Part of The Student Room Group

  • Join over 1.2 million students every month
  • Accelerate your learning by 29%
  • Unlimited access from just £6.99 per month

How far do you agree that the years 1945-55 saw only limited progress in improving the status of African Americans?

Extracts from this document...

Introduction

How far do you agree that the years 1945-55 saw only limited progress in improving the status of African Americans? Truman?s ?Fair Deal? programme was seen as creating limited progress in improving the status of African Americans. Truman?s attempt at getting the government to build housing in deprived areas; which addressed African Americans? economic problems was seen as being flawed. This is because previous buildings, deemed as being poorly constructed were demolished and replaced with new public housing. This programme created far fewer houses than before; which meant that there was actually less housing for African Americans. From this I can infer that he program was flawed and actually exacerbated the status of African Americans, as there was less housing. Although the ?Fair Deal? programme was seen as being ineffective in improving the status of African Americans; some could argue that the desegregation of armed forces was. Truman highlighted the dilemma of segregation in the army in the bill ?To Secure These Rights?. ...read more.

Middle

Painter court case of 1950 was. Sweat V. Painter was the National Association for the Advancement of Coloured Peoples? first successful challenge to segregation in education. The course emerged when Hemam Sweatt, a black student, was denied from studying law at the University of Texas. The NAACP?s strong involvement in the case helped it to be funded, and supplied an attorney. The NAACP took the case to the Supreme Court and managed to win the case for Sweatt. The involvement of the NAACP in the case massively helped to persuade the Supreme Court. This court ruling helped to bring de hure change across many of the southern universities. By desegregating many of the universities, the case was seen as significantly improving the status of African Americans. Overall I believe that the success of the Sweatt V. Painter ruling overpowered the little change that emerged from CORE?s Journey of Reconciliation. I believe this as it enabled black Americans to enlist in universities; which were previously stated as being ?white only?, whereas black Americans were still able to ride interstate buses. ...read more.

Conclusion

Furthermore the southern states were seen as lacking proper education for black southerners. This massively improved the status of African Americans, as school integration meant that they had more opportunities. Overall I believe that Brown V. Board of Education of Topeka court case was more significant than the white backlash, as African Americans were now integrated in schools. Even though there was a large amount of backlash, it was not significant to exacerbate the status of African Americans. Although there was still a lack in de facto change, one can easily come to the conclusion that the years 1945-55 actually saw quite significant progress in improving the status of African Americans. Furthermore the various feats achieved from organisations such as the NAACP, helped exacerbate the white backlash. Additionally, Truman?s Civil Rights policies, such as desegregation in the armed forces, proved effective, and caused a large amount of improvements. Some may argue that the status of African Americans after 1955 still lacked many equal-rights; but I believe that the Supreme Court undeniably improved the status of African Americans in the long run. ...read more.

The above preview is unformatted text

This student written piece of work is one of many that can be found in our AS and A Level History of the USA, 1840-1968 section.

Found what you're looking for?

  • Start learning 29% faster today
  • 150,000+ documents available
  • Just £6.99 a month

or


Not the one? Search for your essay title...
  • Join over 1.2 million students every month
  • Accelerate your learning by 29%
  • Unlimited access from just £6.99 per month

See related essaysSee related essays

Related AS and A Level History of the USA, 1840-1968 essays

  1. Marked by a teacher

    Why was Progress for Racial Equality so slow in the years 1945-1955?

    4 star(s)

    The presence of one black leader in the campaign for civil rights could of speeded up the process, increasing not only participation of blacks but also helping to change the opinion of white resisters. Actual progress on racial equality during this period shows itself how slow and limited the process clearly was as well as the effect of progress.

  2. Peer reviewed

    Assess the view that the Supreme Court was the most important branch of federal ...

    4 star(s)

    one, and one that showed the importance of Presidential decisions in making sure equality was long term, not merely a short-term phase. Like affirmative action, the Supreme Court upheld bussing as constitutional, though later rulings considered that it was impractical where segregation was unintentional - ie, when a school in a predominantly white neighbourhood had a predominantly white pupil body.

  1. Revision notes - the USA 1945 to 1980

    3. Hollywood stars protested against his actions 4. Two major newspapers turned against him. The New York Times and the Washington Post. 5. Ed Murrow produced a film in 1954 exposing McCarthy's methods. The HUAC hearings on television showed McCarthy as a bully. 6. McCarthy was by now an alcoholic 7.

  2. Discuss the influences on Malcolm X and how they helped form his ideology in ...

    in public with publishing a picture of 'their' slain president on the front page of their newspaper Muhammad Speaks in his honour. Malcolm believed the death of the president came as no surprise with the aggressive American foreign policy in Vietnam, the CIA involvement in the assassination of Lumumba in the Congo and the CIA attempt on Castro's life.

  1. How far did the position of black Americans improve during the years 1945-1955?

    in particular, who organised a very successful week-long bus boycott in Louisiana's capital Baton Rouge in June 1953. Black Americans also wanted to challenge segregation in schools and overall, education.

  2. The Eisenhower years saw significant improvement for the African Americans

    An end to segregation in schools could lead to greater economic, social and indeed political influence. With the prospect of an easier education, being able to go to your nearest school, would lead to a better education of African Americans and better education leads to greater job prospects, more money and thus greater economic power.

  1. How did anti-rights groups hinder the progress of Civil Rights for African Americans from ...

    If African Americans were to be successful in gaining equal Civil Rights, they needed to make progress for themselves. The KKK tried to stop them making the progress that was essential to the development of equal Civil Rights, which could have hindered the movement itself.

  2. Civil Rights Revision Cards 1945-68

    Politicised many poor blacks (especially women) However, 1. The Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party (MFDP) ? sent delegation to the Democratic Party National Convention in autumn of 1964 ? with disappointing results Selma (1965: King/SCLC ? & SNCC ) Overview In 1965 in Selma (Alabama.)

  • Over 160,000 pieces
    of student written work
  • Annotated by
    experienced teachers
  • Ideas and feedback to
    improve your own work