THE LIFE FOR BLACKS PRIOR TO KING

The 1930's was considered to be American Hell, there where no civil rights. The black rights where very limited for instance; land ownership was possible but if a black family owned land, the white people could just take it for nothing if they saw use for it. African Americans where not allowed to serve in any political positions on any level and not only where they not allowed to be school they could not read, and if they where caught doing so it would result in hanging, lynching or jail time. Jobs available consisted of jobs in an ex slave owners home doing chores such as cleaning, washing, farm/yard work, and cooking/serving for the family. They where not allowed to live in the house so the home owner would put them in a barn or shed to live usually consisting of 1-2 room shack with no heat or source of light except for what sunlight seeped through the cracks in the walls or door. There source of food was even scarce mostly being pig feet, ears, knee bones, pigtails, intestines, along with what rotten veggies they found on the farm.

Often the hanging or lynches of black where done by white police, usually the local sheriff or pastor of a church. Whites would often break into the homes or "shacks" of a black mans home and rape his wife and children at  gun point. most of the lynchings that happened where because of false accusations from white women. The white man would beat or rape his wife or girlfriend and then she would turn around and accuse a black man of doing the crime in order to protect her spouse.