Civil Rights USA pre-1945

Key Dates:

Pre 1600 - Northern America inhabited by Native Americans

1600s - white immigrants began to take land from Natives and import black slaves from Africa

1776 - Declaration of Independence

1787 - Constitution of the new United States of America

1800s - Whites moved westward, and took more Native American land

1861-5 - Civil War

1865 - 13th Amendment abolished slavery

1865-77 - reconstructions

1866 - Civil Rights Act & Establishment of KKK

1867 - Military Reconstruction Act

1868 - 14th Amendment made blacks citizens

1870 - 15th Amendment couldnt deny vote on account of race

1890s - Southern states disqualified black voters

1896 - Plessy v Ferguson (Jim Cow segregation)

1909 - NAACP established

1914-8 - WWI

1915 - NAACP's first successful litigation - Supreme Court outlawed Grandfather clause

1919 - Race riots in 25 cities

1920s - Harlem Renaissance

1925 - Establishment of A Philip Randolph's trade union for railroad porters, Garvey's UNIA at peak

1933 - Start of FDR's New Deal

America's Racial Groups:

- White Americans (European/Mediterranean ancestry)

- African Americans

- Native Americans

- Hispanic Americans

- Asian Americans

How these groups became Americans:

from 15th century, white Europeans extended influence over other countries - e.g North Africa (had a dramatic impact upon native inhabitants & Africans, who were made slaves)

Whites of British ancestry dominated US in 1783

During 19th century, other Europeans slowly accepted as part of dominant white group & the whites controlled the legal, social and economic status of blacks and Native Americans

Wary of allowing non-whites into America

20th century - absorbed immigrants from Asia and nearby Spanish-speaking countries

Underlying reasons for racial tension:

- 'melting pot'

- human nature - Native tribes had always warred against each other, even before colonisation

- some ethnic groups believe that they are superior to others - European Christians

- When Europeans wanted to acquire Native land & slaves, their sense of superiority was a necessary part of the moral justification for conquest

- most people went to America to get rich, and would not tolerate interference/competition

- white Americans feel superior to, but threatened by, racial minorities

Escalating Tensions c1600 - c1800

Whites & Indians - several million people already inhabited North America - 'Red Indians' - Europeans considered Indians inferior, and felt entitled to take their land (some Indians were enslaved). Tensions based on culture and economy - led to clashes

The Introduction of Black people and slavery - colony of Virginia had too few workers - European merchants began to sell them slaves - justified by fact that the unprotected Western Africans were inferior and non-Christians - looked different to Europeans - cheap & plentiful labour - white supremicist beliefs & economic needs - racial antagonism - occasional unsuccessful revolts deomstrate black powerlessness

The Declaration of Independence 1776 (& equality) - did not apply to slaves or the 'merciless Indians'

The Constitution & Racial Equality - 1783 Britian recognised American independence - enshrined the inferiority of black slaves…