0 days shorter than his white counterpart.Although conditions were improving for blacks, it is imperative to realize that the improved black statistics were still substantially lower than whites. The people of this era were absolutely clueless about the rights of an African-American. Occurrences in 1948 were critical for the advancement of blacks in the U.S. President Truman issued an executive order that desegregated the armed forces. The Supreme Court decision in Shelley vs. Ferguson made residential segregation more difficult by preventing the enforcement of covenants that prevented residents from living in certain areas based on their race. These events were a part of the gradual progress of blacks beginning in the 1930's. In 1954 and 55 the Sup0reme Court reversed the 58-year old "separate but equal" doctrine in Brown vs. the Board of Education. Some intellectuals at the time realized, throughout history, it had been shown that contact with different groups tended to bring about mutual respect and appreciation for other groups. Thus Brown decision brought about New Hope for equality in America. "Separate but equal" was inherently unequal because it drew such a distinction between white and black. Perhaps it was the horror of WWII or maybe or maybe Black Americans became fed up with their oppressed well being. Whatever the case, in the mid-1950's social protest brought social change throughout African-American history.Six months after the Brown decision, on December1, 1955, Rosa Parks, a black seamstress, exhausted after along workday, refused to give up her seat on the bus to a white man. Her arrest sparked the year long Montgomery buses boycott. The next decade involved an increased violent protest. This era became known as the Civil Rights Movement. The early 1960's involve sit-in demonstrations, freedom rides, and mass street demonstrations. White society as well as traditional black leaders realized it was a tim...
