Describe the impact of World War 2 on America and Black Civil Rights
Describe the impact of World War 2 on America and Black Civil Rights.
The effects of WW2 on America and Black Civil Rights were many and varied, but the main effect was to bring about a great change. There was migration of blacks from north to south and countryside to cities, increases in Black consciousness, Black activism and the number of significant Black leaders. There was also an increase in the amount of federal aid given and a more sympathetic view from the US Justice Department. As well as this, the war meant blacks had a greater bargaining power, that Blacks and Whites came into closer proximity and a strengthening of the nationwide Black community.
One important effect and impact on America was the almost mass migration of Blacks from the North to the South and from the countryside to cities. Over 4 million Blacks left Southern farms and half of these moved North and West. For example Chicago's Black population in 1940 was about 270,000 whereas by 1950 it had reached almost half a million. Why was there such widespread migration? It was in a search for better wages and a better life away from segregation and discrimination. It had been going on since the early 1900's but increased dramatically during the war due to the number of jobs it created, especially in the defence industries. However the migration of Blacks created Black ghettos in cities, often in their poorest areas, and created more problems of its own.
Another important impact of the war was the increase in Black consciousness or awareness. Blacks became seen more, more common in the now crowded cities. Whites and Blacks lived and worked together closer now than every before. More and more whites came into greater contact then they ever had before. There protests now got them greater coverage from the media and therefore from Whites. Consciousness was increased through greater exposure to Whites, by an increase in the number of protests by greater exposure to the President, at the time Franklin Delano Roosevelt, and by the realisation that although they were fighting a racist regime abroad, there was also one in their own country, and although they may have beaten the racist regime abroad the racist sector remained in America for a long time after this.
Also, an important consequence of WW2 that can be linked with migration and an increase in black consciousness was the closer proximity between Blacks and Whites. This was caused by migration by Blacks from the countryside to cities, helped to increase black consciousness and led to an increase in tension between the two 'races'. The greater exposure both in housing and in work places led many acts of violence and defiance. In 1943 24 Black passengers on a bus were arrested because a Black soldier refused to move to the back of the bus. There were many other ...
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Also, an important consequence of WW2 that can be linked with migration and an increase in black consciousness was the closer proximity between Blacks and Whites. This was caused by migration by Blacks from the countryside to cities, helped to increase black consciousness and led to an increase in tension between the two 'races'. The greater exposure both in housing and in work places led many acts of violence and defiance. In 1943 24 Black passengers on a bus were arrested because a Black soldier refused to move to the back of the bus. There were many other acts of defiance like this. Also in 1943 at the Alabama Dry Dock Company in Mobile male and female White workers attacked black workers with bricks and tools injuring 50 because of jealousy over jobs. Southern military bases containing Black soldiers became flashpoints and even Black soldiers returning from fighting in Europe were known to get lynched and killed. This is because of the closer proximity of Blacks and Whites, but this added tension also brought about one good pint for Black Civil Rights. The increased number of incidents in major cities became a national issue and some Whites were converted to the Black cause as well as spreading knowledge of the atrocities that happened.
The war also caused the level of activism to increase, and it increased in to ways. There was an increase in the number of violent protests and incidents but there was also an increase in a different direction, peaceful protest, a system of non-co-operation, economic boycott and civil disobedience. At the same time as Blacks were fighting for civil rights, Gandhi was helping free India and the non-violent protest worked extremely well in India. Many individuals in the Black Civil Rights Movement were influenced by Gandhi and tried to use his peaceful protest in America. There were many sit-ins, bus boycotts and marches. But the increased activism in a violent manner also convinced many blacks that this wasn't the way and another needed to be found: non-violent protest.
Due to this another effect comes about. As activism increased so did the number of significant black leaders. People like A. Philip Randolph, who threatened to bring a mass protest into Washington unless equality was set up in the armed forces and the workplace, and James Farmer, who established CORE (Congress of Racial Equality), along with many others who went on to become nationally recognised. Although these leaders often disagreed it meant there was more than one black leader, Booker T. Washington, making an impression nearer the top of the scale.
With these leaders came more organisations, like the NAACP, which increased its membership from 50,000 in 1940 to 450,000 in 1945, and CORE, as well as the many trade unions. The NAACP helped increase Black awareness and activism. It also formed strong bonds between itself and the trade unions. CORE helped organise non-violent protests. But these and all the other organisations set up attracted members and because of this reason this is an impact on America. All the members of different organisations nationwide went together to form links between Black communities across the country and helped in strengthening the nationwide Black community as a whole. They became more willing to stand up for themselves and not accept their role as 'inferior'. This strengthening of the lack communities will and resolve was also helped by the influx of soldiers who came back after the war and in the words of one soldier: 'After the end of the war, we just kept on fighting.' Another result of the end of the war was that a lot of the soldiers and defence industry workers, but especially Blacks found themselves without jobs and without much help from the government. These went back to the Black communities with a glimpse of life without segregation and more hope than they had before.
But during the war, another impact surfaced. The President, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, found himself with a need to recruit Blacks into the army and defence industries, but he had a problem. How could he encourage Blacks to fight against a racist regime in Europe when they had one of their very own at home? So he had to give in to some of their demands. Like those of A. Philip Randolph, who threatened to bring a mass protest into Washington unless equality was set up in the armed forces and the workplace. But he only granted some of his demands, by setting up a federal agency called the Committee on Fair Employment Practices (FEPC) to promote equal opportunities in the defence industries. The fact that the government needed Blacks in the armed forces gave Blacks a certain amount of bargaining power they never had before.
The war also had another outcome in that it led to an increase in federal aid and the creation of a more sympathetic US Justice Department. Proof of this is that they set up a Civil Rights Section, to attempt to decrease lynching and police brutality in the South. One example of federal aid is the FEPC, which although not very successful in helping blacks did begin to tackle the problem, until it's funding was cut after receiving more power in 1943. Also Black voting rights were increased in the South, registered Black voters increasing from 3% to 12%, but this was of little real effect as most Blacks couldn't read or write and so didn't no who they were voting for.
All in all the war brought about a lot of changes in America and to Black Civil Rights. It seems that the most significant change was an increase in Black consciousness. This seems to link together a lot of the other points, such as migration and the closer proximity of Blacks and Whites. But how much did these changes actually benefit Blacks? Although federal aid was given it wasn't given enough to help all Blacks, just a minority, and although the courts and government were more sympathetic they didn't do enough: The FEPC dismissed two thirds of discrimination cases in the workplace and only one in five blacks won their cases. Also, from the evidence, it seems clear that most of the events during and after World War Two seemed irrelevant to most Blacks and not victories or gains for the Civil Rights Movement. One thing that did become clear though was that slowly the Southern White Supremacy was being eroded and the Black Civil Rights Movement was gaining more support from not only the greater majority of Blacks but from a significant number of Whites as well. But, was World War Two a turning point? How much did it actually effect or go towards changing America and Black Civil Rights for the good?
