Fighting for black rights in the early 1950s
Explore thr origins of the US civil rights movement through animation and archive footage.
After World War Two there were campaigns to improve the civil rights of black Americans. By the early 1950s, civil rights campaigners had made some progress, including:
- the Removal of laws that separate people from different races in public places and day-to-day life. of the military after World War Two
- the desegregation of A group of people (usually 12 in number) who listen to the facts of a case in a court and give their verdict., so that black people could serve in them
- an increase in the number of black people who were registered to vote
However, there was still only limited progress in desegregation, especially in the South. Two of the most well-known groups that tried to bring about more change were the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People was created in 1909 to eliminate race-based discrimination across the United States of America. and the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE).
The work of the NAACP
The NAACP was founded in 1909 and aimed to use the law to improve civil rights. It fought court cases and To try to influence decisions made by businesses, organisations or governments. the The central government in the USA, including the president, Congress and the Supreme Court. to:
- help more black people get the vote by challenging rules and procedures that made it difficult to register to vote
- reduce violence against black people by supporting anti-Executing someone (usually by hanging) without a legal trial. bills
- achieve desegregation by, for example, challenging rules that forced black people to buy houses in certain areas
The work of CORE
CORE was founded in 1942 and aimed to use To resist something by not cooperating, or refusing to follow instructions without using violence. to end segregation. It took part in:
- sit-ins at places that had segregated seating, such as cinemas and coffee shops
- a bus ride in 1947 to publicise the fact that segregation on interstate public transport was illegal
Church organisations
Church groups worked alongside national civil rights organisations to protest for change. They were important because they were used to organise activities for their communities and could bring black people together to push for change. For example, the Abyssinian Baptist Church in Harlem in New York organised a protest outside the Empire State Building in 1939 and a bus boycott in 1941.
Regional organisations
Alongside national organisations, smaller groups encouraged local protests and helped local black communities. For example, the Regional Council of Negro Leadership (RCNL), was founded in Mississippi in 1951. Its actions included:
- organising A mass public meeting, often held to show support for a cause or make a political protest. to promote the message of equality
- helping black people to register to vote in areas where laws had been passed to stop them
- boycotting petrol stations if they did not have a toilet for black people
- holding discussions with the police to try to end the harassment of black people