Housing & Suburban Life
Levitttowns
Mass-produced suburban communities developed by William Levitt for returning WWII veterans.
Brown v. Board of Education (1954)
Said schools can't be segregated by race ended “separate but equal.”
Teenagers in Post-War America
Became their own group with styles, music, and spending money.
Chuck Berry
Black rock-and-roll musician loved by teens.
Lynching
Illegal killings (mostly of Black people) by mobs, often in the South
The American Dream
The idea of owning a home, having a job, a family, and living in a safe neighborhood.
Plessy v. Ferguson (1896)
Said segregation was okay if things were “separate but equal.”
Demographics
After WWII, the population grew fast (baby boom); suburbs got bigger
Charles White
Artist who showed Black life and struggles.
Civil Rights Movement
Fight to end segregation and get equal rights for Black Americans.
White Flight
When white families moved out of cities to the suburbs to avoid integration
"Separate, But Equal"
Idea that segregation was fine if both races had equal facilities (but they didn’t).
Sit-Ins
Peaceful protests at restaurants that wouldn’t serve Black people
Jacob Lawrence
Painted the lives of Black Americans, especially those who moved North.
NAACP
Group that used the courts to fight racism (helped win Brown v. Board)
Redlining
Banks refused to give loans to people in Black neighborhoods
Educational Attainment/Outcomes
Post-war education expanded, especially with the GI Bill. However, white and black schools were not equal
Thurgood Marshall
Lawyer in Brown v. Board, first Black Supreme Court judge
Martin Luther King Jr
Peaceful leader who gave famous speeches and led marches.
De Jure Segregation
Segregation written into the law.
FHA (Federal Housing Administration)
HOLC (Home Owners' Loan Corporation)
Helped people buy homes but often supported segregation
Made maps that labeled Black neighborhoods as "risky" for loans.
Linda Brown
Young girl who couldn’t attend a white school helped start Brown v. Board case
Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC)
Civil rights group led by MLK.
Malcolm X
Wanted Black people to be strong and independent; more willing to fight back.
Freedom Riders
Rode buses to protest racism in the South.