Racism in the 1930's

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Racism in the 1930's The 1930's was a time of change for the blacks of the United States of America. However, this change was not all for the better. The main change for blacks during this period was that many of them migrated to the North, which in turn, caused many other situations, which included the election of President Roosevelt. This was a positive, as was the improvement from the de jure segregation, when laws allow segregation, of the South to the less harsh segregation of the North. The blacks made advancements during this time, yet there were still many more to make. Before and during some of the thirties, America was a completely segregated society, which was supported by both the law and the police who enforced it. Everything was segregated, including the bathrooms, cemeteries, colleges, restaurants and even elevators, which again was allowed by the courts, following the motto "separate but equal" (Civil Rights and Civil Liberties 5). This was all de jure segregation, yet there was also de facto segregation, when segregation occurs because of social code, political acts, economic circumstances or public policy, which still occurs today somewhat. The blacks would also try to vote those into office who would not support these segregation laws. However, most were deterred from this by the Ku Klux Klan, who would use fear and violence tactics to convince the blacks not to vote. The extreme violence of lynch mobs can also never be forgotten These groups usually murdered those blacks who had committed some crime, yet, they also killed those who had committed some social violation. These were painful deaths, using either the hanging or burning method. These atrocities to the black society lead to the "great migr... ... middle of paper ... .... They grew up with the thought that they, the whites, were better than the blacks, and most didn't have the strength, courage or intelligence to think for themselves, and realize that the only true difference between the two was the color of their skin. They needed a past situation they could look back on, and plainly see the discrimination in, in order to realize what atrocity they were committing. Unfortunately for them, they lost the privilege of realizing how wonderful and beneficial it is to have a diverse society, but lucky for us, we have realized it for years. Although there may still be some discriminatory practices in our world today, we just need time, time to become comfortable with our diversity and time to make us realize even more how lucky we are to be surrounded in this country by the people that give us the spice in life: the African Americans.

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