Elliot's history essay 1

To what extent did the lives of African American's improve by 1945.

Life in the south has never been easy for black people and even to this day in certain parts it still is, what does that tell us? That even today racism still stands? That we're still where we was seventy years ago? No, not at all. The strive for freedom and equality has been a long road and indeed has hit upon many bumps, some set backs even but clearly it can be seen that both the south and even the north have come along way in accepting their ebony brethren.

Working class black men perhaps came into the most contact and even the most racism from their white counterparts, they spent their day to day lives either being oppressed or working along side white people. While in the north it was a different story compared to the south, it was still a world of hardship. In the past, black people where not able to earn money as slaves but with their freedom many found job opportunities as wielders and other jobs, it was so that many black people left the south for the north in the great migration. This of course shows that living conditions in the south where less then satisfactory though it also showed that the north was far more tolerant to African Americans. Jobs in the north where also easier to come by, though the saying 'last hired, first fired' came into play it was possible for black people to gain promotions. Though the common white man normally disapproved these decisions, it still happened and allowed for black people to actually progress in a career. Another common problem for black working class though was pay, white foremen would often underpay black people and though with unions in the north it was also out of fear of loosing their job did not many black people complain about the lower pay. Back in the south however, similar problems arose with white people underpaying for black grown crops and also many black owned business where destroyed in hate crimes and riots. There where many problems facing the working class, though also they did make significant improvements. Promotions and wages to support their families showed growth in the ability that black people had started to take upon the north and south, with job opportunities also came the ability for black people to do things such as go into politics. At the end of 1945, the army also desegregated and started the change for black people as the momentum from such a change went on from then to spur other changes in the workplace.

In politics, black people had made a much larger change. The NAACP was using the legal system to win cases behind closed doors and won over the sympathy and support of not only the supreme court but numerous presidents. Though many parties withdrew open support for civil rights in fear of loosing the white vote, for many years the republican party supported the civil right movement but soon backed off it's support. Though they lost the republican's support, they did for a while hold it and that showed the willingness of a predominantly white party wanting to help, more impressively enough the support was mostly in the south. The democrats retained a neutral stance, not much support but at the same time they didn't enforce racist rules, this was due to conflict in the party. In all though with Thurgood Marshall establishing himself as a well respected black lawyer, it's clear how far black people had come in the legal system, but with noting that in the south black people had actually established themselves as mayors and political members as early as 1868 with the first African American elected mayor of a U.S. town: Pierre Caliste Landry, Donaldsonville, Louisiana. Though the common man could vote though, it was often faced with barbaric laws such as fees, grandfather clauses and literacy tests in the south which lead to many black people becoming discouraged.

Finally, we come to look at the social standing of black people. In the south, it was bad, very bad. Hate crimes such as lynching where common, racism reigned supreme and many black people often found themselves at the hands and 'mercy' of white employers, governors and other authoritative figures. Discriminated against, the white folk of the south tried their hardest to stop black people advancing and stalled out for the longest time for things such as segregation. However, in the north it was a lot more lax, the segregation was de jure and not de facto. Black and white people could be friends, go bowling and even be couples. Though the odd racist opinion flared up, the masses of the north came across as a lot more liberal and accepting of black people. Separating factors where things such as ghettos, the run down areas in which black people could afford to live, however it was still possible for them to move out and better themselves. Movies such as gone with the wind often reinforced racial stereotypes which didn't help, however it was often seen as just film with many white people actually working alongside black people.

In all, I personally feel the extent of change that the civil rights movement had made was significant. It made a launching board for many future cases and change for years to come, though many set backs like the anti lynching law being withdrawn where made the fact that these laws where even conjured up is a monumental landmark. It showed people where willing to change. In conclusion, it's plain to tell that the progress made clearly helped better the lives of African Americans, though more in the north then in the south for now.

Elliot Ince - AS History.