Student Scholarship

Document Type

Research Paper

Abstract

This research paper examines the transition of Washington, D.C., from a city of "intolerable" racial segregation in the late 1940s to one undergoing rapid integration by the early 1950s. The study focuses on four pivotal areas: education, recreation, employment, and places of public accommodation.

Historically, Washington lacked an absolute color bar until the turn of the 20th century, when local civil rights acts of 1872 and 1873 disappeared from official codes. By 1947, a dual system of public education served as the core of a segregated society, with Negro schools suffering from severe overcrowding and inferior facilities. Recreational areas and playgrounds were strictly divided, and private employment largely confined Negro workers to unskilled, low-paying domestic or labor roles. In public accommodations, downtown theaters and hotels were almost entirely closed to Negro patrons, creating a rigid segregation often described as worse than in the South.

By the early 1950s, significant legal and social efforts began dismantling these barriers. 

  • Legal Landmarks: The 1953 Supreme Court decision in District of Columbia v. John R. Thompson Co., Inc. validated the laws of the 1870s, effectively desegregating all public eating establishments in the District. 

  • Education: At the time of writing, the nation awaited a Supreme Court decision regarding the Washington segregation case of Spottswood T. Bolling, with the Eisenhower administration filing briefs supporting the end of segregated schooling. 

  • Employment and Government: Executive orders from Presidents Truman and Eisenhower pushed for merit-based hiring in federal and District government agencies. 

  • Public Life: Major theaters like the National Theater dropped their color bars, and the Department of the Interior integrated federal parks and swimming pools. 

Anderson concludes that by 1954, Washington could no longer be regarded as a "Jim Crow" city, as the capital moved toward setting a global example for equal opportunity.

Research Highlights

  • The Problem: Systematic segregation and racial discrimination in the District of Columbia across public education, recreation, employment, and public accommodations. 

  • The Method: Historical analysis of civil rights legislation from 1862 to 1875 and a comparative study of mid-1940s conditions against the legal and social reforms occurring through January 1954. 

  • Quantitative Finding: In the late 1940s, white school capacity was 27 percent greater than enrollment while Negro school enrollment exceeded capacity by 8 percent; over 15 percent of Negro children received only part-time instruction compared to less than 1 percent of white children; Negro workers held 72 percent of domestic and unskilled jobs but only 6 percent of professional and managerial positions. 

  • Qualitative Finding: The "separate but equal" doctrine produced inferior facilities and psychological handicaps for Negro residents; the disappearance of 1870s-era anti-discrimination laws from the city code led to a "color bar" that excluded Negroes from downtown theaters, hotels, and restaurants; significant integration progress was achieved through Executive Orders 9980 and 10308, and the 1953 Supreme Court ruling in District of Columbia v. John R. Thompson Co., Inc.. 

Publication Date

1-1954

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