1.2

Question 1

What direct action took place during the 1940s and 50s

Answer 1

Protests, boycotts and picketing of shops that would not serve black people
CORE held a series of sit-ins to desegregate public facilities
Journey of Reconciliation - riding inter-state buses through Southern States

Question 2

What were the consequences of the Montgomery Bus Boycott

Answer 2

1956 Supreme Court desegregated buses
Accelerated other movements
Generated media support for the civil rights movement
Homes of King and NAACP leader E.D. Nixon were fire-bombed
Hardened the racial divide
Snipers shot at black passengers sitting in white seats - a pregnant women was wounded in both legs
In the next local election, white candidates who favoured segregation were elected

Question 3

Describe what happened in Little Rock

Answer 3

In 1957, 9 black children were selected to join the all-white Central High School
Ovral Faubus sent the state National Guard to stop the children going in ‘for their safety’
Elizabeth Eckford went on her own, was turned away by the National Guard, and walked through a screaming mob
Photographs of the incident shocked the world
King met with Eisenhower and urged federal intervention - he sent in troops to escort the students into school
Homes of local NAACP leaders were firebombed several times

Question 4

Describe the Greensboro sit-ins

Answer 4

February 1960, 4 black students began a sit-in in Woolsworth after being told they wouldn’t be served
Began noticing an increase in number of black attendees
Protests remained non-violent, however violence against them was initiated by whites on the third day
First national sit-in on feb 13th
By March the sir-ins had spread to 55 cities in 13 different states
Lunch counters were eventually desegregated in all their states

Question 5

What did the SNCC do

Answer 5

Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee
Established in 1960
Field secretaries sent into violent areas
Training programmes on how to deal with violent reactions
Non-violent direct action
Looking to see an increase in voter registration
In Atlanta 1935 and 1936, the mayor, when asked for adequate street lighting in black areas, said he would provide it if the people in those areas would vote for him and the way he told them to in other elections

Question 6

Describe the freedom rides

Answer 6

In 1961, organised by James Farmer
The rides were to rest the law regarding the segregation of transport on buses
Riders experienced no trouble when riding in the North, but violence occurred when the riders began to move deeper South
In Alabama, one of the buses were firebombed after the bus was chased by about 50 cars, some of them police cars. All the riders got off the bus alive, but the media coverage showed shocking levels of violence

Question 7

Describe what happened in Birmingham, Alabama

Answer 7

In 1963, King and the SCLC led a push to desegregate the whole town
One tactic was to be arrested to fill jails - by the end of the month, jails were full
‘Bull’ Connor, chief of police, used fire hoses and dogs against the protestors
Shocking pictures went worldwide - Kennedy said he was ashamed and sent in federal troops
Birmingham was desegregated, JFK pushed forward on civil rights legislation
A poll after Birmingham showed that 42% of people thought race was the USA’s most pressing problem - only 4% said this in 1962

Question 8

Describe the Freedom Summer

Answer 8

1964, SNCC decided to push for voter registration
Sent 45 volunteers (all white) to the South to encourage blacks to register
6 volunteers found dead, 35 shooting incidents and countless beatings
17000 black people tried to register to vote, only 1600 accepted
Led to LBJ signing the Voting Rights Act

Question 9

Where and when did the Ghetto Riots originate and what problems were there in these cities

Answer 9

New York, Chicago and Philadelphia, in 1964

Problems like police brutality, overcrowding and poor facilities existed in these cities

Question 10

How bad was black youth employment in Chicago?

Answer 10

Black youth unemployment in Chicago: 7.6%

White youth unemployment in Chicago: 2.3%

Question 11

What were the effects of the Watts Riots in 1965

Answer 11

The Watts district of Los Angeles received $18 million after the riots

Question 12

When was the Nation of Islam formed and what was their aim

Answer 12

1930

Their key aim was to live separately from the whites

Question 13

When was Malcolm X assassinated and what legacy did he leave behind

Answer 13

1965

He left behind a legacy of ‘by any means necessary’

Question 14

What were the names of the 2 black medal winners in the 1968 Mexico City Olympics

Answer 14

John Carlos and Tommie Smith

Question 15

How did the 2 black medal winners show their support for the Black Power movement

Answer 15

Took off their shoes to protest poverty
Wore beads to protest lynching
Raised fists to show solidarity with the civil rights movement
Unzipped shirt to relate with the black workers

As a result of this, they were suspended

Question 16

Who formed the Black Panther Party in 1966

Answer 16

Huey P. Newton and Bobby Seale

Question 17

Name some of the key demands of the 10 Point Programme by the Black Panther Party

Answer 17

Ending police brutality
Freedom
Equality
Peace

Question 18

What caused the Northern Crusade and what did it plan to do

Answer 18

20 major riots in city slums all over the USA in the summer of 1966

King announced a ‘Northern Crusade’ to improve slums by setting up tenant unions, improving working conditions and teaching young people about non-violent protest

Question 19

Why did many consider the Northern Crusade a failure

Answer 19

Since it brought no permanent change

Question 20

Why did King’s relationship with the media turn sour

Answer 20

He accused them of trying to make non-violent campaigners like himself make militant statements, or they wouldn’t be reported

Question 21

When was King assassinated

Answer 21

In 1968, whilst planning the Poor People’s Campaign and also supporting a strike of Memphis sanitation workers

Question 22

What was the 1964 Civil Rights Act, and what was set up to enforce it

Answer 22

Banned discrimination for sex or face in hiring, firing and promoting

The Equal Opportunities Commission was set up to enforce this

Question 23

What was the 1965 Voting Rights Act

Answer 23

Banned any attempts to stop people voting because of their race

Provisions are put in place for the next five years for federal enforcement of this; the enforcement provisions have to be reconfirmed, with extensions, in 1970, 1795, 1982 and 2007

Question 24

What did Kennedy ask for during a speech in 1963, and what was a limitation of his speech

Answer 24

Asked for the Civil Rights Act
Wanted the end of segregation in public facilities
Wanted lawsuits brought against any state governments that refused to comply with desegregation laws

However, his speech did not include some things deemed necessary by civil rights leaders, e.g. protection against police brutality or ending discrimination in private employment

Question 25

In Kennedy’s 1963 speech on civil rights, what stat did he mention

Answer 25

57% of African Americans lived in unacceptable housing

Average life expectancy for African Americans was 7 years less than whites

Question 26

What were some achievements of civil rights legislation

Answer 26

Significant number of black politicians by 1980
Socio-economic employment score of black American men moved from an average of 16 in 1940, to 21 in 1960, to 31 in 1980
Score for black women went from 13 to 21 to 36
More black Americans voted - between 1965 and 1966, a further 230000 black people registered to vote

Question 27

What were some limitations of civil rights legislation

Answer 27

Affirmative action orders, although followed, resulted in a ‘minority quota’ way of thinking - (‘we’ve got enough minority employees now’)
The death of King made some people turn from black civil rights to other issues
The poor were getting poorer - more of them were falling below the poverty line than in 1959 - the American census of 1960 reported that 46% of America’s black population were living in ‘unsound’ accommodation
More black children in schools, but most of these schools were in the poorest areas and some were still segregated
In 1968, 58% of black school children in southern states remained in segregated schools
Crime rates were higher - in 1980, 75% of black high school dropouts, aged 25-34, had criminal records

Question 28

Reasons for Hispanic Americans to fight for equal rights

Answer 28

Deportation - Operation Wetback
Workers rights
Discrimination
Land

Question 29

List some key individuals/groups for Hispanic Americans and what they did

Answer 29

Reies Tijerina organised protests about Mexican land rights in New Mexico
Cesar Chavez had a non-violent campaign for the rights of farm workers, focusing on working conditions
Cesar Chavez also set up the National Farm Workers Association in 1962
Jose Gutierrez led the La Rama Unida party and set out to encourage Hispanic people to register to vote
Young Puerto Ricans in Chicago set up the Young Lords Organisation in 1969, modelled on the Black Panthers, even down to providing breakfast clubs for local school children
The Brown Berets were a young, militant organisation set up in 1967 that campaigned against police brutality

Question 30

List some key protests/events of Hispanic Americans

Answer 30

In 1973, there were widespread strikes and demonstrations in response to 1970 farm worker contracts not being renewed
1968, Chavez went on a 25-day hunger fast, in which Robert Kennedy joined him for the end of the fast
1968, over 10000 students walk out of mainly Mexican schools in East LA, protesting the conditions - 13 activists are arrested
1971 - Brown Berets march 1000 miles to protest against police brutality and all forms of discrimination

Question 31

What were some gains for Hispanic Americans

Answer 31

1954 Supreme Court ruled that Hispanic people were equal citizens
1968 Mexican American Legal Defense and Education set up to pursue civil rights in the courts
1966 Congress’ Cuban American Adjustment Act said all Cubans who had lived in the USA for a year were permanent residents
1975 Voting Rights Act extension provided language assistance to Hispanic groups

Question 32

What were some limitations for Hispanic Americans

Answer 32

Although local campaigning improved schools and housing, the level of change varied from place to place, as did the levels of enforcement of these legal rights

Question 33

Reasons for Native Americans to fight for equal rights

Answer 33

Tribal homelands

Self-determination

Question 34

List some key individuals/groups for Native Americans

Answer 34

Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA)
American Indian Movement (AIM) - ‘Red Power’
National Congress of American Indians (NCAI)
Nixon rejected both termination and forced assimilation, and sympathised with Native American rights campaigners

Question 35

List some key protests/events for Native Americans

Answer 35

1972 - AIM Trail of Broken Treaties, a protest drive to Washington to protest outside the BIA about BIA management of many issues.
1973 - AIM occupies the village of Wounded Knee and declares independence as the Oglala Sioux Nation. The government sends in US Marshall’s and the state police - the siege lasts 71 days and AIM only withdrew once the government agreed to an investigation of its demands and grievances
1978 - The Longest Walk from San Francisco to Washington to protest about the forced removal of American Indians from their homelands and against Congress’ unwillingness to renegotiate treaties

Question 36

What were some gains for Native Americans

Answer 36

1970 Congress returned land at Blue Lake to the Taos Pueblo Tribe
1971 Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act transferred 40 million acres of land and $462500000 to Native Alaskans
1972 Indian Education Act - funded tribal schools
1974 Indian Financing Act - lent tribes funding
1975 Voting Rights Act extension provided language assistance to Native Americans when voting
1978 Indian Child Welfare Act gave Native Americans more control over the adoption of Native American Children

Question 37

What were some limitations for Native Americans

Answer 37

Nixon’s administration did not reform the BIA, nor did Nixon renegotiate about Native American sacred sites
There was no overall solution to the land issues, and various states such as Hawaii in 1971, continued to evict Indians from land if the state wanted it for building or other use

Question 38

Reasons to fight for equal Gay Rights

Answer 38

The ‘Lavender Scare’ rooted out homosexuals; thousands lost their jobs
Homosexuality was not decriminalised across the USA until 2003
In the 1950s, Congress said that homosexuality was a mental illness
Certain groups were very anti gay, for example the KKK

Question 39

List some key individuals/groups for Gay Rights

Answer 39

Gay Liberation Front
Gay Rights Movement
1977 Harvey Milk was elected to office in San Francisco - was assassinated in 1978
1974 Kathy Kozachenko became the first openly gay candidate elected to public office

Question 40

List some key protests/events for Gay Rights

Answer 40

Gay Pride marches were held in several cities in 1970 - the New York March alone had about 10000 marchers
1979 - Dan White, Milk’s assassin, is given only 7 years in prison for the killing. As a result, over 5000 protestors march on San Francisco’s city hall and rioting breaks out - over 120 people injured
1980, Democratic Party says it will not discriminate against gays and will campaign for their rights

Question 41

What were some gains for Gay Rights

Answer 41

Between 1979-81, the governor of California appointed four openly gay state judges
1980, a gay teenage boy sued his high school for the right to bring a male date to the school prom - he won

Question 42

What were some limitations for Gay Rights

Answer 42

Gay support at a federal level was slow coming
Religious right opposed gay rights and gained support from conservatives and some republicans, even Ronald Reagan
Proposition 6 - a law proposed in California in 1978 to ban gays, lesbians and supporters of their rights from working in state-funded schools in California
In 1977, a law was proposed to stop discrimination in housing, public facilities and employment - Anita Bryan set up Save Our Children (SOC) and collected petitions against the law, saying gay integration meant ‘normal’ children would become corrupted. The law was rejected