The narrative of civil rights issues in the 60s puts major blame on the South. Regarding things like Jim Crow laws, segregation laws and other legal practices at the time. The narrative that is usually misinterpreted was the Northern cities role in segregation and anti-segregation movements. In Theoharris’ article he points out the fact that it is the southern cities that market the civil rights movement today, and asks the question of why that isn’t the same in cities like New York, Boston and Detroit. Theoharris points out the fact that the racial injustices are heavily pointed regionally at the south rather than a nationwide problem. But what isn’t talked about enough was the Northern cities that created an economic and education gap between whites and persons of color at the time. This is known as de facto segregation, which is social and economic factors, such as residential patterns and discriminatory practices like redlining. These practices caused for less funding of areas that were occupied by persons of color at the time, ultimately creating ghettos (The term “ghetto” originally referred to a specific area where a minority group was forced to live, often due to social, economic, or legal pressures). The HOLC created ratings of neighborhoods to encourage bank loans and developmental areas for real estate, areas with 5 or more percent black citizens were rated a C or D on an A-D scale disencouraging funds and developments in those areas. Which forced people of color to attend less funded schools with poor resources for a good education. White liberals of the north used coded language as excuses for their actions to make them seem fair and justified. Examples of this are phrases such as Law and Order, quality education and Desegregation with Care. The phrase law and order came from white liberals expressing discomfort with civil rights activism, particularly during protests or demonstrations in urban areas. it was frequently used in ways that implied opposition to the tactics of racial justice movements. Quality education was an excuse used to keep segregation in schools. Concerned with maintaining high standards of education there was often an underlying fear that their own children’s educational experiences would be diluted or disrupted by the inclusion of Black students. Desegregation with care, suggested that racial equality should come slowly and cautiously. The reasoning for this was that a gradual approach was often a way of avoiding the difficult, immediate changes that would directly challenge their own positions.
I knew that there was segregation in the North during the civil rights movement, but I was never fully aware of the extent and the lasting impacts that it caused. I don’t think that this part of history is talked about enough in schools and I had little knowledge previous to reading this article. I was surprised by this, because of the way history is taught with the north being portrayed as innocent during the civil war with their efforts to end slavery, I was under the impression they wanted things to be more equal than they really were.
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Will Wright 
With your post, I like how you not only used information that you gained from the article to make your points but also some information that you already have, like the meaning of ghettos and their ties to segregation. Along that line, I like how you used certain examples from the article about the language that the northern whites would use to not comply with or acknowledge their own segregation and then explain their use and meanings. Similar to you, I had an understanding that there were some issues of segregation in the north but not as much as it mentioned in the article. I also think that you might be correct in thinking that history has been taught that way to show that the North was the savior and supporter of the civil rights movement, not valiantly opposing it at the same time.
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Thank you, Teagan! You bring up an important point about how the Civil Rights Movement is often framed in history—focusing heavily on the overt racism of the South while overlooking the more subtle but equally harmful systemic racism in the North. Theoharis does a great job of challenging this narrative, and your reflection on de facto segregation, redlining, and coded language really highlights how deeply ingrained racial inequality was (and still is) in Northern cities. I also completely agree that this history isn’t taught enough in schools. Many of us grow up thinking of the North as the “good guys” because of their role in abolishing slavery, without learning how they later maintained racial inequality through housing discrimination, school segregation, and economic exclusion. Your realization about the lasting impacts of these policies is so important—this isn’t just history, it’s the foundation of many inequalities we still see today.
Thanks again for your post! It’s great to see more conversations that challenge the traditional Civil Rights narrative and push for a fuller understanding of our history!
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I agree with what you said in post and especially in your closing paragraph. I figured there was some sort of racism in the North but what I had in mind was nowhere near the amount of racism that actually took place. I also agree that this is something that should be talked about more. It is not very common that I learn about a big event in American history like this one for the first time when I am in college. This has caused me to raise some questions as I wonder why this information isn’t talked about very much and I wonder if it has been done on purpose to always keep some sort of divide in the country between good and bad.
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First of, thank you for rightly point out the role of the North in maintaining defacto segregations. However, I wonder if the white liberals may have genuinely believed in gradual desegregation as a way to ease social tensions, rather than purely as a means to stall progress. A question I want you to consider is – given that many of these hidden discriminatory practices had long lasting effects, how should the dense northern cities like Boston and New York address the economic and social inequalities that still persist due to historical disparities?
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I also think that the North does not get enough attention in school. I think we focus on so much on the South after the Civil War. I also like you used outside information as well, instead of just the article. I also was somewhat surprised with the extent of the racism there, I think after the Civil War with the South being pro-slavery makes us think it was only the South.
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