American Blacks

In the 1960s, the southern states were still very racist. In the 17th century, black people were captured in Africa and sent to America as slaves and, since that sinister period, they have been considered as second-class citizens whose rights were denied. The situation went on until the middle of the 20th century and laws against the Blacks were enacted. Those segregationist laws forbade the Blacks to vote, to attend the same schools as the Whites or to sit in the front seats on a bus. Racism was not only in people’s minds, it was part of the American legal system. The Ku Klux Klan is a xenophobic and violent secret organisation that was founded in 1866 in order to prevent the Black community becoming integrated into American society. It emerged following the Civil War which abolished slavery in America. We can compare it nowadays to the skinheads whose extremist ideas look very much like those of the KKK in America.

Doc. A demonstration of the Ku Klux Klan

- second class citizen
- segregation
- slavery
- xenophobic
- Ku Klux Klan

Second-class citizens: citoyens de seconde catégorie
Went on (to go on): a continué
Were enacted (to be enacted): furent promulguées
Backward: arriéré
Fountains: fontaines à eau
To take shape: prendre forme, prendre corps
Handcuffed and expelled from a place: menotté et expulsé d'un endroit
Unconstitutional: contraire à la constitution
A white hood: une cagoule blanche
Tortured, whipped, hanged, burnt: torturé, fouetté, pendu, brûlé
Stood up for something (to stand up): résisté pour quelque chose
Responsible for every evil in the US: responsable de chaque mal aux Etats-unis
To decrease: diminuer