To What Extent Were The Activities Of the White Racist Groups, the Most Important Reason for Continued Discrimination Against African Americans 1865-1992

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To What Extent Were The Activities Of the White Racist Groups, the Most Important Reason for Continued Discrimination Against African Americans 1865-1992

White racist groups made a significant contribution to the continuation of the discrimination of African Americans from 1865-1992, however there are also other factors which made contributions such as federal government, state government and actions of ordinary US citizens, but which factor was the most significant?

White racist groups made a significant addition to the continuation of discrimination towards African Americans. One of the infamous racist groups were the Ku Klux Klan, as well as the Southern Cross and the Knights of the White Camelia. The First Klan, created in 1865, worked to curb the education and economic advancement of blacks, this included the prevention of voting and bearing arms, ignoring their rights as United States citizens following the Fourteenth Amendment of 1868. This only proved to leave the African Americans unable to use their own voice to further their position. By 1867 the KKK had asserted that whites were “endowed with an evident superiority over all other races” and their dominance over other races was God-given. This not only spread ideas of black inferiority but also included the Church,with almost 85% of the US following the Church at this time, it gathered the support of many against African Americans. The KKK spread an atmosphere of racial hostility towards African Americans and terror, furthering their cause and prevent any development in black civil rights. Between 1880 and 1910 the lynching campaign from the KKK against African Americans was at it’s height. Victims would be accused of serious crimes so that it could be claimed justice could not wait for the courts and the victim must be dispensed of immediately. This demonstrated the complete removal of black rights and as they were public events, often spread feelings of hatred towards the African Americans. In 1915, the film The Birth of a Nation was released, glorifying the first Klan, creating a nationwide Klan craze and grew rapidly and a brutal stereotype. By 1924 five million members and had risen dramatically since 1921 in which there were 100,000 members. This huge number only furthered their cause and leave African Americans with little power and were hugely discriminated against. In the 1950s and 1960s, Klan members began to resist the social change and the development of black power by bombing houses and churches in black neighbourhoods. There were so many bombings in Birmingham, Alabama, the city’s nickname was Bombingham. This injected fear into African Americans, giving hesitation to the civil rights activists and also using intimidation and fear to rally support from white citizens, giving rise to discrimination. KKK actions in the 1970s onwards declined, as more and more KKK members were finally punished and charged for crimes they committed. At present, around 5000 members exist, and as their numbers dwindled, their control and continuation of discrimination towards African Americans lacked influence and power. Overall, the KKK were successful in spreading a negative stereotype of African Americans and made a significant contribution to the discrimination of African Americans, but their decline in numbers after the 1970s was paralleled with a decline in influence over the American people.

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The actions of state government is also a factor which contributed to the continuation of the discrimination. By 1890 65% of black American school aged children in the south were unable to write, compared to 15% of white children due to little state intervention of education laws to encourage educational advances for African American children, this was a factor which state government had control over, and by not taking action to ensure equal education for African Americans, the State Government was preventing any sort of economic development of blacks and therefore leaving them in the stereotype created of them. ...

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