter analysis
- This was an important obstacle as the NAACP concentrated on getting rid of segregation through lawsuits and public inquiries. It was dominated by well-off black people and white people who failed to inspire urban masses and therefore didn’t bring about much change
- This was an important obstacle as many black leaders and socialists were critical of him. The UNIA collapsed , following Garvey’s conviction and imprisonment due to mail fraud which could’ve strengthened racist beliefs and undo all progress for fight of civil rights.
However, it could be argued that the UNIA had brought pride amongst masses of poor and unskilled black people. Nine years after the foundation was set up, it had acquire six million members which was more than the KKK who had 5 million members.
