African Americans – Political rights - help or hinder
Federal government Activism of the group Economic and societal shifts and Right to vote
themselves wars
Start of 15th Amendment (1870) During reconstruction, African After civil war 700,000 AA men registered to
Americans ran for public office, for vote
the
Mississippi v Williams (1898) example in the 1870s 22 African 15th amendment (1870) gave AA’s the right to
period vote but it wasn’t enforced so few AA’s
Americans were elected to Congress.
(1865- Booker T. Washington’s Atlanta managed to register to vote due to state
1925) Compromise of 1895 accepted white voting conditions.
Mississippi v williams (1898) allowed state
political rule.
legislation that excluded AA’s from the voting
W.E.B. Du Bois pushed for political
register
rights in the Niagara Movement (est. Grandfather clauses, poll taxes, property
1905), but this never properly got off qualifications, literacy tests and white-only
the ground. primaries prevented African Americans from
voting.
Middle of President Woodrow Wilson The NAACP (est. 1909) used the courts First World War and Second World War 1947- only 12% of AA’s registered to vote.
dismissed African American advisors to get political rights, such as in Smith v increased awareness of political rights Number of AA’s registered to vote rose from
period
from the federal government (1913- Allright (1944). amongst African Americans. 2% (1940) to 20% (1952)
(1930’s- Smith v Allright (1944) outlawed all kinds of
21).
1960’s) white primary in Texas
Guinn v US (1915) outlawed
grandfather clauses in Maryland and
Oklahoma.
Smith v Allright (1944)
End of President Kennedy appointed 5 The march from Selma to Montgomery The Cold War pressured the federal % of registered AA voters in Mississippi
African American federal judges in 1965 pressured Congress into passing government to act on political rights in increased from 6.7% (1964) to 67.5% (1968)
period
during his Presidency from 1961-63. the Voting Rights Act 1965. order to get the moral high ground over Jonhson's voting rights act (1965) made
(1970’s- conditions on voting illegal
Inspired by Malcolm X, SNCC under the USSR.
1992) Jonhson's voting rights act (1965) Stokely Carmichael and the Black Only 54% of AA’s voted in 1992, 8% lower
Panthers campaigned for African than average for all citizens
In 1975, President Ford appointed American political influence in the
the first African American Transport 1970s but had limited impact.
Secretary, William Thaddeus Jesse Jackson’s unsuccessful bids to win
Coleman Jr. the Democratic presidential nomination
, in 1984 and 1988 as part of the
Rainbow Coalition helped to unite
African Americans amongst themselves
and with other groups.
African Americans – economic rights - help or hinder
Federal government White opposition Activism of the group themselves Economic and societal shifts and wars
Start of The Freedman’s Bureau (until 1872) It was unlikely that white employers Booker T. Washington spoke about the
the gave aid in employment matters, but would give jobs to African Americans importance of African American
it didn’t have much impact. and, if they did, these were in poor economic improvement. He established
period
conditions and mistreatment was the the Tuskagee Institute in 1861 and the
(1865- norm. Negro Business League in 1900. He also
1925) gained the backing and support of
influential white philanthropic
entrepreneurs, such as Andrew Carnegie.
However, Washington didn’t have much
impact in practise.
Middle of President Roosevelt’s New Deal in There were riots if African Americans Marcus Garvey’s Black Eagle Star During the First World War more African
period the 1930s created 1 million jobs for were promoted, for example in Mobile, Steamship Line and his ideas about Americans were in employment, however
African Americans. Alabama, 50 people were injured in African American businesses gave hope they generally lost their jobs at the end of the
(1930’s- riots after 12 African American welders
The Fair Labour Standards Act (1938) to working class African Americans that war.
1960’s) set a new minimum wage, but were promoted in May 1943 there could be economic equality, but he The Depression meant that the federal
African American wages were still soon ran into financial difficulties and government began to implement policies that
lower than whites’ wages. was discredited. were helpful to African American economic
The Fair Employment Act 1941 development during the New Deal.
promoted equality in employment A. Philip Randolph’s campaign to end In the Second World War more African
and set up the Fair Employment discrimination in federal employment in Americans gained better jobs and managed to
Practise Committee to investigate the 1940s drew attention to African retain them at the end of the war.
discrimination in employment, but it American economic rights
didn’t have much impact
Federal government Activism of the group Economic and societal shifts and Right to vote
themselves wars
Start of 15th Amendment (1870) During reconstruction, African After civil war 700,000 AA men registered to
Americans ran for public office, for vote
the
Mississippi v Williams (1898) example in the 1870s 22 African 15th amendment (1870) gave AA’s the right to
period vote but it wasn’t enforced so few AA’s
Americans were elected to Congress.
(1865- Booker T. Washington’s Atlanta managed to register to vote due to state
1925) Compromise of 1895 accepted white voting conditions.
Mississippi v williams (1898) allowed state
political rule.
legislation that excluded AA’s from the voting
W.E.B. Du Bois pushed for political
register
rights in the Niagara Movement (est. Grandfather clauses, poll taxes, property
1905), but this never properly got off qualifications, literacy tests and white-only
the ground. primaries prevented African Americans from
voting.
Middle of President Woodrow Wilson The NAACP (est. 1909) used the courts First World War and Second World War 1947- only 12% of AA’s registered to vote.
dismissed African American advisors to get political rights, such as in Smith v increased awareness of political rights Number of AA’s registered to vote rose from
period
from the federal government (1913- Allright (1944). amongst African Americans. 2% (1940) to 20% (1952)
(1930’s- Smith v Allright (1944) outlawed all kinds of
21).
1960’s) white primary in Texas
Guinn v US (1915) outlawed
grandfather clauses in Maryland and
Oklahoma.
Smith v Allright (1944)
End of President Kennedy appointed 5 The march from Selma to Montgomery The Cold War pressured the federal % of registered AA voters in Mississippi
African American federal judges in 1965 pressured Congress into passing government to act on political rights in increased from 6.7% (1964) to 67.5% (1968)
period
during his Presidency from 1961-63. the Voting Rights Act 1965. order to get the moral high ground over Jonhson's voting rights act (1965) made
(1970’s- conditions on voting illegal
Inspired by Malcolm X, SNCC under the USSR.
1992) Jonhson's voting rights act (1965) Stokely Carmichael and the Black Only 54% of AA’s voted in 1992, 8% lower
Panthers campaigned for African than average for all citizens
In 1975, President Ford appointed American political influence in the
the first African American Transport 1970s but had limited impact.
Secretary, William Thaddeus Jesse Jackson’s unsuccessful bids to win
Coleman Jr. the Democratic presidential nomination
, in 1984 and 1988 as part of the
Rainbow Coalition helped to unite
African Americans amongst themselves
and with other groups.
African Americans – economic rights - help or hinder
Federal government White opposition Activism of the group themselves Economic and societal shifts and wars
Start of The Freedman’s Bureau (until 1872) It was unlikely that white employers Booker T. Washington spoke about the
the gave aid in employment matters, but would give jobs to African Americans importance of African American
it didn’t have much impact. and, if they did, these were in poor economic improvement. He established
period
conditions and mistreatment was the the Tuskagee Institute in 1861 and the
(1865- norm. Negro Business League in 1900. He also
1925) gained the backing and support of
influential white philanthropic
entrepreneurs, such as Andrew Carnegie.
However, Washington didn’t have much
impact in practise.
Middle of President Roosevelt’s New Deal in There were riots if African Americans Marcus Garvey’s Black Eagle Star During the First World War more African
period the 1930s created 1 million jobs for were promoted, for example in Mobile, Steamship Line and his ideas about Americans were in employment, however
African Americans. Alabama, 50 people were injured in African American businesses gave hope they generally lost their jobs at the end of the
(1930’s- riots after 12 African American welders
The Fair Labour Standards Act (1938) to working class African Americans that war.
1960’s) set a new minimum wage, but were promoted in May 1943 there could be economic equality, but he The Depression meant that the federal
African American wages were still soon ran into financial difficulties and government began to implement policies that
lower than whites’ wages. was discredited. were helpful to African American economic
The Fair Employment Act 1941 development during the New Deal.
promoted equality in employment A. Philip Randolph’s campaign to end In the Second World War more African
and set up the Fair Employment discrimination in federal employment in Americans gained better jobs and managed to
Practise Committee to investigate the 1940s drew attention to African retain them at the end of the war.
discrimination in employment, but it American economic rights
didn’t have much impact
