1957 Civil Rights Act

Question 1

What was the aim of the 1957 Civil Rights act?

Answer 1

To improve the number of African American voters

Question 2

How were the aims of the 1957 act going to be achieved?

Answer 2

• Set up the US commission on Civil Rights, to investigate how Blacks could not vote in different places
• Allowed Federal courts to prosecute states who tried to prevent blacks from voting

Question 3

To what extent did the Civil Rights Act of 1957 bring positive change?

Answer 3

• Minor
• Showed Congress and Supreme Court were willing to act on Civil Rights issues
• Created a precedent, could be referred to when seeking support for subsequent civil rights legislation

Question 4

To what extent did the Civil Rights Act of 1957 bring negative change?

Answer 4

• Major
• Severe limitations
• Literacy tests still legal, could be abused in the South (purposely asking harder questions)
• Could not prevent racist juries from delivering ‘not guilty’ verdicts (if act was not followed)
• However these limitations made civil rights leaders determined to ask for more

Question 5

What was the follow up act (after 1957)?

Answer 5

• 1960 Civil Rights act
• States suspected of preventing blacks from voting were inspected by Federal government

Question 6

Did these two acts achieve its purpose?

Answer 6

• No
• Little impact on number of black voters registered in the South