Women Activist

Jo Ann Robinson became an activist after being involved in a verbal attack by a bus driver. Robinson became president of the WPC; she wanted the group to focus on the abuse that African Americans were receiving from the bus drivers. When Rosa Parks was arrested for not wanting to give her seat to a white man Robinson decided to form a boycott, wanting blacks to stop patronizing the buses if they could not receive equal treatment.  Robinson said and I quote, "We, sir, do not feel that forceful measures are necessary in bargaining for a convenience which is right for all bus passengers"(353). She believed that violence was not the answer to solve the problem; she believed that the state could come together with the people and come to agree that blacks did not have to receive racial segregation.

Rosa Parks was not the first, but the one person who was an activist and was tired of blacks having to give their seat up on the bus if a white person did not have a place to seat on the bus. Parks decided that, that day in December was enough and refused to give her seat up, so Parks was arrested and taken to jail. Parks was a major part of the Civil Rights Movement, the Montgomery Bus Boycott and racial segregation. Parks stated that "When the driver saw that I was still sitting there, he asked if I was going to stand up. I told him, no, I wasn't. He said, "Well, if you don't stand up, I'm going to have you arrested." I told him to go on and have me arrested" (354). Parks wanted to put an end to racial segregation and took a stands to make a change and she did.

 Ella Baker was a civil rights and human rights activist. Baker graduated college and throughout her years in college she recognized something’s that did not sit well with her, so after graduation she challenged school policies that she thought were unfair. Baker states, "The students showed willingness to be met on the basis of equality, but were intolerant of anything that smacked of manipulation or domination"(376). Baker was saying that students are tired of being controlled and will no longer accept the devious treatment that they had been receiving.

Fannie Lou Hamer was an activist for the Civil Rights Movement, and organized the Mississippi Freedom Summer for the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee. She was a religious woman and her goal was to help blacks became substantial in life.  Hamer stated," God's children is going to help in the survival of this country if it's not too late"(397). Hamer believed that African Americans were God’s children and a very important part of society. Hamer knew that if given the chance blacks would accomplish great things in life, not only for themselves, but for the world also.

World War II

 World War II created a lot of problems pertaining to racial and social conditions for the American people. American families began to live below poverty lines because of lost of employment, which then turned into the family possibility losing their home. They were not eating the meals  that they were use to because families had to make their money strength, so families cooked meals that were low in cost and that could last a couple of days, such as beans, and stews. People who were lucky enough to still have employment were not bring home the amount of money that they were use to bring home, now they were earning less then minimum wage which  is amazing how this is even possible or legal for that matter, another reason why families life styles declined below poverty level. Unemployment rates were high because a lot of businesses went out of business during World War II causing Americans to lose employment and with jobs not being available to people, this caused people to loot, reason being is that they still had to find a way to survive in these troubling times, people had families at home that still need nourishment. The Armed Forces were concerned about not having enough men in the event of another war, so in order for this not to occur millions of young and older men were being enlisted in the Armed Forces for precaution reasons. Blacks were dealing with segregation within the Armed Forces, black soldiers had to train, ate and sleep in separate quarters then whites. The army was experiencing a shortage in white nurses, but if there were a mass amount of injured white soldiers the black nurses where not allowed to aid them in their time of need, the blacks were considered not good enough to take care of them. Production of products were decreased in order to increase the production of weapons for the Armed Forces because they did not want to face not being able to control the war if any were to occur. The American people were living in fear of what to expect, Americans did not know and that is what scared them the most. The automotive companies dropped sells because no automobiles were being produced as a matter of fact there was a cease in automobile production until after World War II was over. Americans received a increase in taxes because the war exhausted a huge amount of funding, so in order to build the funding up there was a increase in taxes placed on Americans.

The effect of Jim Crow laws

     The daily life for African Americans living in the south under the Jim Crow laws was very stressful and demean their character. This law served as a legal way to continue to discriminate against blacks. African Americans on a daily basis was deprived education, their children were not allowed to attend the same schools as white children, blacks had to ride on the back of the bus and if the bus happen to become full the black person had to give their seat to a white person, blacks were not allowed to dine in restaurants that served whites or even work in the restaurant. Blacks feared being lynched or their family being lynched, worried about if their homes would get torched by whites. African Americans did not receive governmental services such as welfare that whites were able to receive. Overall blacks felt worthless to society on a daily basis. blacks felt as though they were servants to whites. Blacks could not use the same water as whites because blacks were considered dirty. The daily life for whites under the Jim Crow laws was not so bad, whites were able to work, become educated, eat where ever they wanted, and if whites did dine with blacks whites were to be served first. Whites were able to accuse black men of rape if approached by black a black man. White families received an abundance of help from blacks with their daily house duties. Whites were offended by blacks if they showed one another affection in public. White people did not have to address blacks as Mr. or Mrs., they did not have to show any respect to blacks, but received nothing but respect from blacks. So, whites lived a normal life under the Jim Crow laws because they were considered superior. The Ku Klux Klan reflected whites fear that the minority would come to take over, and since there was an increase in blacks and immigrants in America whites adopted this fear. Feared the blacks would receive equal opportunity for jobs, education, politics, and rights, and the goal was to prevent this from taking place, so they lynched, burnt blacks homes and much more.