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Chicago and the Legacy of Harold Washington

Washington was quoted saying that from a young age he expected to be in a leadership role2. He believed that he was always the most intelligent person wherever he went. He loved to be challenged but school proved not to be challenging enough for him. In between his junior and senior year he dropped out of school. He worked at a meatpacking company before his father helped him get a job at the U.S. treasury in the city. This is where he met his future wife Dorothy Finch. .
             The Formation of a Politician Amidst the Chicago Landscape.
             Washington was drafted to serve in the military to serve during World War II. After the war, he returned to Chicago, received a G.E.D., and headed off to receive his bachelor's degree on the G.I Bill at Roosevelt University. There is where his life as public servant began. He chaired a fund-raising drive by students and was named to a committee that supported citywide efforts to end restrictive covenants on housing.3 This was the practice that prevented Blacks and Jews from purchasing real estate in white neighborhoods. In addition, fundraising and committee work helped him gain knowledge and awareness about the issues affecting south side Blacks. This early work prepared him with a greater understanding of the complex challenges and inner workings of city politics. After he graduated from Roosevelt in 1949, Washington attended Northwestern University School of Law. He began his political career working in the offices of the 3rd Ward Alderman. While working for Metcalf he organized the 3rd Wards Young Democrats. This organization was comprised of Black and White democrats from the ages of 18-36 that focused their work on equality for minorities.
             The early fifties was a difficult time for African Americans even up north. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 had not yet been written into law and the projections for the Black population was to increase to 400,000, 10 percent of the total cities population.


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  • Word Count: 3004
  • Approx Pages: 12
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  • Grade Level: High School

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