1 The Civil Rights Movement, 1954-60 Flashcards
<p>What was <b>Plessy v. Ferguson</b>?</p>
<p>A decision by the US Supreme Court in 1896 that declared segregation was allowed under the constitution, as it was ‘separate but equal’. This allowed for Jim Crow laws</p>
<p>What were the <b>Jim Crow Laws</b>?</p>
<p>The Jim Crow Laws were a set of laws that enforced segregation in all aspects of life including Education, Housing and Transport in the Southern states of America</p>
<p>Why were so few black Americans registered to vote?</p>
White people could stop black people from voting using a variety of official and unofficial methods:
<ul><li>Employers threatening to sack black employees who tried to vote</li><li>White gangs gathered outside registration and voting places</li><li>Black campaigners and the lawyers and activists who went to court to defend the right to vote frequently faced beatings or murder</li><li>Unfair voting registration tests, including literacy tests, that would be biased towards white people</li></ul>
<p>What was the Brown vs Board Case (1954)?</p>
<p>In May 1954, the Supreme Court declared that separate but unequal was unconstitutional. They ruled that school were to desegregate</p>
<p>In May 1955, Brown II said that desegregation should be carried out 'with all deliberate speed'</p>
<p>What was the impact of Brown v. Board?</p>
<ul><li>The Brown case reversed Plessy, sparking off many more desegregation campaigns</li><li>The Supreme Court set no timetable for desegregation, but in 1955 another Supreme Court case ruled that desegregation should be carried out by states ‘with all deliberate speed’. A vague statement that gave Southern states flexibility</li><li>In the Deep South progress was slower. Governors of some states, such as Kansas and Mississippi did not accept desegregation</li><li>A white backlash began as can be seen from the Southern Manifesto, a declaration signed by 11 Southern States that claimed desegregation was against the US constitution</li></ul>
<p>Which two main groups opposed African Americans?</p>
<ul><li>White Citizens Council</li><li>Ku Klux Klan</li></ul>
<p>What were the <b>WCC</b>?</p>
<p>The White Citizens Council was a network of white supremacists concentrated on the Deep South. Their main aim was to preserve segregation</p>
<p>They campaigned against desegregation and, like the KKK, carried out threats and violent actions against black families and civil rights activists</p>
<p>What happened in <b>Little Rock, 1957</b>?</p>
<p>In 1957, 9 black students attempted to enrol in the all white Little Rock High School in Arkansas</p>
<p>The students were prevented from entering by a white mob and the National Guard who were called in by the Governor of Arkansas, Orval Faubus</p>
<p>What was the significance of Little Rock?</p>
Photographs of Eckford and the white mob were in the newspapers worldwide with the Little Rock Nine becoming famous. The federal government became embarrassed by the publicity. As a result:
<ul><li>President Eisenhower, who did not initially agree with legally enforcing integration, sent in 1000 federal troops to force Arkansas to obey the law</li><li>Governor Faubus’ state troops were put under federal control using a presidential order</li><li>Eisenhower explained his actions on TV saying how states had to respect the law</li><li>At the end of the school year, Governor Faubus closed every Little Rock school for the next school year in order to avoid integration</li><li>Parents forced schools to re-open as integrated in September 1959</li></ul>
<p>When did Rosa Parks refuse to give up her seat to a white passenger on a bus?</p>
<p>Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat on a bus on 1st December 1955 and was arrested</p>
<p>What percentage of African Americans boycotted the buses in Montgommery?</p>
<p>90% of African Americans boycotted the buses in Montgommery</p>
<p>How long did the Montgommery Bus Boycott last?</p>
<p>The Montgommery Bus Boycott lasted 381 days</p>
<p>What does the MIA stand for?</p>
<p>MIA stands for Montgommery Improvement Association</p>
<p>Why was the MIA set up?</p>
<p>The Montgomery Bus Boycott (MIA) was set up to improve the lives of African Americans and to support the Montgomery Bus Boycott</p>
<p>Who was the leader of the MIA?</p>
<p>Martin Luther King, a well respected clergyman</p>