question about civil rights movement in the 1950's

tunatartare · #1 06-22-2006, 09:56 PM

I'm taking an online summer class on American History post-1945. Currently we are studying the Civil Rights movement. In trying to do my assigment for this week, I would like to find (1)the number of registered black voters in 1952, and (2)the number of black voters who voted in the 1952 election. I have tried googling different key words on the subject, but have come up empty handed. If any history buffs on here either know this offhand, or know where I can find this information, I would really appreciate it. Thanks.

Sistermadly · #2 06-22-2006, 10:16 PM

If the library at your university (or in your town) has a live chat service, I'd recommend using it.

Lady of Pearl · #3 06-22-2006, 10:24 PM

Perhaps you need to narrow your search to a specific city during that era and or check an almanac or maybe a website called Black Facts online they might have it not sure but worth a try!

tunatartare · #4 06-22-2006, 10:37 PM

Thanks Lady_of_Pearl. Sadly, blackfacts.com didn't have anything. I tried doing searches in my school's online database and came up empty-handed. I went around it by saying that few of the people who voted in the 1952 election were black, but it would've been nice to have specific numbers.

Still BLUTANG · #5 06-23-2006, 09:25 AM

unless your prof told you there IS an answer to this question, i think he just wants you to tucker yourself out doing research. it's a trick question.

- who keeps track of voting records? voting is conducted on a local level, so you'll be working for a while trying to compile national numbers.

- i know it's civil rights era, but was was race "tracked" at the actual time of voting? I mean we're talking way before the Voting Rights Act so...

i'd get familiar with the sources in your textbooks footnotes/endnotes, as well as the sources on your secondary reading list - there might be a useful clue there as to where you can find an answer.

please keep us posted, i think it's really interesting :-)

tunatartare · #6 06-23-2006, 09:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Still BLUTANG

unless your prof told you there IS an answer to this question, i think he just wants you to tucker yourself out doing research. it's a trick question.

- who keeps track of voting records? voting is conducted on a local level, so you'll be working for a while trying to compile national numbers.

- i know it's civil rights era, but was was race "tracked" at the actual time of voting? I mean we're talking way before the Voting Rights Act so...

i'd get familiar with the sources in your textbooks footnotes/endnotes, as well as the sources on your secondary reading list - there might be a useful clue there as to where you can find an answer.

please keep us posted, i think it's really interesting :-)

My professor didn't tell us to look it up. A lot of people in my class were posting in the discussion that they were surprised that the White House was against the Civil Rights movement. I posted that I wasn't surprised by it at all seeing as how President Eisenhower was born in Texas in 1890. In addition, in his eyes, his responsible was to protect the interests of his constituents, the majority of which at the time were white voters. I just wanted to find figures to use in my response.

AKA_Monet · #7 06-23-2006, 06:30 PM

You may want to google the "Voting Rights Act" to see what is said specifically at the number of voters if delineated by race... The other location you may want to google is the "League of Women Voters" or other "voter education services". In fact, you may want to visit the DNC or RNC webpages and see what they say, today...

Let me know what you find...

AKA_Monet · #8 06-23-2006, 06:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Still BLUTANG

unless your prof told you there IS an answer to this question, i think he just wants you to tucker yourself out doing research. it's a trick question.

- who keeps track of voting records? voting is conducted on a local level, so you'll be working for a while trying to compile national numbers.

- i know it's civil rights era, but was was race "tracked" at the actual time of voting? I mean we're talking way before the Voting Rights Act so...

i'd get familiar with the sources in your textbooks footnotes/endnotes, as well as the sources on your secondary reading list - there might be a useful clue there as to where you can find an answer.

please keep us posted, i think it's really interesting :-)

KLPDaisy--

Blutang is right...

This question is a trick question and your professor wants you to figure out why... Blutang and I gave you a HUGE HINT...

I was able to find out the reason why you will not find an answer within 5 minutes of "googling"...

Here's another hint: NAACP and all Martin Luther King sites...

The other question, why 1952? What is so important about that date? Shall I say, when the election of President Eisenhower?

If you present the facts that you find as to why there aren't many records, then I think you will have a pretty good piece of information on your hands...

Good luck.

Peaches-n-Cream · #9 06-23-2006, 07:36 PM

I googled 1952 voting and found:

From the website http://www.stetsonkennedy.com/jim_cr...hapter10_1.htm

Quote:

In the face of physical, economic, and psychological warfare, the South's Negroes have intensified their struggle to get at the ballot boxes. still, by 1958, when a Conference on Voting Restrictions in Southern States was held in Washington, D.C., not more than one fourth of the South's 6,000,000 Negroes of voting age were registered to vote. This Conference, sponsored by the Southern Conference Educational Fund (a private group uniting Southern whites and Negroes against discrimination), presented the Department of justice and Civil Rights Commission with state-by-state reports on violations of the Negro's right to vote. Here are just a few of the highlights the Conference threw upon democracy's low points down South:

Mississippi: Negroes free to vote in only six of the state's 82 counties.

Alabama: Negroes constitute 30 per cent of the population, 6 per cent of the voters.

Georgia: 160,000 of the state's 650,000 potential Negro voters are registered to vote.

Virginia: 60,000 of the state's 750,000 Negroes are registered to vote.

Florida: 148,000 of the state's 370,000 potential Negro voters arc registered.

Louisiana: Negroes constitute 30 per cent of the population, 16 per cent of the voters.

Also some info about laws that were created in 1952 South Carolina is here. http://www.jimcrowhistory.org/script...uth%20Carolina

http://www.jimcrowhistory.org/ might have relevant info.

Here is a link to a paper written by WEB DuBois about why he won't vote in 1956. http://www.thenation.com/doc/19561020/19561020dubois

I hope this is helpful. I suggest you look to the Department of Justice, NAACP, The ACLU, and the League of Women Voters.