Why did the social, economic and political status of black Americans vary across the United States in the 1940s and 50s?

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Why did the social, economic and political status of black Americans vary across the United States in the 1940s and 50s?

By Ali Gosling

For blacks living in America during the 1940's and 1950's, there was much discrimination socially, politically and economically. Life varied a great deal depending on when and where they lived, with the racist majority in the South and a supposedly 'equal' ruling in the North controlling how the blacks were treated. Also, in the 1940's, black organisations such as the NAACP was set up to give a voice to Coloured people, so their opinions would be noticed. Along with President Eisenhower and President Trumans' political role, this changed the situation for blacks from 1940 to 1960.

During the Second World War, most blacks were employed within the armed forces or the defence industry to fight against Germanys fascist movement. However, the blacks were also greatly discriminated against in a segregated US army. Given lower ranked positions and worse conditions, the blacks were never promoted to the role of sergeant or general. This was due to the racist tension felt in America before the war. Even the living quarters and equipment (e.g. drinking fountains), were separated between the whites and blacks. This injustice infuriated black organisations and civil rights groups as the black soldiers were doing the same job as the whites, yet they were still being discriminated for it. So with much protest towards the government, enough pressure was applied to Truman to pass an executive order to desegregate the armed forces. This shows how the status of blacks in America varied through time as some situations got better for black living.

There were other improvements made to improve the lives of blacks throughout America. Blacks were usually discriminated against when applying for employment, as the position would usually be given to a white person, with no consideration to qualifications. When blacks did get jobs, they were usually low paid with terrible working conditions. It was considered fair by whites for a black employee to be paid less than a white worker for doing exactly the same job, as they thought t themselves to be socially higher. Many white employers in the south claimed that the blacks were prepared to work for less money as they realised they were lower in class. The FECP (Fair Employment Practices Committee), was set up to combat these inequalities but it failed to make a great impact and did not change many black economic situations. CORE on the other hand had more success in moving the civil rights cause on in this area - by 1952, 11 states and 20 cities had fair employment laws. This is another example of how the lives of blacks changed over time in America.

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Discrimination was also felt socially in black lives in America, especially in the South of the country, were racist views were stronger than in the North. Where equal employment opportunities were a problem in the North, the political stance of blacks in the South was a big problem as very few were awarded the vote. This was because the white people considered themselves to be first-class citizens with the blacks below them. Therefore their feelings and views should not be considered equal to there own. Also, if the black people were given the vote, it would grant them an opportunity ...

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