RACE ISSUES IN AMERICA 1929 – 1990 (Peaceful protest)

THE NORTH After 1860 many black people moved to the North where life was a little better and there was less discrimination. There was no segregation in the north and a black middle class emerged along with a cultural renaissance. Despite the lack of Jim Crow laws black people in the north still tended to have the worst jobs, the worst housing and there was still a great deal of private discrimination.

WWII During the War Blacks fought in Segregated ‘Jim Crow’ regiments and often did menial ‘unheroic’ jobs but there were some GAINS: Black men in the army experienced life without segregation abroad in places like Britain and France. This made it all the harder returning to racism and segregation in the Southern states. At home there were new, better paid jobs in war factories NB discrimination became illegal in government owned factories. Awareness was raised at home and abroad because the war was all about the racial prejudice of Hitler. Gave Blacks determination to fight on. Membership of NAACP increased by nearly 10 times. White attitudes began to change eg. President Truman ended segregation in the American army.

Why do you think ending segregation in the American army was such an important step in achieving equality for black Americans? (remember that the President himself integrated black and white divisions)

THE BROWN CASE 1954 In 1954 the NAAPC challenged local school boards (including one in Topeka Kansas) to segregate schools. On 17 th May 1954 the Supreme Court decided that segregated schools were illegal under the constitution. By 1956 despite the step forward, in 6 southern States in America, not 1 black child was attending an all white school and in other states only small steps towards integration had been taken.

Explain why the Brown case of 1954 was crucial to black Americans gaining equal rights? (Think about the importance of education)

The Montgomery Bus Boycott 1 st Dec 1955, 41 year old black woman Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat for a white man and stand at the back as was require by law. She was arrested and fined $10. Within 48 hours friends and family had organised a boycott which, under the direction of MLK grew and spread. In November 1956, after 18 months of inconvenience, threats and even fire bombing, the supreme court ruled that segregation on buses was illegal. Why would this have been a bad idea before November 1956?

LUNCH COUNTER SIT INS CORE (Central Organisation for Racial Equality) organised peaceful demonstrations which involved sitting in at Woolworths lunch counters. The lunch counters were meant to be segregated but black people and white people sat together which angered the red necks…

Use this source and your own knowledge to explain attitudes to ending segregation in the South

What is happening in this picture? You may have thought it was a war zone but it’s actually a high school. The troops were necessary to protect the 9 black students who attended it, from being attacked by the all white students, teachers and parents.

Little Rock (Arkansas) 1957 Even though the Supreme Court ruled that black people could go to white schools, tension escalated in Little Rock in The Governor used National Guard reserve soldiers to prevent 9 black students enrolling at Little Rock High School. President Eisenhower sent 1000 US Paratroopers to protect the black students from the violent mobs for the next year. In 1957, the Civil Rights Act made discrimination illegal. (in reality Eisenhower was more concerned about how the nation was being represented abroad rather than the civil rights of the students)

Highlight the main successes achieved by the black Americans in the 1950’s All images sourced from The National Library of Congress. ( As far as the author is aware there are no known restrictions on publication.