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Virginia was one of the secession states, if I recall. Richmond was the capital of the Confederacy. Fredericksburg hosted a couple of battles and there were two more not far out of town.

I've been reeding The Free Lance-Star, Fredericksburg, Va., Tuesday, April 29, 1947 and I wondered how typical it is of newspapers of the period, or whether it's just plain segregationist.

https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid= ... page&hl=en

Attached files

Wouldn't shock me and I don't see the problem.

Offended by the use of the word "colored"?

Maybe that race was included in the news stories?

Remember when the Los Angeles Times made the policy of never including race or ethnicity etc. in certain stories.

Ya know, sometimes such things matter.

I thought it interesting that an American newspaper thought "colored" added relevant information to some news stories but not to others. It fails to say, for example, whether Ralph O'Hare is colored or white in a non-crime story. I could add other instances where "white or colored" isn't brought up. The race of the Governor or his daughter, for example, seems to be taken for granted. The other thing I thought interesting is that the same "white or colored" is still brought up in today's US newspapers in crime stories and still ignored in other contexts. I wondered what had changed since 1947 when it comes to deciding how much information is newsworthy.

spot;1499620 wrote: ...I wondered how typical it is of newspapers of the period, or whether it's just plain segregationist. Typical at the time in the South.

In the North only if necessary for clarity.

It was definitely not limited to Fredericksburg.

In The South, "colored" was a legal definition to specify an non-white citizens. This was actually true even in many of the northern states, as well. The Civil Rights movement of the 60s began the process that changed that.

Even into the early 70s, many southern state, county, and city governments continued to use that designation until forced to desist.

It was definitely not limited to Fredericksburg.

In The South, "colored" was a legal definition to specify an non-white citizens. This was actually true even in many of the northern states, as well. The Civil Rights movement of the 60s began the process that changed that.

Even into the early 70s, many southern state, county, and city governments continued to use that designation until forced to desist.


Yup

We are all the better now as the government dispenses things like college admissions based on race.

I remember once identifing myself as liberal, but liberalism left me.

I know U.S. History isn't my strong point, but wasn't the U.S. going through Racial Segregation at the time? Separate buses & schools, etc. for Blacks & Whites. This was just common policy of the day, and probably had no more meaning mentioned that a person was coloured than specifying the make of a car when reporting a traffic accident. In actuality it makes absolutely no difference to the story, but it's the sort of thing that would still get included for a bit of creative embellishment.

FourPart;1499648 wrote: I know U.S. History isn't my strong point, but wasn't the U.S. going through Racial Segregation at the time? Separate buses & schools, etc. for Blacks & Whites. This was just common policy of the day, and probably had no more meaning mentioned that a person was coloured than specifying the make of a car when reporting a traffic accident. In actuality it makes absolutely no difference to the story, but it's the sort of thing that would still get included for a bit of creative embellishment.FP, I wish that I had the time and energy to comment at length on your post. The racial situation in this country is probably misunderstood by Brits just as I know virtually nothing about the situation in England. The few times I've been to London I've noticed lots of black folks, far fewer in smaller cities, and that is pretty much the situation here.

But to respond directly to your post, racial segregation was the norm in the SOUTHERN USA until the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Prior to that schools in the south were mostly segregated. No separate buses but separate sections of buses for white and colored. I know of no such segregation in northern cities at ANY time in recent US history. I do remember one swimming pool and several restaurants in my town (Peoria, Illinois) that did not admit blacks, but that was a long time ago, they could never get away with that now.

Obviously if, say, a bank is robbed or other such crimes are committed, the police and news media are going to mention the skin color of the on-the-loose culprit, along with other information. And speaking of crime, it is, unfortunately, much higher within the black community, here in central Illinois and elsewhere.

Yes, I can agree that nowadays this is really shocking but in those times that was normal thing