Levittown Racial Integration Essay
Racial Integration in Levittown, Pennsylvania During the late 1940s and throughout the 50s, many city-dwelling Americans were compelled to move to the suburbs, driven by a desire to forge a new and more comfortable lifestyle for their families. After World War Two, cities had become overcrowded as veterans returned and sought to purchase homes of their own. The implementation of the interstate highway system, coupled with the undertakings of developers to build new communities offering more affordable housing ensured suburban growth. As new communities began to sprout up all over the country, however, it became apparent that the promise of a relaxing life in the suburbs was not made to everyone. Restrictive racial covenants barring African
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After experiencing the segregation of the south, Daisy Myers moved to New York City for graduate school and was overcome by the possibilities for blacks in the city; blacks sat in the fronts of buses, her classes were racially mixed.[47] Back in Virginia, the Myerses lived in Hampton, where Bill had attended college at the Hampton Institute, earning a degree in electricity. Realizing that he would not be permitted to enter into an electrical union in the south, and annoyed by the south’s segregation, Bill decided to move the family to his hometown of York, Pennsylvania for more work opportunity and freedom from racism.[48] Once they arrived in Pennsylvania, however, they realized that they had run into more trouble than they had bargained for. Their search for a house was difficult, as many of the homes they had wanted were in white neighborhoods subject to restrictive covenants, and once they did find a house, neighbors banged screen doors and tin pails to make the environment as unwelcoming as possible.[49] After a brief period in York, the family moved to Philadelphia, as Bill thought he would find better employment opportunity in the city.[50] Bill discovered, however, that he did not have many prospects for work, and as their family continued to grow, the Myerses were in need of more living space, so they decided to make the move to
After experiencing the segregation of the south, Daisy Myers moved to New York City for graduate school and was overcome by the possibilities for blacks in the city; blacks sat in the fronts of buses, her classes were racially mixed.[47] Back in Virginia, the Myerses lived in Hampton, where Bill had attended college at the Hampton Institute, earning a degree in electricity. Realizing that he would not be permitted to enter into an electrical union in the south, and annoyed by the south’s segregation, Bill decided to move the family to his hometown of York, Pennsylvania for more work opportunity and freedom from racism.[48] Once they arrived in Pennsylvania, however, they realized that they had run into more trouble than they had bargained for. Their search for a house was difficult, as many of the homes they had wanted were in white neighborhoods subject to restrictive covenants, and once they did find a house, neighbors banged screen doors and tin pails to make the environment as unwelcoming as possible.[49] After a brief period in York, the family moved to Philadelphia, as Bill thought he would find better employment opportunity in the city.[50] Bill discovered, however, that he did not have many prospects for work, and as their family continued to grow, the Myerses were in need of more living space, so they decided to make the move to