1st Edition

The Origins of the African-American Civil Rights Movement 1865-1956

By Aimin Zhang Copyright 2002
    188 Pages
    by Routledge

    188 Pages
    by Routledge

    The historical relationship between American urbanization, industrialization and the emergence of the civil rights movement is examined in this thesis in order to establish why the African-American Civil Rights Movement occurred. The book discusses many factors that were fundamental to causing the rise of the civil rights movement. It begins with a brief introduction to the African-American's political, economic and social conditions since the American Civil War and goes on to consider the effects of the two Great Black Migrations in which millions of black Americans moved to the big industrial cities and began to learn how to make effective use of their voting rights to protect their own interests. Finally the book examines the effect of the Second World War and also the role of the Supreme Court.

    Acknowledgements
    Introduction
    Chapter One: The Legacy of the Civil War
    The African Americans' Rights were not Secured by the Reconstruction
    The Establishment and Development of the Racial Segregation System
    The Initial Responses of the African Americans
    Chapter Two: The Black Great Migrations
    The Conditions Prior to the First Great Migration
    The First Great Migration (1916-1929)
    The Great Migration during the Second World War and Afterwards
    Chapter Three: Crisis, Opportunity and the Growth of African American's Political Consciousness
    The African Americans Turned to the Democratic Party
    The Growth of African American Political Power
    The African American's Civil Activities
    Chapter Four: The Expansion of Social Basis
    The Struggles between Liberals and Conservatoves inside the Democratic Party
    The Left Concerning with the cause of African American Racial Justice
    American Labor Organizations Participating African American Civil Rights Movement
    Changes in American Intellectual Circles
    Chapter Five: Eve of African-American Civil Rights Movement
    African American's Awakening
    March on Washington Movement
    Chapter Six: American Federal Supreme Court Decisions on Civil Rights Cases
    Civil Rights Cases
    Voting Rights Cases
    Education Cases
    The Brown Decision
    Conclusion
    Bibliography
    Index
    Princi pal Cases Cited
    Subjects and Names

    Biography

    Aimin Zhang

    "Zhang's work gets us back to basics in reminding us of the fundamental historical forces that led to the Montgomery bus boycott in 1955." -- American Historical Review