How far is it accurate to describe Black Americans and other ethnic minorities as second class citizens 1945-1955? (30 marks)
A second-class citizen is a person who is systematically discriminated against within an area and to some extent, black Americans and other ethnic minorities were treated as second class citizens, not only socially but within politics, legislation and economically too. During the years 1945 to 1953 there were improvements but they were still not seen as equal citizens. The Jim Crow laws ensured that blacks were not seen as real Americans and were to be treated differently. Blacks were not denied the right to education or to vote, but the quality of education was much poorer for them, and the possibility of registering to vote was so low it almost didn’t exist. In 1945, during the Second World War African Americans in the USA were also fighting for justice and freedom. But this fight was not against the Germans or the Japanese. Rather, they were fighting to overthrow white supremacy in America.
Socially and economically, black Americans were considered as second class citizens in late 1945. Over 1.2 million black men joined the United States army during the Second World War. The experience radicalized them. Northern blacks were trained in rural military camps in the southern states. This was their first experience of formal racial segregation. They thought they would be fighting for their country and yet their country treated them as second class citizens. Segregation continued during the war. For example, black soldiers had different canteens and were transported to the battlefield in different vehicles. Black soldiers who didn’t make it to the front line were given less equipment and less training, and in some cases black battalions were sent to the most dangerous parts of the battlefield.
However, the courage of black soldiers