The Ku Klux Klan were another significant obstacle facing black Americans in achieving civil rights. The Klan were formed to terrorise any person who advocated a policy of equal rights however they were particularly hostile to Blacks, Catholics, Jews and new immigrants. They put fear into the Black community through threats, blackmail and bribery and performed acts such as beatings, tortures and lynchings on many black people. The support this group received shows the extent of the Klan as an obstacle facing black Americans. By the mid-1920s, they claimed a membership of 2-5 million and with their influential members such as police officers, judges and politicians the support the group received and how much of a obstacle they would have been to achieving civil rights is evident. The civil rights of many Black people were further taken away as the Klan also managed to reduced the numbers of Black voters as they would gather outside voting places in order to scare and intimidate any Black person who wanted to vote. The lack of action against the KKK shows the lack of Government support available for black Americans. The complex relationship between state laws and federal laws made direct intervention against segregation and law enforcement difficult and with National politicians fearing a loss of White votes, not much action was taken against the Klan. The Klan however began to decrease in membership after a scandal involving it’s leader and subsequently lost the majority of its power, therefore its significance in the late 30s is debatable. It is therefore evident that the involvement of the Ku Klux Klan was a significant obstacle facing black Americans in achieving civil rights and with the evidence of terrorism and the support from many, including influential people, it can be argued that they were an obstacle greater than that of the ‘separate but equal’ decision made by the Supreme Court.
Another significant obstacle in achieving civil rights for black Americans was their lack of political influence within the country. Through the use of different voting laws, the Southern states had managed to stop Blacks from voting so that they would not be able to elect anyone who opposed the Jim Crow laws. In America in order to vote a person must be registered. The Southern states created a set of voting qualifications, making it difficult for Blacks to vote for example one state ruled that a man could only vote if his grandfather had voted before 1867. This ruling caused a further obstacle for Blacks as due to the slave trade in previous years, no black person’s grandfather would have had the vote and therefore it was impossible for a black person to have a political voice in this state. Also, as a form of discrimination it is known that one state asked ridiculous, often unanswerable, questions to many Blacks which had to be answered in order for them to be able to vote. This meant that many Blacks were denied the right to vote due to them giving an answer which was not ‘to the satisfaction’ of the questioner. The result of this discrimination meant that most white men in the Southern states had the right to vote while the vast majority of black men did not. Also, black men in these states who had previously had the vote before these laws were introduced lost their right to vote, limiting their civil rights. An example of this drop is extremely evident in the state of Louisiana. In the year 1900, around 180,000 Blacks had the right to vote, however in the two years until 1902 this dropped to a staggeringly low number at just 3000. With the migration to the North however, there was a slow but steady growth of political influence in the black community. It can be argued that with manoeuvring among White factions, Black political leaders were able to win influence, patronage and some social gains enabling them to elect representatives to State legislatures and Congress and to put pressure on other political parties. Therefore it can be argued that with the great migration, the influence of Blacks in politics increased significantly. There is however evidence of how the laws introduced in the Southern states of America meant a decrease in the civil rights for black Americans and therefore it can be argued to have been a significant barrier for these people, however with the increase in influence as a result of the great migration, it can be argued to have been less of a factor.
Despite the growing segregation occurring in the USA, the Black sense of community and unity in the face of White supremacy grew. This unity was increased through popular Black newspapers such as the Baltimore Afro-American and also with the development of civil clubs where political issues were discussed. However the Black community was not always united, which lead to further obstacles when achieving civil rights. There were many divisions within the community regarding colour, creed and career opportunities developed. Also with the differences between North and South, opinions were divided on how to improve the Black lot. This further extended the barriers black people faces when achieving civil rights as it meant that the Black population were divided and thus not on the same terms. Organisations were created in order to help Blacks receive the civil rights they were entitled to. The NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Coloured People) was founded by W.E.B. de Bois in 1910 and was set up to fight the battle against disenfranchisement and sought to reduce racial segregation and white supremacy. Hugh Brogan argues that the NAACP “was and is, the most important and effective of black pressure groups” emphasising the successes of the group such as the passing of the anti-lynching bill in 1922. However, as the group was dominated by Whites and well-off Blacks and failed to win the allegiance of poor Blacks in the North or South and failed to inspire the Black urban masses. As well as the NAACP, the UNIA (Universal Negro Improvement Association) was founded in 1914 by Marcus Garvey with the intention to attract major public attention. In contrast to the NAACP, Garvey did not want to bring Blacks and Whites together; he had nothing but contempt for Whites. He encouraged skilled Americans to go to their ‘African homeland’. The group had tremendous support with 6 million members by 1923, however many Black leaders were highly critical of Garvey. Tindall and Shi stress the popularity of the UNIA by stating that the “organisation grew rapidly” however it’s limitations are suggested by Willoughby who states that his greatest contribution was to encourage pride within themselves, a minor dent in the problem through nine years of work. The differences between these two organisations clearly show the divide within the Black community and therefore illustrate the barriers created by this divide when achieving civil rights, however due to their limited successes it can be argued that they are less of a barrier than that of the ‘separate but equal’ decision.
In conclusion it is evident that the ‘separate but equal’ decision made by the Supreme Court is an important obstacle when discussing the problems faced by black Americans when achieving civil rights, however many other obstacles were an influence. The Jim Crow laws introduced in the Southern states after the ‘separate but equal’ law was passed meant that many Blacks lost their voting rights and were separated from Whites in every aspect of life, however some businessmen did benefit from this segregation therefore suggesting that it was not negative for everyone. The actions of the Ku Klux Klan were also a significant obstacle in achieving civil rights for Blacks as with the fear they inputted into the black community, they managed to intimidate Black voters and received a great deal of support from many Americans, increasing hostility towards Blacks. It can however be argued that with the decline of the KKK in the lat 1930s, intimidation decreased however due to the evidence of terrorism and support it can be argued to have been a bigger obstacle than the ‘separate but equal’ decision. The lack of political influence for Blacks in America was also a clear obstacle faced when achieving civil rights as large numbers of Blacks in America did not have the vote and many who used to be enfranchised had the right taken away, however with the great migration came an increase in political influence therefore it can be suggested that the barrier was not as great as the ‘separate but equal’ decision. There is also an argument that the lack of unity within the black community was also an obstacle which had to be faced before civil rights was achieved as the different views of the Blacks and Black Associations meant that there was a clear divide in opinion within the community, however with the use of newspapers and civil rights groups, it can be argued that they were strongly united and therefore this would not have been as big an obstacle than the Supreme Court’s decision. Overall it is clear that the ‘separate but equal’ decision is a very significant obstacle faced by black Americans when achieving civil rights, however due to other, some more significant, obstacles it can be argued that it was not the main barrier.