Experiences of African Americans (AQA GCSE History): Revision Notes
Experiences of African Americans during the 1920s boom
Introduction
While America experienced economic prosperity during the 1920s boom, African Americans faced severe discrimination and prejudice that prevented them from fully participating in this growth. Despite the end of slavery, systematic racism created a deeply divided society where African Americans were treated as second-class citizens.
Racial division and Jim Crow laws
Following the abolition of slavery, southern states became fearful of the political and economic power that freed African Americans might gain. To maintain white control, these states began passing discriminatory laws starting in 1877. These became known as Jim Crow laws, named after a racist stereotype of African Americans.
The Jim Crow system created legal segregation that affected every aspect of daily life - from where African Americans could eat and sleep, to where they could go to school, and even where they could be buried after death.
These laws created a system of legal segregation that affected every aspect of daily life. African Americans were forced to use separate facilities including hotels, restaurants, swimming pools, water fountains, and even cemeteries. The quality of these separate facilities was typically far inferior to those available to white Americans.
The impact extended beyond public facilities. Educational segregation meant that black children attended underfunded schools with fewer teachers and resources. Some states went as far as banning marriages between people of different races. African Americans were also excluded from renting homes in desirable neighbourhoods, forcing them into overcrowded, poor-quality housing areas.
To prevent African Americans from gaining political power, southern states introduced literacy tests that were deliberately designed to be nearly impossible for most people to pass. These tests were used specifically to stop African Americans from voting, while white citizens were often exempted through various loopholes.
Even the military maintained racial segregation, with black and white soldiers serving in separate units, reinforcing the message that America viewed its citizens as fundamentally unequal based on race.
Lynching and racial violence
One of the most horrific aspects of this period was the practice of lynching - the murder of African Americans, typically by hanging, for alleged crimes without any legal trial or due process. These brutal killings had been occurring since the end of the Civil War but reached a peak in 1921.
Most victims of lynching had committed no actual crimes. The practice served as a tool of intimidation and control, designed to terrorise the entire African American community through fear.
Lynchings were often public spectacles attended by thousands of white people, including families with children, who would gather to watch the murder as if it were entertainment.
The Ku Klux Klan (KKK) played a central role in organising and carrying out these acts of racial violence. This white supremacist organisation used terror tactics to enforce racial segregation and maintain white dominance in American society.
The concept of white supremacy - the belief that white people were naturally superior and should control society - was used to justify this violence and discrimination. This ideology was deeply embedded in American society and provided the foundation for the systematic oppression of African Americans.
The Great Migration
Faced with violence, legal discrimination, and limited economic opportunities in the South, approximately 2 million African Americans - representing about one-sixth of the entire black population - made the decision to migrate to northern cities between 1900 and 1920. This mass movement became known as the Great Migration.
Cities like New York and Chicago saw their African American populations double during this period as families sought better employment opportunities and escape from the harsh realities of southern life. The industrial boom in northern cities created job opportunities in factories and other industries that were previously unavailable to African Americans in the agricultural South.
The Reality of Northern Life
The North was not the promised land that many had hoped for. African Americans still faced significant discrimination in housing, employment, and social interactions. They were typically paid less than white workers for the same jobs and had fewer opportunities for advancement.
However, the North was not the promised land that many had hoped for. African Americans still faced significant discrimination in housing, employment, and social interactions. They were typically paid less than white workers for the same jobs and had fewer opportunities for advancement. Northern cities also practised segregation, though it was often less formally enforced than in the South.
Despite these challenges, life in the North generally offered better opportunities than the South. African Americans could vote more freely, their children had access to better schools, and there was less threat of violence. The migration also had important cultural impacts, as African Americans brought their music, food, and traditions with them, contributing to the development of urban culture in northern cities.
The NAACP and early civil rights activism
In 1910, W.E.B. Du Bois, whose grandfather had been enslaved, founded the National Association for the Advancement of Coloured People (NAACP). This organisation represented the first major, organised effort to fight for African American civil rights in the 20th century.
The NAACP focused on campaigning for fundamental rights that white Americans took for granted, including better housing conditions, the right to vote without intimidation, and fairer treatment under the law. The organisation used legal challenges, public advocacy, and education to advance their cause.
Significance of Organised Resistance
The NAACP's approach was significant because it represented a shift from individual resistance to organised, collective action. Rather than accepting discrimination as inevitable, the NAACP demonstrated that African Americans could organise effectively to challenge unjust laws and practices.
While the white political establishment of the 1920s largely ignored the NAACP's recommendations and demands, the organisation laid crucial groundwork for the civil rights movement that would gain momentum in later decades. The NAACP became increasingly influential throughout the 1920s and continues to operate today, making it one of America's oldest civil rights organisations.
Timeline of key events
- 1877: Southern states begin passing Jim Crow laws to enforce racial segregation
- 1900-1920: The Great Migration sees 2 million African Americans move to northern cities
- 1910: W.E.B. Du Bois establishes the NAACP to fight for civil rights
- 1921: Lynching reaches its peak as a tool of racial intimidation
Key Points to Remember:
- Jim Crow laws starting in 1877 created legal segregation that affected every aspect of African American life, from education to housing to voting rights
- Lynching and racial violence, often organised by the KKK, terrorised African American communities and reinforced white supremacy through fear
- The Great Migration saw 2 million African Americans (1/6 of the black population) move north seeking better opportunities, though they still faced discrimination
- The NAACP, founded by W.E.B. Du Bois in 1910, organised the first major civil rights campaign of the 20th century
- Despite the economic boom of the 1920s, African Americans were largely excluded from prosperity due to systematic racism and discrimination