1957 Civil Rights Act and formation of SCLC Flashcards
What progress did the Civil Rights Act of 1957 make?
- It allowed federal courts to prosecute state violations of voting rights
- Called for federal intervention over civil rights violation by states
- It showed that the federal government supported civil rights
- Support from some Southern politicians for black voting rights
- Brown, the Montgomery Bus Boycott and the white backlash led to increasing sympathy for civil rights in the USA (including in Congress) and abroad.
Why was Eisenhower reluctant to act on civil rights?
Eisenhower argued that real change came from changing the way people think, not forcing them to do something. He said it was forcing a change on people and he was not the only one as it faced wides[read opposition.
Did all white Southern politicians support the Civil Rights Act?
Some white politicians in the South supported black voting rights but the Dixiecrats did not.
Who was Strom Thurmond?
Dixiecrats in Congress fiercely opposed any bill supporting the civil rights of black Americans. Strom Thurmond, a leading Dixiecrat, spoke for 24 hours and 18 minutes in a filibuster that prevented the first vote on the bill. This meant that the bill had to be revised and considered by both houses in Congress all over again.
Federal courts could now prosecute state violations of voting rights but it was not effective in the South. Why?
These prosecutions would be tried in the state by a jury. An all-white jury in the South was unlikely to do anything but dismiss it.
What does SCLC stand for?
The Southern Christian Leadership Conference.
When was the SCLC set up?
January 1957
Why was the SCLC set up?
To coordinate church-based protests across the South .
Who were among the leaders of the SCLC?
Among its leaders were Martin Luther King and Ralph Abernathy.
What was the SCLC’s first big campaign?
The SCLC’s first big campaign was centred around voter registration. It wanted enough black voters in the South to have an impact on the 1958 and 1960 elections.
What did the SCLC do?
The SCLC worked with black communities to train people for the voter registration tests that they had to pass before they could vote.
What were the key features of the SCLC?
- All segregation to be rejected and protested against
- Non-violent direct action tactics
- Mass action
- Broad-based black and white membership
