Unit 3- Post War America

• What was post war prosperity like for Americans

  • Wages and level of employment increased meaning americans were wealthier and had more money to spend on consumer goods, therefore boosting the American economy
  • Rise in consumerism
  • There was a ‘baby boom’ as birth rate increased dramatically and growing the population by over 12 million
  • New houses being built
• What was the Servicemen’s Readjustment Act

  Created in 1944, where Roosevelt offered veterans free college tuition and loans to help them buy a home, and by 1956, around 10 million veterans were aided by the bill. However, black veterans were excluded from these benefits
• What was the house building boom

  Many new houses were being mass produced in the suburbs and the G.I Bill meant more people could afford homes. Popularity of suburbs led to an increase in car sales.
• What was ‘suburbia’

  A comfortable life for Americans who lived in the suburbs whilst the husband drove to work in the city, in their cars, and the wife looked after their home. This led to more shopping centres being built which allowed more access to consumer goods
• What is the G.I Bill also known as

  Servicemen’s Readjustment Act
• What was McCarthyism


  A senator Joseph McCarthy investigated possible communists in the US government in the 1950s. However his anti-communist campaign wasnt based on reliable evidence
• What did McCarthy do

  Gave a speech during the 1950s claiming that he had a list of 205 communists in the state department and that they were putting the USA in risk of giving information to the ussr
• How did the public react to McCarthy

  Many believed him and his anti-communist attitudes made him very popular with voters. He gained lots of media attention which gave him the platform to accuse and criticise more people
• What happened in result of lots of media attention for McCarthy

  He made many accusations with little evidence and destroyed the careers and reputations of thousands of people. Many became more fearful of communism people who tried to challenge McCarthy had risks of being accused to be communist sympathisers
• Who eventually spoke out about McCarthy

  A group of Republicans Senators led by Margaret Chase Smith condemned McCarthy’s tactics and after investigations, there was little evidence of any communist activity. This meant that the public changed their views on him and went against him
• What was segregation for African-Americans like in post-war America

  • had to use separate facilities to white Americans
  • Segregation was legally enforced by Jim Crow Laws in the South
  • Good education was limited as they relied on government for their funding but received far less money than white schools
  • In the south , many couldn’t vote due to the racist laws
• What were some laws enforced in the south which stopped A-A from being able to vote

  • Poll taxes - many poor African-Americans couldn’t afford to pay to vote
  • Property requirements - only those with properties over a certain value could vote
  • Literacy Tests- African- Americans rarely passed as they were carried out by white officials who deliberately failed them
• What are examples of civil rights movements in the 1950s

  • Brown vs Board of Education - in 1954
  • Little Rock - in 1957
  • Martin Luther King’s peaceful protests
  • Montgomery Bus Boycott - in 1955 - 1956
• What was the NAACP

  The National Association for the Advancement of Coloured People
• What happened during Brown vs Board

  • NAACP brought case against Board of Education as an African- American girl (Linda Brown) had to travel kilometres and cross a dangerous rail to get to school rather than go to a white-school nearby
  • May 1954 - Chief Justice Earl Warren stated segregated education isn’t equal and ordered southern states to set up integrated schools
• What happened during Little Rock, Arkansas

  • Integrated schools were resisted by some states such as Arkansas
  • In 1957 - Supreme Court ordered governor of Arkansas to let nine African-Americans to attend a white high school in little rock
  • Governor claimed he couldn’t guarantee their safety
  • President Eisenhower sent troops to protect the students and they stayed their for six weeks
• Who was Rosa Parks and what did she do

  • Civil rights activist who wanted to stand up against Montgomery’s bus laws
  • She refused to give up her seat to a white man and was arrested
  • Encouraged people to form the Montgomery Improvement Association (MIA) which decided to boycott the buses
• What was the local law of Montgomery regarding buses

  Law stating that African - Americans were only allowed to sit in the middle and back seats of the bus and that they had to give up their seats if a white person wanted them
• what happened on the first day of the bus boycott

  buses were empty and 10,000 - 15,000 people went to hear a speech from the newly elected MIA president, Martin Luther King. The bus company lost 65% of its income
• What happened in result of the bus boycott

  • First major example of the non-violent actions that challenged discrimination
  • Civil rights lawyers fought Rosa Parks’ case in court
  • December 1956, Supreme Court made montgomery’s bus laws to be illegal
• What new groups were formed in result of the bus boycott

  • Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) which trained activists non-violent protests
  • Student Non-violent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) which were formed of african-American and white American students
  • Congress of Racial Equality (CORE)
• What happened in Greensboro, North Carolina in 1960

  • Many bars had stools for only whites and African Americans had to stand
  • Four black students sat on those seats and refused to leave
  • The next day 23 more students did the same, then 66, and within a week 400 African Americans and white students were organising ‘sit-ins’
  • By the end of 1960, lunch counters had been desegregated in 126 cities
• What were freedom rides

  • Began in 1961 by CORE activists as many states still didn’t follow the order to desegregate buses
  • Freedom riders rode on buses and faced the worst violence of civil rights campaigns
  • Many were arrested
  • Governor of Alabama did little to protect the riders until he was put under pressure from the new president Kennedy
• What did Martin Luther King do which was one of the most high profits events

  • Did a March on Washington in 1963 with over 200,000 black people and 50,000 white people
  • Made his famous ‘I have a dream’ speech which had a massive impact on the American public’s opinons
• What was the purpose of the March

  • To pressure President Kennedy to introduce the civil rights bill and give African Americans the right to vote
• What were black nationalists

  Those who rejected the non-violent protest in the civil rights movement and felt that force was justified to achieve equity for African Americans
• Who was Malcom X

  • Born as Malcom Little
  • Became involved in drugs and crime and was imprisoned for burglary
  • became a black Muslim whilst in prison
  • Criticised Martin Luther King’s approach to civil rights and thought that Violence would bring better results
  • Wanted America to create their own separate black state
  • Assassinated in 1965
• What was one famous movement which attracted many disillusioned African Americans

  the Nation of Islam
• Who was Stokely Carmichael and what did he do

  • Black student who became chairman of the SNCC
  • Spoke about ‘black power’ and believed in racial pride
• who were the Black Panthers

  small political party consisting of 2000 members who believed African - Americans should arm themselves and force the whites to give them equal rights. Clashed with police forces, killing 9 officers between 1967 and 1969
• when were the race riots

  from 1965 to 1967
• why were there race riots

  A-A felt that they didn't get the same protection from crime compared to white americans
• where were race riots mostly happening

  In the south as many cities in the north and west were officially free of racism
• when was president Kennedy assassinated

  1963
• what did new president johnson do

  just as committed to civil rights as kennedy and on 2 July 1964 passed the Civil Rights Act and made it illegal for local governments to discriminate in areas such as housing and employment
• what was the impact of the civil rights act

  King and SCLC encouraged A-A to register to vote. Many young white people from the North came to southern states to help. 20 months after the civil rights act, 430,000 A-A registered to vote
• what happened in Selma

  • King's priority was to get as many A-A to vote
  • organised marches in places where discrimination was the worst
  • 1965 - organised march in selma as only around 2.4% of A-A registered to vote
  • authorities banned the march however on March 7, around 600 people went with the march anyway and were brutally attacked
  • media called it 'Bloody Sunday'
• what was passed in 1965

  The Voting Rights Bill which allowed government agents to inspect voting procedures. ended literacy tests. in 1965, 5 major cities all had black mayors
• what was the civil rights act of 1968 


  stated that housing could not be sold or rented based on race, religion, national origin or sex
• when was Martin Luther King assassinated

  in 1968