Black-American's Rights (unfinished)

• Segregation - enforced separation of different racial groups in a community, establishment or country
• Jim Crow Laws - racist laws against Black Americans
• The Great Depression - A period of economic decline in the 1930s

  Impacts:

  • unemployment (Black Americans were fired first)
• The Klu Klux Klan - a secret society of white supremacists who were racist during this time

  • targeted young black men, divorcees, catholics, jews and mexicans
• The Great Depression:

  positives:

  • better chance for good jobs and education
  • black capitalist movement
  • by 1930 nearly all shops had black employees
  • black music became popular
  • black people entered politics
  • black people emigrated to Africa
  • black people's life expectancy rose

  negatives

  • failed to change USA dramatically
  • in the North there was great poverty
  • poorer facilities for black people compared to whites' facilities
  • prejudice
  • white people were hostile
  • prejudice within black community
  • black people's life expectancy lower than whites'
• Desegregation: the ending of a policy of racial segregation
• Plessey vs. Ferguson - 1896 ruling which approved segregation of school

  • 'separate but equal'
• Brown vs. Board of Education: 1954, ruled segregation in public schools unconstitutional

  • Oliver Brown could not send his daughter Linda Brown to the local school because it was white's only
  • fought the case in court and court ruled segregation in public schools unconstitutional
• Little Rock, Arkansas, 1957: Governor Faubus ordered the Arkansas National Guard to prevent nine black students from entering Little Rock Central High School

  • PM (Eisenhower) sent in troops to protect the children - maybe for publicity
• Montgomery Bus Boycott: 1955-1956

  • Rosa Parks incident was kick-off of the boycott
  • bus company lost 65% of income
  • Supreme court declared Montgomery's bus laws to illegal
• Impacts of Montgomery Bus Boycott:

  Positives:

  • desegregation of transport
  • brought attention to civil rights movement
  • MLK became a famous leader

  Negatives:

  • violence against bus users
  • ONLY desegregated TRANSPORT
• MLK Actions:

  • speeches
  • organised protests
• Impacts of MLK:

  Positives:

  • international attention on USA
  • desegregation
  • gave Black people the right to vote
  • changed quality of life for African Americans

  Negatives:

  • MLK was in danger
  • death of MLK
  • Klu Klux Klan hurt many
• MLK:

  • great orator
  • 'I have a dream'
  • tough
  • arrested and assaulted
  • fair
  • peaceful
  • generous
  • donated prize money
  • leader
  • lead bus boycott
  • organiser
  • march on Washington
  • boycotts, sit-ins, walks
• Economic struggles of Black Americans:

  • denied access to education, employment and housing