African Americans Dbq Essay

African Americans living in the Pacific Northwest from the late 19th century to the end of the 20th century faced much discrimination that stemmed from the prominent racist attitudes held by others. In the mid to late 19th century, exclusion laws were put in place to limit their migration to certain areas because white settlers did not want African Americans to live near them. Then, they were denied employment opportunities and even subject to violent harassment. Later in the 20th century, red-line districts existed that sustained racial segregation in cities. These were related to the discriminatory practice and laws that allowed there to be a lack of civil rights for African Americans. To gain civil rights African Americans challenged racist

In Seattle, African Americans “were usually unable to rent or buy in other whiter parts of the city” (DocPack #9 Document 1). This discrimination was allowed and put African Americans at an unfair disadvantage by limiting where they could live. They were being segregated and almost all African Americans lived in the inner city. They fought for civic legislation that would end this segregation. Forming organizations to gain civil rights was an impactful method because “by the early 1960s local churches and clubs coalesced with national organizations like the NAACP in support of an open housing ordinance” (DocPack #9 Document 1). The support African American organizations lent to each other helped improve the scope of their activism. They were able to advocate effectively and reach more people which increased their impact on the community. This method was useful for African Americans when fighting for civil rights because it strengthened their cause. Other activists, such as Martin Luther King Jr. and the Black Panthers, supported movements led by African Americans in Seattle (DocPack #9 Document 1). Unfortunately, they did fail to achieve open housing at first after it failed to pass in a vote. In 1964, Seattle voters voted in favor of segregation and rejected integration and open housing. They were not deterred from continuing to protest for this right though. Eventually, they did succeed in getting the open housing ordinance to pass which was a major step in limiting racial inequality and segregation in