Juliette Duncan
‘The 1920s were a period of racism and intolerance for Black Americans’.
How far do you agree with this statement? (18)
Just because slavery had officially ended in 1865, this certainly didn’t mean an end to racism and
discrimination for black Americans.
Black Americans always lived in fear of the violent nature of the white people they were surrounded
by. One example of this would be lynching. Lynching’s where when a white mob would attack and
execute a black person, often by hanging them, who they had suspected of supposedly committing a
crime. This would more often than not be scapegoating and placing blame on someone who was
innocent. Lynching’s were a brutal and cruel act of humiliation and discrimination, which provided
entertainment for the white American people, including children. The police would turn a blind eye
to this, as most commonly, they didn’t want to do anything to prevent it. In the 1920s, there were
around 50 lynching’s per year, and very few perpetrators were ever punished for it.
Another factor which greatly contributed to the intolerance suffered by black Americans was the Ku
Klux Klan. This organisation was a white supremacist movement that was formed in the 19 th century
after the end of slavery in 1865. The members believed that only true Americans were WASPs,
white, Anglo-Saxon Protestants. In 1925, they reached a peak of 5 million members, these of which
would wear white, hooded gowns to conceal their identity. The Klan not only targeted black
Americans, but also Catholics, Jews, foreigners and homosexuals. The group was a strong opposing
force to black people, as they felt threatened by things such as immigration. They would parade
outside the Capitol as well as the Whitehouse. The numbers began to fall in the 1920s due to a
number of appalling murders.
However, we could say that the 1920s was a time when Black Americans made vast improvements.
In the 1920s, there was some progress. The increasing popularity of black music, art and literature
became known as the Black Renaissance. People such as Duke Ellington and Weldon Johnson
became famously known, although very few black Americans ere able to achieve this.
Another factor was that political groups began to step up to help black Americans. One example
being the National Association for the Advancement of Coloured People (NAACP). This was first
established in 1909 by W.E.B DuBois. This organisation campaigned against segregation and
lynching. At its peak, the group had 90,000 members and used legal methods to challenge
discrimination and racism. The group also provided legal support for African Americans, and won
number of high-profile victories in the Supreme Court. In 1917, a silent march was held with some
10,000 New Yorkers taking part. As well as the NAACP, the Universal Negro Improvement
Association (UNIA) had 1 million members by 1921. This group was established by Marcus Garvey
who encouraged black people to migrate back to Africa. He also created the Black Star Line just for
African Americans. Although the UNIA didn’t achieve much change, it did in fact encourage a racial
pride and raised money to help and support African Americans to start their own businesses.
Taking everything into account, it appears that the negatives clearly outweigh the very few positives.
The extreme and brutal violence black people had to endure couldn’t possibly be fully turned around
or forgotten in the same decade.
‘The 1920s were a period of racism and intolerance for Black Americans’.
How far do you agree with this statement? (18)
Just because slavery had officially ended in 1865, this certainly didn’t mean an end to racism and
discrimination for black Americans.
Black Americans always lived in fear of the violent nature of the white people they were surrounded
by. One example of this would be lynching. Lynching’s where when a white mob would attack and
execute a black person, often by hanging them, who they had suspected of supposedly committing a
crime. This would more often than not be scapegoating and placing blame on someone who was
innocent. Lynching’s were a brutal and cruel act of humiliation and discrimination, which provided
entertainment for the white American people, including children. The police would turn a blind eye
to this, as most commonly, they didn’t want to do anything to prevent it. In the 1920s, there were
around 50 lynching’s per year, and very few perpetrators were ever punished for it.
Another factor which greatly contributed to the intolerance suffered by black Americans was the Ku
Klux Klan. This organisation was a white supremacist movement that was formed in the 19 th century
after the end of slavery in 1865. The members believed that only true Americans were WASPs,
white, Anglo-Saxon Protestants. In 1925, they reached a peak of 5 million members, these of which
would wear white, hooded gowns to conceal their identity. The Klan not only targeted black
Americans, but also Catholics, Jews, foreigners and homosexuals. The group was a strong opposing
force to black people, as they felt threatened by things such as immigration. They would parade
outside the Capitol as well as the Whitehouse. The numbers began to fall in the 1920s due to a
number of appalling murders.
However, we could say that the 1920s was a time when Black Americans made vast improvements.
In the 1920s, there was some progress. The increasing popularity of black music, art and literature
became known as the Black Renaissance. People such as Duke Ellington and Weldon Johnson
became famously known, although very few black Americans ere able to achieve this.
Another factor was that political groups began to step up to help black Americans. One example
being the National Association for the Advancement of Coloured People (NAACP). This was first
established in 1909 by W.E.B DuBois. This organisation campaigned against segregation and
lynching. At its peak, the group had 90,000 members and used legal methods to challenge
discrimination and racism. The group also provided legal support for African Americans, and won
number of high-profile victories in the Supreme Court. In 1917, a silent march was held with some
10,000 New Yorkers taking part. As well as the NAACP, the Universal Negro Improvement
Association (UNIA) had 1 million members by 1921. This group was established by Marcus Garvey
who encouraged black people to migrate back to Africa. He also created the Black Star Line just for
African Americans. Although the UNIA didn’t achieve much change, it did in fact encourage a racial
pride and raised money to help and support African Americans to start their own businesses.
Taking everything into account, it appears that the negatives clearly outweigh the very few positives.
The extreme and brutal violence black people had to endure couldn’t possibly be fully turned around
or forgotten in the same decade.
