America: Rights and Freedoms before 1945

Summarise the following key civil rights dveleopments before 1945

> Before 1945, civil rights in the United States were marked by profound struggles for equality, particularly for African Americans, women, Native Americans, and other marginalized groups. The period leading up to 1945 saw significant developments, though many legal and social barriers remained in place.

Key Developments in U.S. Civil Rights Before 1945:

1. Abolition of Slavery and the Reconstruction Era (1865-1877):

• 13th Amendment (1865): Abolished slavery across the U.S., a major milestone following the Civil War.

• 14th Amendment (1868): Granted citizenship to all persons born or naturalized in the U.S., including formerly enslaved people, and provided equal protection under the law.

• 15th Amendment (1870): Gave African American men the right to vote, though this right was systematically undermined in the following decades through discriminatory practices such as poll taxes, literacy tests, and violence in the South.

During Reconstruction, there was a brief period of increased political participation for African Americans, with several Black men serving in Congress. However, after Reconstruction ended in 1877, Jim Crow laws were established in Southern states, enforcing racial segregation and disenfranchisement.

Definition Reconstruction: Period after the U.S. Civil War (1865–1877) when the federal government tried to rebuild the South and integrate formerly enslaved African Americans into political, social, and economic life as free citizens. 

2. Jim Crow and Legalized Segregation:

• Plessy v. Ferguson (1896): This Supreme Court decision upheld the doctrine of "separate but equal," legally validating racial segregation in public facilities. In reality, segregated facilities for Black Americans were far inferior to those for whites, deepening social inequalities.

• Disenfranchisement: Despite the 15th Amendment, Southern states used mechanisms like poll taxes, literacy tests, and grandfather clauses to prevent African Americans from voting. The violence of groups like the Ku Klux Klan also deterred political participation.

5. Native American Civil Rights:

• Indian Citizenship Act (1924): Granted U.S. citizenship to all Native Americans born in the U.S. However, many Native Americans remained disenfranchised at the state level for years afterward, as voting rights were often denied through local legal barriers.

• Native Americans continued to face cultural suppression, loss of land, and forced assimilation policies, such as the removal of children to boarding schools where they were forbidden to speak their languages or practice their traditions.

6. Civil Rights Organizations and Activism:

• NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People): Founded in 1909, the NAACP was a leading organization in the fight for African American civil rights. It focused on legal challenges to segregation and discrimination, including its landmark success in Brown v. Board of Education (1954), though this decision came after 1945.

• A. Philip Randolph: A key figure in the labor and civil rights movements, Randolph organized the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters, one of the first African American labor unions, and played a pivotal role in advocating for racial equality in the workplace.

7. World War II and the Path to Change:

• Double V Campaign: During World War II, African Americans launched the Double V Campaign, calling for victory against fascism abroad and racial discrimination at home. The war highlighted the contradictions of fighting for freedom internationally while denying rights to Black citizens at home.

• Executive Order 8802 (1941): Signed by President Franklin D. Roosevelt, this order prohibited racial discrimination in the defense industry. It was the first major federal action to promote civil rights in the workplace, though it was limited to wartime industries.

The period before 1945 was a time of significant progress and persistent barriers for civil rights in the United States. Despite the legal end of slavery and advancements like women's suffrage, systemic racism, segregation, and discrimination against many groups, including African Americans, Native Americans, immigrants, and women, remained entrenched. This set the stage for the civil rights movements of the mid-20th century, which would seek to address these injustices more fully