WHAT FORMS OF DISCRIMINATION DID AFRICAN AMERICANS

FACE IN THE 1950S AND WHAT WAS THE IMPACT OF SUCH

DISCRIMINATION?

FIGURE 1 THE LYNCHING OF RUBIN STACEY IN FORT LAUDERDALE, 1933

What can you learn from this photograph regarding violence towards African Americans in the 1930s?

Listen to the following song and analyse the meaning of the words and their message: https://youtu.be/Web007rzSOI
Read the overview of the US constitution below and then answer the questions that follow.

Federalism versus state government:

The constitution of the United States is based on federalism. This means that the powers and function of government
are not all held by the national government in Washington but are shared between Washington and the states'
governments which are based in the capital cities of each of the 50 states (see map below which shows the different
states of America). Thus state governments have powers to conduct elections, establish voter qualifications, provide
local government, regulate trade with the state, provide education, maintain a police force and internal law and order.
Federal or national government is responsible for such areas as foreign trade, regulation of inter-state commerce,
declaring war and peace, conducting foreign relations. Taxation and controlling the National Guard (state militia) are
shared by federal and state government.

Separation of Powers:

The US constitution separates out the US government into thh Executive, the Legislative, the Judiciary.

The Executive is the President who proposes and enforces laws, makes foreign treaties, appoints Supreme Court judges,
is Commander in chief of the armed forces

The Legislative is Congress (The House of Representatives and The Senate) which passes federal laws, approves treaties
and presidential appointments and controls the federal budget

The judiciary is the Supreme Court which reviews decisions made in lower courts, resolves disputes between states and
checks that laws are constitutional

Each power can keep a check on the other. So, for example, the President can veto laws made in Congress but the
Legislative can override the presidential veto if two-thirds of both houses agree, and can also impeach the President if it
is considered he is acting unconstitutionally . The judiciary meanwhile can declare that laws are unconstitutional if it
believes that they go against the Constitution. Also, no member of the Executive cna be a member of Congress.

The Constitution

The US Constitution was made in 1789. It includes a Bill of Rights which sets out the rights of US citizens. The
constitution  can be amended but this involves getting agreement to change from a two-thirds majority in the House of
Representatives and in the Senate. This then has to be ratified by at least three-quarters of the states. 27 amendments
only have been passed wince 1789. 

Draw a diagram to show how the different features of the US constitution and how they relate to each other
 What do you consider to be the advantages of a federal system and of the system of 'separation of powers'?

Conduct your own research and find examples of:

a) the key amendments that have been made to the constitution

What is a constitutional amendment?

An amendment may be proposed by a two-thirds vote of both Houses of Congress, or, if two-thirds of the States request one, by a
convention called for that purpose.

EXAMPLE 1: prohibition

EXAMPLE 2: women’s right to vote

Example 3: article 13 abolition of slavery

b) when a President has used a veto

What is a presidential veto?

The power of the President to refuse to approve a bill or joint resolution and thus prevent its enactment into law is the veto. The
president has ten days (excluding Sundays) to sign a bill passed by Congress.

EXAMPLE 1: James Maddison and the separation of church and state

EXAMPLE 2: FDR and the bonus bill

c) when congress has tried to impeach a President.

What is impeachment?

Impeachment is an official removal process of a government official who is at a higher post in the system on the basis unlawful
activities.

EXAMPLE(S): Three United States presidents have been impeached, although none were convicted: Andrew Johnson was in 1868, Bill
Clinton was in 1998, and Donald Trump twice, in 2019 and 2021
 Collaborative Peer Teaching Project

You will be divided into FIVE groups.

Each group should research one of the following with regard to the situation of African Americans in the southern states
of the US by 1950 and present their findings to the rest of the class who should take notes and annotate the spider
diagram (see next page). The final group will present on the situation in the northern states.

The presentation should include a PPT with clear images and maps where appropriate to a maximum of 6 slides and a
single page of notes – this should be provided to the class as a HARD COPY, and provided to the teacher as an
ELECTRONIC COPY.

GROUP 1: The Jim Crow Laws; origin, impact and the situation by 1950s

GROUP 2: The Ku Klux Klan: origin, impact and the situation by 1950s

GROUP 3: The political restrictions on African Americans and their impact

GROUP 4: Attempts made to improve the situation for African Americans before 1950; key individuals and organisations
involved (also include actions taken during the Second World War)

GROUP 5: The situation for African Americans in the northern states by the 1950s

Guidance for creating class presentations:

 Your title slide may have a striking image (but not overly/visually busy); remember to include: 
Your Name > Topic > Name of Class > Class Period > Date.
 Be creative in grabbing and maintaining attention. Think outside the box. Begin and end your presentation in a
memorable way.
 If you use text, use bullet points, not sentences - aim for just one concept on a slide.
 The slides are for the audience; tell the story of your content and your topic through images. Talk off the
presentation. Do not read from it. PRACTICE OUT LOUD!
 When using quotes, look for the nugget within the quote. Paraphrase it as much as possible and discover its
essence. Always, give proper credit.
 Images:
o You do not need to have an image on every slide.
o If you include an image, aim for one powerful image, that could be accompanied by minimal text or no
text at all.
o Unless you are using a photo image as a background or image in the presentation, try to avoid too much
clip art.
o Use copyright friendly images - You may search for images conceptually or literally.
o Be sure to include the source of your image (if you did not create it yourself) in the lower corner of your
slide (whichever side is best). You may provide a full citation or give credit by stating:
This image is used under a CC license from [URL that links back to the image].
 Be sure to include a "Bibliography." 
Whilst watching the presentations you should add notes to the spider diagram below.