How Did Americans Spend Over 50 Billion Dollars On Amusement Parks

Matthew Kaspzyk
Mrs. Gumina
English III, Hour 3
6 April 2016
Not All Fun and Games

Americans spend over 50 Billion dollars on amusement parks, theme parks, and water parks every year (iaapa.org). It is no surprise that parks have become a core part of many american’s summer vacations; from loud and fast roller coasters to slow, peaceful raft rides, parks contain everything a family may want to do in their free time. Parks have been known to be family oriented, serving children and adults alike, but this wasn’t always the case. Parks would have been anything but family friendly to a black family in the mid 20th century. Segregation is a huge scar across american history, and everything from restaurants to parks were affected by it. “When

This rule was challenged in the June of 1951 when 3 black Kansas City citizens, Esther Williams, Lena Rivers, and Joseph Moore, demanded entrance to the park. They were still denied entrance, but this time the NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People) sued the park on behalf of the three citizens. City officials claimed nearby pools were just as adequate for blacks to use, sticking to the “separate but equal” claim. This statement was obviously false, as the pool had more funding than any other pool designated for blacks, “Judge Albert Ridge, of the U.S. District Court, ruled against Kansas City, declaring that segregation at Swope Park violated the Fourteenth Amendment because the Swope pool was superior in amenities and location to the pools designated for use by blacks.” (Dr. Jason Roe). Rather than desegregate the park, city officials closed down the pool under the argument that black and white people in close proximity would cause riots. On June 12, 1954, however, the park was reopened with equal admission between black and white residents under heavy police supervision. To much surprise, the pool was quite peaceful that day. The profound act would not finalize without repercussions however; attendance to the park dropped by over 60% in the coming months as white swimmers refused to swim with blacks. Today, Swope Park has recovered as society has changed, and serves thousands of Kansas Citians every year. A major factor of the survival of Swope Park is the fact that it is a public facility, owned by the city of Kansas City, and not a privately owned