Research Paper on "African-American History Since Reconstruction"

Research Paper 4 pages (1306 words) Sources: 4

[EXCERPT] . . . .

If the United States was going to convince the nations of the world to align themselves with Western democracies, in particular the United States, and reject socialism, then the United States needed to rid itself of racism and begin practicing in earnest the ideals of freedom and liberty for all" (Vox 2014). Truman believed he needed to make the U.S. seem morally blameless in comparison to the Soviet Union and also needed the support of all Americans in the war against communism.

In many ways, desegregating the armed forces was a great leveler for American society. It forced members of different races in close proximity and demanded they feel a sense of brotherhood and kinship with one another. The military also provided a venue for African-Americans to demonstrate their accomplishments outside of the barriers placed by white civilians and gave many the social mobility of the GI Bill to obtain advanced education. Truman used an executive order because he did not believe that a bill would make it through Congress, given Southern congressmen's fears of re-election.

Brown v. Board of Education decision (1954)

After the Plessy decision, most facets of life in the South were strictly regulated according to black and white color lines, including education. This inequality in practice perhaps had the most devastating impact upon the future of African-Americans, given that children were denied the intellectual tools to advance in society. The case Brown v. Board of Education overruled the previous Plessy decision, establishing that the idea of 'separate but equal' was an impossibility and that under the 14th Amendment equality was demanded between all students to meet its dictates. The Court relied not only upon legal evidence but also sociological data which "argued that segregated school systems had a tendency to make black children feel inferior to white children, and thus such a system should not be legally permissible" ("History of Brown v. Board of Education," 2014). Chief Justice Warren ruled: "We conclude that in the field of public education the doctrine of 'separate but equal' has no place. Separate educational facilities are inherently unequal" ("History of Brown v. Board of Education," 2014). However, schools were not desegregated immediately: the process proved to be a long and painful one for the country.

Montgomery Bus Boycott (1955)

The Montgomery bus boycott was generated after Rosa Parks refused to yield her seat to a white man in a deliberate act of planned civil disobedience. The 13-month mass protest "ended with the U.S. Supreme Court ruling that segregation on public buses is unconstitutional. The Montgomery Improvement Association (MIA) coordinated the boycott, and its president, Martin Luther King, Jr., became a prominent civil rights leader as international attention focused on Montgomery" ("Montgomery Bus Boycott," 2014). 90% of Montgomery's black citizens participated, often at tremendous personal sacrifice to themselves, given that few had cars. A system of carpooling was used to aid the boycotters. "City officials obtained injunctions against the boycott in February 1956, and indicted over 80 boycott leaders under a 1921 law prohibiting conspiracies that interfered with lawful business" but eventually in 1956 with Browder v. Gayle, the U.S. Supreme Court declared segregated buses unconstitutional ("Montgomery Bus Boycott," 2014).

References

History of Brown v. Board of Education. (2014). U.S. Courts. Retrieved from:

http://www.uscourts.gov/educational-resources/get-involved/federal-court-activities/brown-board-education-re-enactment/history.aspx

Jackson, B. (2013). How did the assassination of Abraham Lincoln affect Reconstruction?

Social Studies Help. Retrieved from:

http://www.socialstudieshelp.com/Lesson_36_Notes.htm

Montgomery Bus Boycott. (2014). Martin Luther King Jr. Education Institute. Retrieved from:

http://mlk-kpp01.stanford.edu/index.php/encyclopedia/encyclopedia/enc_montgomery_bus_boycott_1955_1956/

Wormser, R / (2002). Plessy v. Ferguson. The Rise and Fall of Jim Crow. PBS. Retrieved from:

http://www.pbs.org/wnet/jimcrow/stories_events_plessy.html

Wormser, R. (2002). The Souls of Black Folk. PBS. Retrieved from:

http://www.pbs.org/wnet/jimcrow/stories_events_souls.html

Vox, L. (2014). Executive order 9981. Retrieved from;

http://afroamhistory.about.com/od/civilrightsstruggle1/a/order9981.htm READ MORE

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