Essay On Racial Segregation

Racial segregation impacted the american population in quite some way after world war 2. Ranging from the whites to nonwhites men to women or adults to children. Racial segregation was something people lived with every day. Some ways it became regular were through Americans trying to purchase a house based on red-lining factors avoiding “colored” neighborhoods A.K.A “High Risk” areas and non-whites having do deal with the struggles of restrictive covenants on certain areas.

One common way racial segregation was placed on americans during this time period was the method’s to purchasing a house. They were said to be fair yet didn't allow everybody equal purchasing rights. For example, The Levittown housing was a revolution in home building expansion.

Yet after the war the government programs didn't make it easy for Non Whites to receive mortgages for their past homes due to how they classed the areas that nonwhites came from making it near impossible to purchase new houses.”Federal housing policies also exacerbated racial inequality”. (Norton, Mary Beth. A People and a Nation: A History of the United States. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2008. Print.) They would label these areas as “High Risk” and label the “Trend Of Desirability” to go downward in the next 10-15 years. Denying the ability to get money for their old places. This was called “redlining” .

In 1926 the use of “racial restrictive covenants” became legal to use. ”The restrictions were an enforceable contract and an owner who violated them risked forfeiting the property. Many neighborhoods prohibited the sale or rental of property by Asian Americans and Jews as well as Blacks. ("Racial Restrictive Covenants." Racial Restrictive Covenants. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Oct. 2016). Racial segregation was hard to get past when it came to these rules. From redlining where it made it near impossible for nonwhites to sell their original homes now these covenants are making it near impossible to purchase new homes. This combination was very stressful for nonwhite families that wanted to leave their current overpopulated homes.

Racial Segregation from this time still affects how the cities are laid out today.

Some of the “High Risk” areas are still area for low income families. This happening may have set all african americans back a few years in suburbanizing lifestyles. That is time that may never be recovered. Not all long term impacts on african americans are negative. The Harlem Renaissance will forever have an impact on how african americans (Plus whites) live today. For example the music helped the low and middle african american class gain motivation to fight for their rights and achieve the goals needed to live a good lifestyle as they do today. Urban renewal was the process of replacing urban land with modern items. Such as highways and shopping malls etc. But to put all of these luxurious stores in, something had to get taken away, Which was the houses of nonwhites. They would level all the current houses and replace them with more modern buildings. This supported racial segregation because of having these people who lived in the “leveled” houses had to go move into more “High risk” areas. Because that was the only place they were allowed to purchase or rent housing. Supporting racial segregation just like restrictive covenants and

redlining.