Wednesday, May 6, 2020

Racial Integration in College Football in the 1950s

In the 1950s, America was viewed as one the strongest nations in the World. America established itself as a strong military super power and dominate country in World War II. The effects of World War II carried over in the 1950s, America saw a lot of economic growth, there was an increase in the amount of people who moved to the suburbs, and the baby boom which came about because of the millions of soldiers returning home from military services. Even though this seemed like a happy time, there was still a thick tension in America. This tension was between African-Americans and white Americans. In 1865, the thirteenth amendment was passed which abolished slavery. Even though this occurred, white people still felt that African-American were†¦show more content†¦Davis didn’t let this stop him, he got back up after every play and was determined to not let racism prevail. He was supported by the black community who filled the stands of segregated stadiums to come and see hi m play. â€Å"He led the squad [Syracuse] to its first unbeaten season, then became the varsitys top rusher as a sophomore in 1959† (Carter). During this decade, predominately white institutions started integrating their teams more, mainly in the south. The last major college in the south to integrate their football team was the University of Texas who signed walk-ons E.A Curry and Robinson Parsons in 1967. It took some time but seeing at least one black player on college team became common, however not necessarily social acceptable. Racism was an accepted ideology for many years and it wasn’t going to just be rejected overnight. Only time could rid itself of this racist ideology. Nevertheless, if black players had the talent then they had a chance of being a part of major college football program. In the book titled Race, Sports, and the American Dream, it discussed how sports helped change the place of African-American in society. â€Å"Sports was well segregated deep into the 20th century† (Smith 9). How college football looked in America in the 1950s was exactly how American society looked in the 1950s, segregated and racist. African-American athletes in college football helped fight and negate stereotypes because it showed that they are equally as goodShow MoreRelatedChanges Brewing For African American History1708 Words   |  7 Pages Changes Brewing for African Americans in 1950s Determined to write a play about African American experience in the United States for every decade during the 20th century, Wilson has written many plays representing each of these decades. Fences is one of such plays about African American in the 1950 s. 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