AMH2020 MOD 4 DIS 12 Peer Responses

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St. Petersburg College *

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History

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Dec 6, 2023

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docx

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Luisa Buitrago Something that surprised me in this module was the Crisis in Levittown. I always knew about segregation, and that it was eventually phased out. But I had never heard first hand from residents of an only-white community and their thoughts and feelings about the first African American moving into their town. The company that built Levittown tried to keep the suburb all white but claimed they did not share the train of thought. William J. Levitt denied having any anti-Black bias, saying “I have come to know that if we sell one house to a Negro family, then 90 to 95 per cent of our white customers will not buy into the community. That is their attitude, not ours.” Step on 'em, work to win. Roger-Kellogg-Stillson, Inc. NY 1941-1945 Imperiled: Vrb - put at risk of being harmed, injured, or destroyed. Overt : Adj - done or shown openly; plainly or readily apparent, not secret or hidden References:

Singer, Jasmine Torres and Alan. “Levittown, PA and the ‘Northern Promised Land That Wasn’t.’” History News Network. Accessed November 9, 2023. https://historynewsnetwork.org/article/171333#:~:text=In%20Levittown%2C %20Pennsylvania%20Northern%20racism%20escalated%20to%20the,Pennsylvania%2C %20and%20New%20Jersey%20that%20barred%20African%20Americans. Locke, J. L., & Wright, B. (Eds.). (2020). The American Yawp: A Massively Collaborative Open US History Textbook, Vol. 2: Since 1877 . Stanford University Press. Wagner Melendez The "crisis in Levittown, PA" particularly stood out to me as it revealed a stark and disheartening reality about the challenges of desegregation in post-World War II America. Levittown, initially a symbol of suburban utopia, became a battleground for racial tensions and resistance to integration. In a 1957 article from The New York Times, the depth of the crisis is evident: "In Levittown, where homes are very much alike, a new house for a Negro family has become a highly visible symbol of desegregation." This crisis is visually encapsulated in an illustration from that period, showing a newly arrived African American family in front of their Levittown home, surrounded by a hostile, protesting crowd. The image starkly captures the challenges and hostilities faced by those daring to break racial barriers in housing. The caption could read: "Levittown, PA: A Symbolic Struggle for Desegregation, 1957." This revelation left me astonished as it challenged the idealized narrative of suburban bliss and highlighted the deeply entrenched racial prejudices that persisted, even in the supposedly prosperous post-war era. It underscored the immense courage required by those challenging the status quo and fighting for civil rights in the face of widespread resistance. In the course of this module, I encountered and learned several new terms. Two of them are: 1. **Utopia**: In the context of suburban developments like Levittown, the term utopia refers to an imagined community or society that possesses highly desirable or perfect qualities. It surprised me to realize that the seemingly idyllic suburban lifestyle was, in many cases, a carefully constructed image rather than a universally shared reality. 2. **Desegregation**: The process of ending the separation of different races, especially in schools, housing, and public facilities. The crisis in Levittown exemplified the challenges associated with desegregation and the resistance faced by African American families attempting to live in predominantly White neighborhoods.

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