African-American Experiences in 1920-1960

Posted by Lumen on March 26th, 2024

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Introduction

African-Americans experienced numerous changes between 1920-1960 that revolutionized their mindset and course of action in the United States. The results of these shifts were the creation of a more empowered African-American regarding economic, political, and human rights. The period witnessed the use of force and diplomacy to advance the welfare of blacks across the United States. These revolutionary changes were necessitated by the challenges the black people faced, economic injustices, racial discrimination and segregation, and denial of their civil and political rights.

Overview of the Situation

At the start of 1920s, African-Americans were less organized regarding agitation for their rights, most of them felt disoriented about their identity as they strived to voice their concerns. The government implemented segregationist policies, which impacted negatively on their daily life. The economic injustice against the members of the African-American community remained unabated (Locke 2). Consequently, African-Americans felt they were excluded from the mainstream American society because of their race. The Negro jazz bands emerged, singing more about the plight of the black and need for unity among the colored (Hughes 2). The identity of the African Americans was that of the sufferers, which brought them together.

Economic Injustices

African Americans were dispossessed of their land in Mississippi and other states, facing economic injustices that condemned most of them to poverty. The properties owned by the members of the black community were also taken away without their consent in what became structured and state-backed discrimination against the people of color (Herndon 5). African Americans were paid less for the same jobs than whites (Bambara 115). The Jim Crow System of laws, which made segregation a government policy, remained active in southern states. As a result, this fermented a revolutionary mindset among African Americans, strengthening their unity against the white majority’s oppressive rule (Herndon 6). Therefore, economic injustices were an endemic problem that also contributed to the revolution.

Racial Discrimination and Segregation

Racial discrimination and segregation remained a significant challenge that continued to deny African Americans the opportunity to enjoy economic, political, and human rights in the United States. From the 1920s to 1960s, voting rights were a preserve of those who paid the poll tax, which disenfranchised nearly all blacks. Africans Americans were considered second-class citizens. Their dissenting voice grew, which was witnessed through regular demonstrations and violence (Schultz 278). The described mistreatment powered the activities of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) to fight for rights of African Americans. The organization led the civil rights struggle among the community, fighting injustices such as racial violence, the barring of Black Americans from participating in political processes, segregation, and discriminative employment practices.

The identity of the black community was linked to such terminology as Negroes and blacks, denoting any person whose ancestry had a connection with Africa. The use of terms such as “darky," and "nigger" to refer to African Americans was also made official by whites, which featured police and judicial records (Herndon 13). African Americans protested these words, and despite the ruthlessness by which the government handled the activists among them, they remained resilient in fighting oppression.

Moreover, the working class movement gained influence across the United States in the 1930s, which gave African Americans a platform to agitate for equating treatment by the employers. The Unemployment Council of Birmingham is an example of organizations that emerged to fight for the rights of the workers. It drew membership from Black Americans and whites, who had no other alternative but to stick together to enhance the probability of attaining maximum results (Herndon 5). The established Communist Party also served as a political vehicle for African Americans.

The struggle for expanding civil and political rights became associated with the emancipation of African Americans (Herndon 5). More and more blacks joined social movements across the United States, which boosted their sense of enlightenment about their rights. African American leaders such as DePriest, Dubois, and Walter White contributed to strengthening the identity of blacks as a minority group.

In the early 1940s, with the continuing world war, African-Americans were enlisted to go and support the allies in Europe and Asia. Although this facilitated the inclusion of the minorities, even in the army they were discriminated against by their white counterparts (Engelhardt 2). In limited accessions, they fought alongside whites (Bambara 7). At the same time, African Americans had gained more space in the civil rights movement, becoming bolder in demanding for an end to segregation and discrimination in education, employment, and property ownership. The civil rights movement was gathering momentum, pressing the government to end racial discrimination and create a liberal society in which Black Americans would enjoy equal rights with their white counterparts.

The end of the Second World War marked a period of heightened civil rights activities, which augmented the contribution of African Americans to the expansion of civil and political rights in the United States. Martin Luther King Jr. led the peaceful struggle to end segregation in the public school by organizing sit-ins and demonstrations that enlightened the American community about not only the plight of African Americans but also other minority groups (Herndon 5). Luther’s activities were contrasted by Malcolm X’s violent revolution message that targeted African Americans, asking them to rise against the oppressive laws of the government violently.

The growing resistance by African Americans was met by the use of excessive force by the security agencies, which maimed, killed, and incarcerated civil rights activists. The more the government reacted with brutality, the more the civil rights movement gained following and strength (Herndon 8). The challenges they faced strengthened unity among Black Americans, catapulting the leadership of Luther King Jr. and other leaders among the colored. The spirited agitation for political and civil rights among blacks in the 1950s and early 1960s helped to change the view of who is American from a racial viewpoint to citizenship (King 2). The reforms in the 1950s and 1960s led to the implementation of universal suffrage among all adult Americans, regardless of one’s race. African Americans started to see themselves as equally American than before when they saw themselves as second-class citizens who were not needed in the United States. Consequently, the inclusive politics and development took root, marking the decline of exclusion of blacks from the United States mainstream society.

Conclusion

African Americans underwent a revolutionary period in 1920-1960, which changed their perception of identity and the role of government. Before 1920, they viewed themselves as second-class citizens and non-Americans who were struggling for recognition, without civil and political rights. The government was seen as the perpetrator and protector of the injustices that were committed by the white majority. However, in the 1960s this perception had changed, and the government was perceived as an equalizer, a protector of the interests and rights of blacks against those who wanted to exploit and abuse them. African Americans also started seeing themselves as equal to whites, they gained voting rights and became more active in political processes.