Module 3: History
   Part 12: The Case of Levittown

This part focuses on the case of Levittown. Developer William Levitt founded the white-only Levittown in New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. These towns openly promoted segregation and fostered racism.

&1: Levittown

After World War II, Levitt & Sons, a developer in New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania, looked to capitalize on federal housing programs. William Levitt created suburbs of Levittown in New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. Houses in these developments could not “be used or occupied by any person other than members of the Caucasian race” (Clause 25 of the original lease for Levittown houses). 

Read:
Levittown, PA and the “Northern Promised Land That Wasn’t”
https://historynewsnetwork.org/article/171333

At 50, Levittown Contends With Its Legacy of Bias
https://www.nytimes.com/1997/12/28/nyregion/at-50-levittown-contends-with-its-legacy-of-bias.html

On the Frontlines of Freedom (Excerpt)
https://www.aclu-nj.org/about/50thanniversary/on-the-frontlines-of-freedom/on-the-frontlines-of-freedom-chapter-one-1

Listen:
The Effects of Intolerant Policy Makers: Woodrow Wilson, Levittown, and More
https://soundcloud.com/thegoodtalknetwork/the-effects-of-intolerant

A 1957 documentary explored the “crisis” in Levittown, PA. You can access the documentary at the link below.

Watch:
Crisis in Levittown, PA (1957)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ww9OckLY1g

Reflect:
  • What did you learn from these resources?
  • How does this learning impact your view of history and of our current society?
  • How does this learning inspire you to take action? What are your next steps?

While Jim Crow laws are no longer legal, policies have been put in place that continue the legacy of Jim Crow. The next part explores mass incarceration and the war on drugs in what Michelle Alexander calls the “New Jim Crow.”