The Impact of the Negro Vote on Alabama Elections Since the Voting Rights Act of 1965 Page: 22
[iv], 108 leaves : ill., mapsView a full description of this thesis.
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22
The Beginnings of Progress
Not until the early 1950*s did the civil rights move-
ment truly begin in earnest. Only then did the cause be-
gin to mobilize masses of people, black and white, to seri-
ously dedicate themselves to freeing the Negro from the bon-
dage of being a "second-class citizen" in America. The accom-
plishments between the years of 19^8 and 195^ seem inadequate
by today*s standards. Nevertheless, the gains of this period
were important because they represented some improvement in
the condition of blades, but more vitally, because they con-
tributed to building a Negro power base.
By 195^ Negroes, especially in the North, had developed
some political power. They had also developed a certain
amount of self-respect, skills, status, income, and leader-
ship in a variety of fields. Their freedom of movement had
expanded, both in terms of occupational and geographical mo-
bility, and in terms of public facilities and accommodations
which were available to them. Nonetheless, this fell far
short of fulfilling Negro aspirations. The lessening of dis-
crimination was good as far as it went, but it was not enough.
America needed to grant even more in order to provide the pro-
mised equality under the law.
The 195^ Supreme Court decision of Brown v. Board of
Education of Topeka overturned the separate-but-equal doc-
6
3^7 U. S. 483 (195*0.
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Smith, Dale Cheryl. The Impact of the Negro Vote on Alabama Elections Since the Voting Rights Act of 1965, thesis, May 1972; Denton, Texas. (https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc131520/m1/29/: accessed July 17, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, UNT Digital Library, https://digital.library.unt.edu; .