How was desegregation achieved in the USA between 1945 to 1972 Essays

How was desegregation achieved in the USA between 1945 to 1972 Essays How was desegregation achieved in the USA between 1945 to 1972 Essay How was desegregation achieved in the USA between 1945 to 1972 Essay Essay Topic: In the Us Throughout the majority of history, there has been a separation of whites and blacks in american society. This is called segregation. The degree of segregation in america depended in which part of the country you lived in. in the north, if you were black you were treated as (almost) an equal to the white `rulers` of the land. Whereas, if you had lived in the deep southern states of america, the degree of racial hatred that you had experienced would have felt non-paralleled. This dates back to the american civil war. n the american civil war two parties fought; the `Yankees` and the confederates. The Yankees were based in the north of the USA and believed in Abraham Lincolns idea that slavery should be abolished. The confederates however, were based in the south and believed that slavery was a custom in america and that black people were inferior to white people. In the south of the USA the confederates ideas were still believed to be true. This was where the fundamental hatred had spawn from. Black and white people were segregated in almost every form, from busses to water fountains. But throughout the years, desegregation was achieved through a mixture of measures to give us the america that stands before us today In the USA, there was massive segregation in education. The whites had well funded schools with all the privileges that you come to expect to have in school. If you were black, school would be very different; their schools were poorly funded, with a lack of teaching supplies. White schools were exclusively white, and would take in any black students. Protest would make no difference here, they would have to use the power of the law; the supreme court. During the 1950s, civil rights groups put pressure on the government to end segregation in schools. Their pressure eventually paid off, as in 1952, the supreme court ruled that segregation in schools was not unconstitutional, but did give that separate schools were legal, as long as they were `equal`. In 1937 it was revealed that spending on white pupils in the south reached $37. 87 compared to the spending on black pupils of $13. 8. In 1954 the supreme court ruled that segregated schools were not equal and therefore unconstitutional. Some states decided to refuse that the ruling was correct and continued to keep schools segregated. In 1957, four black students approached to go to the formally all white high school in little rock, Arkansas. The governor of the town (faubus) sent in military support to stop black students entering the school. After 18 days president Eisenhower sent in federal troops to ensure the students can get to the school. This was very important as if black and white children, went to school together, they would be socially integrated and would realise that neither was inferior to the other. Secondly, desegregation was achieved by, the use of non-conformism. In Alabama, the buses were segregated horrendously. Black people had to stand up on the buses only, and were not aloud to sit down, ever. A woman named Rosa Parks broke the law when she refused to give up her seat for a whit passenger; she was arrested. The black community was in uproar after this. A Baptist named martin Luther king jr helped to organise a protest against the Alabama bus system. Black people boycotted buses an instead, walked or organised to share cars. Eventually, due to loss of income, the Montgomery bus companies were forced to accept integration, or see their companies go under. I think that this is important because it shows that with extreme perseverance you can pretty much achieve anything.