African Americans

Students: Josephine Lange, Frederikke Hansen, August Wismer & Anne-Sophie Høj Nielsen

Jim Crow Laws

The Jim Crow Laws represented legitimization of anti black racism in the US, enacted between 1877 and the mid-1960s. Under the Jim Crow Laws African Americans were relegated to the status of second class citizens. Due to Christian ministers and theologians, people thought that whites were the chosen people whilst blacks were chosen as servants and God supported this racial segregation. This religious view on blacks were also supported by the common ideas about blacks being intellectually and culturally inferior to whites. In fact all major societal institutions reflected and supported the oppression of blacks. Newspapers and magazines referred to blacks as niggers, coons and darkies whilst pro-segregation politicians gave speeches on the great danger of integration. The Jim Crow Laws mandated that whites were superior to blacks in all important ways including intelligence, morality and civilized behavior. If necessary, violence must be used to keep blacks at the bottom of the racial hierarchy. If blacks weren’t oppressed but treated like equals it would be an encouragement for interracial sexual relations. And sexual relations between blacks and whites would produce a mongrel race which would destroy America. One of the Jim Crow etiquette norms show in what extreme way they segregated blacks and whites; “A black male could not offer his hand (to shake hands) with a white male because it implied being socially equal. Obviously, a black male could not offer his hand or any other part of his body to a white woman, because he risked being accused of rape”

Sources:

http://www.ferris.edu/jimcrow/what.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jim_Crow_laws

Brown vs. Board of Education

Brown vs. Board was an important law case in the USA. The foundation of the law began in 1951, when Linda Brown, a black third grader, was refused access to a white-only school, even though it was only a few blocks away from where she lived. Instead, she had to travel long distance to a black-only school, that was not

even close to the same level of the white schools. The father of the girl, Oliver Brown,protested alongside twelve other black parents. The principal refusedto let black people enter the school, and thus a legal case was made.

The vote on Brown vs. Board of Education was won for Brown, when nine out of nine justices voted the same way. This law made racial segregations in schools illegal. Some states did not obey these laws, so it wasn’t before the early 1970’s that all US public schools were integrated (the opposite of segregated)

Sources:

http://www.watson.org/~lisa/blackhistory/early-civilrights/brown.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brown_v._Board_of_Education

The African-American Civil Rights Movement

The African-American Civil Rights Movement was a social movement in The United States of America during the mid 1950’s lasting till the late 1960’s. They fought for the civil rights of the black Americans. The movement included members such as Martin Luther King Jr, Rosa Parks and Clarence M. Mitchell. Via protest, non-violent demonstrations and boycotts the movement played a significant part in the racial debate and the improvement of the civil rights.

Key issues:

First of all, the movement fought against racial segregation. The white and the black people were often separated in public places such as transportation facilities, restaurants, schools and even jails. Usually it was the black people who either had to sit in the back of the bus or eat at the worst tables, depending on whether they were allowed to eat there or not. In 1968 racial segregation had been forbidden by the Supreme Court. They were also against the mass racial violence against black people. In the 1950’s there were a lot of riots caused by the racial segregation, and a lot of African-American people were hurt or killed during the riots.

Members:

- Martin Luther King Jr: African-american activist and leader of AACRM. He is best known from his “I have a dream”-speech on the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, and his work with improving the civil rights for the black americans.

- Rosa Parks: Activist and also known as “the mother of freedom and movement”. She played an important part of the Montgomery Bus Boycott.

- Malcolm X: African-american minister and activist.

Sources:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/African-American_Civil_Rights_Movement_(1955–1968)

http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/119368/American-civil-rights-movement

The Montgomery Bus Boycott

The Montgomery bus boycott started in December 1955, after Rosa Parks was convicted for disorderly conduct and violating a local ordinance, when she refused to move from her seat on a public bus and give it up to a white passenger.The Montgomery Bus Boycott was started shortly after the episode by 50 African-American leaders whose purpose was to demand a more human bus transportation system - they demanded a desegregation. After 381 days, in November 1956, the segregation of African-Americans and whites on public buses was lifted. 90% of African-Americans in Montgomery supported the boycott and the federal court ordered Montgomery's buses desegregated. One of the reasons why, was that the boycott reduced bus revenue by 80%.

It was also under the Montgomery Bus Boycott that Martin Luther King, Jr. became a national figure. He was the president of the Montgomery Improvement Association, which was the organization that directed the boycott.

Sources:

http://www.ushistory.org/us/54b.asp

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Montgomery_Bus_Boycott