An evaluation of the obstacles to the achievement of civil rights for black people, up to 1941

Legal and Institutional Obstacles

The Jim Crow Laws from the late 19th century segregated public places in Southern states, deeply affecting black rights.
The ‘Separate but Equal’ doctrine was upheld in 1896’s Plessy vs. Ferguson case, reinforcing racial segregation.
Poll taxes, literacy tests, and grandfather clauses were legal tools developed to prevent black people from voting.
The Supreme Court itself was largely conservative and often upheld racially discriminatory laws.

Violence and Intimidation

Extrajudicial violence, including lynchings, was a common threat to black people asserting their rights. The Klu Klux Klan and other vigilante groups promoted terror to undermine black progress.
Police forces and legal systems in many places were complicit in this violence or did little to prevent it.
The fear of violence was a substantial deterrent in black Americans’ quest for equality.

Economic Disadvantages

Most black people were poor, manual labourers, or sharecroppers, leaving little time or energy for political organisation.
Black employees often faced threats of dismissal or worse if they were seen to be agitating for civil rights.
Economic disparities made it difficult for black people to challenge the socio-economic order.

Racial Prejudices

Many Americans, both in North and South, retained deep-seated prejudices that restricted black social mobility.
Such prejudices were embedded in academia, media, and popular culture, effectively normalising them.
These negative stereotypes and attitudes hampered white support for civil rights causes.

Political Insensitivity and Obstacles

Presidents and Congress largely ignored the issue of black civil rights until WW2.
State governments, particularly in Southern states, were publicly committed to preserving white domination.
The political importance of the ‘Solid South’ to Presidents and Congressmen discouraged federal intervention in questions of race.

Limited Progress and Disorganised Movements

Up to 1941, civil rights progress was slow and largely restricted to the North.
Early civil rights organisations like the NAACP focused primarily on legal strategies, which had their limitations.
There was no mass organisation or movement that encompassed the entire population of black people.

To succeed in the exam, remember to not just list these factors, but analyse and link them to the question where relevant, supporting your arguments with specific examples and evidence. Remember to explore both the ways in which these obstacles impeded civil rights progress, and how certain events or actions in this period may have paved the way for future breakthroughs.