Alabama adopted new voting systems, such as cumulative voting and limited voting, in several jurisdictions. These changes resulted in more proportional representation and increased the number of African Americans and women elected to local offices.
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Alabama’s economy shifted away from traditional industries like lumber, steel, and textiles due to increased foreign competition. New industries, such as technology and automobile manufacturing, emerged, with Huntsville benefiting from the opening of the George C. Marshall Space Flight ...Read more
Notable civil rights events in Alabama included the Montgomery bus boycott (1955–1956), Freedom Rides in 1961, and the 1965 Selma to Montgomery marches. These events contributed to the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting ...Read more
Birmingham was called the “Magic City” due to its rapid growth in the early 20th century, driven by industrial development and mining.
Industrial development related to World War II brought prosperity to Alabama. Rural workers moved to cities for better jobs, significantly increasing populations in cities like Mobile.
Beginning in the 1940s, courts started to recognize the voting rights of black voters. Legal challenges, such as the one against the state constitutional amendment giving registrars greater latitude to disqualify voters, were successful in overturning some provisions designed to ...Read more
Despite progress, Alabama continues to face challenges related to racial discrimination, economic disparities, and underrepresentation of urban areas. The Black Belt region, home to many African Americans, remains economically disadvantaged.
Alabama passed various segregation laws, including segregating jails in 1911, hospitals in 1915, toilets, hotels, and restaurants in 1928, and bus stop waiting rooms in 1945.
The new voter registration laws, particularly the cumulative poll tax, also disenfranchised poor white voters. By 1941, whites constituted a slight majority of those disenfranchised by these laws, with 600,000 whites and 520,000 African Americans losing the ability to vote.
The Rosenwald Fund helped fund the construction of schools for African American children in Alabama. Between 1913 and 1937, 387 schools, seven teachers’ houses, and several vocational buildings were built with partial funding from the Rosenwald Fund.