Blacks as second class citizens from 1945-55in USA

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How far is it accurate to describe Black Americans as second class citizens from 1945 to 1955?

In the Declaration of Independence of 1776 it was declared that ‘all men are created equal, and that they are endowed by their creator with inalienable rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness’. In 1791 the Bill of Rights reinforced this and stated that all men have equal rights and opportunities. In this essay I will assess whether or not black Americans were treated as second class citizens    from 1945 to 1955; politically, socially and economically.

        In the South, for black Americans, it was virtually impossible to vote in any elections. Mississippi was the first state to introduce new voting registrations back in 1890, which took away the right to vote for most African-Americans. The voting situation for blacks had not improved much in this time and blacks were still subject to literacy tests and residential qualifications. Many states introduced a ‘grandfather clause’ into voting regulations which declared that a person could only vote if his grandfather had the vote, even if you were a full US citizen. This excluded the vast majority of African-Americans, whose grandfathers had been slaves. By 1945 the situation in terms of voting rights was not positive for blacks, although there were signs of improvement, with the number of registered black voters increasing from 3% in 1940 to 12% in 1947. White registrars made it difficult for blacks to register. Rosa Parks eventually registered for the vote in 1945 after several failed attempts including failing her literacy test when she was asked ‘How many bubbles are there in a bar of soap?’ When registered a black person would have to pay a poll tax of $16.50, a large sum of money for many.

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It is fair to say that white people considered themselves to be first class citizens with the blacks below them and that blacks views and feelings were not to be considered equal to their own, hence many whites thought that blacks did not deserve the vote. Whites were also concerned that if blacks had too much power they could change the discrimination cast upon them by voting sympathisers into office. This attitude led to great numbers enlisting in the NAACP, raising numbers from 50,000 to 450,000 from 1940 to 1945. For the first time, blacks were being given a voice ...

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