black americans, 1950s

• life for african americans in 1950s america depended on where they lived
• most southern states had some segregation laws, which meant black and white people had to use separate facilities
• in the south, strict segregation laws known as the 'jim crow' laws were enforced, meaning african americans had to attend different schools to white children, use separate facilities in public areas, and were separated from white people on public transport
• the 'jim crow' laws were introduced in a number of southern states to keep african americans apart from white people, and were still in force after ww2
• one of the main issues african americans faced in the north was that racism and discrimination were common
• one of the main issues african americans faced in the north was that most african americans lived in areas where there were no white people, they self-segregated, and they earned less
• one of the main issues african americans faced in the north was that there was a higher rate of unemployment among them
• one of the main issues african americans faced in the north was that they usually lived in the poorest areas
• one key method that the state government used to prevent african americans from voting was that violence was often threatened or used
• one key method that the state government used to prevent african americans from voting was that they had to pay a poll tax, which few could afford
• one key method that the state government used to prevent african americans from voting was that they had to pass a literacy test which was deliberately made very difficult, and white americans did not have to take it
• congress and the president did not enforce civil rights because they sometimes needed support from southern politicians who were often racist, and many southern voters would also not support civil rights
• one of the main reasons the supreme court did not ban segregation was because they were heavily influenced by the views and opinions of its judges, many of whom were against civil rights
• one of the main reasons the supreme court did not ban segregation was because they had ruled in 1896 that separate facilities were allowed as long as they were equal, known as the plessy vs ferguson case, which was used as a legal precedent when any civil rights groups tried to challenge segregation legally
• in the north they found they were segregated through discrimination in education, employment opportunities and housing, and were only able to get badly paid jobs so could not afford to live anywhere else but ghettos
• during the cold war, the usa proclaimed itself as the leading nation of the free world, however in reality, its black citizens were being treated dreadfully
• in a bid to gain their votes, politicians in the north began to introduce policies that would appeal to african americans
• african americans in parts of southern states had some voting rights to elect officials within their segregated communities
• one key method used by white people to try and prevent african americans from voting was that african american employees were threatened with the loss of their jobs if they tried to vote
• one key method used by white people to try and prevent african americans from voting was that some states allowed political parties to block people from being members on the grounds of race
• one key method used by white people to try and prevent african americans from voting was that gangs would congregate outside polling stations to beat up african american voters
• one key method used by white people to try and prevent african americans from voting was that a number of african american people went to court in an attempt to defend their right to vote, and some of them were murdered
• white people in the deep south refused to socialise with african americans, seeing them as lazy, stupid and criminally minded
• in the deep south, it was common for african americans to be beaten unless they confessed to crimes they hadn't carried out, and they could be imprisoned for no reason
• if an african american was murdered, then it often wouldn't be investigated as the police were often racist and could also be members of the KKK